Spring Football 2016: College Football's Next Superstar Quarterback

Josh Rosen

Every single year, high profile recruits join the college ranks with obscenely high expectations. It isn't rare to see some of these prospects become busts, never truly adjusting to the collegiate game. Guys like Chris Galippo and Marc Tyler all the way back in 2007 (USC recruits), Ronald Powell in 2010 (Florida), along with plenty more never really found success in college. Quarterback recruits are particularly susceptible to struggling to live up to the hype. They face a tough transition from high school to the college ranks and are viewed as saviors to an individual program where thousands of fans, alumni and students depend on their arm. There were plenty of people to thought the same thing would happen to Josh Rosen this past season at UCLA. Instead, the young quarterback thrived and heads into his sophomore season on the brink of something few quarterbacks at the collegiate level achieve: super-stardom.

With a nickname like "Chosen Rosen" it is easy to see where the hype train came for Josh Rosen. Rosen attended St. John Bosco High School and was viewed by nearly every recruiting service as a five-star recruit and the top quarterback in the Class of 2015. UCLA scouts were awed by his strong arm and quick grasping of the offense after he enrolled early, while NFL scouts drooled at his 6'4" frame, before he had even stepped foot on a college football field. The departure of NFL QB and Heisman candidate Brett Hundley left a major void in UCLA's offense that Rosen appeared destined to fill. He first had to beat out former backup Jerry Neuheisel (the son of former head coach Rick), and once he did, he promptly dominated. His first collegiate game, against Virginia, Rosen squared up against an underrated and experienced Virginia secondary, headed by future NFL draftee Quin Blanding. All Rosen did was throw for three scores with no interceptions and 351 yards. He began his career at UCLA with four straight wins before the Bruins' tough schedule caught up with the young team. They finished off a rather disappointing 8-5, but Rosen was far from the problem, as the true freshman led the charge with 3,670 yards and 23 scores while nearly approaching 500 total pass attempts.

That isn't too say that Rosen had no struggles adjusting to the collegiate level. Being a young quarterback, it wasn't surprising to see his 11 interceptions (3 of them coming against BYU), or his 60% completion percentage. The 18-year-old had to deal with learning a brand new playbook and a whole new system, without a ton of receiver help and facing a number of strong Pac-12 defenses. Those interceptions and a relatively low completion percentage give him plenty to work on this off-season. He should be overall much more comfortable in his second year at UCLA, and there appears to be more receiver help around him. Rosen continues to bulk up this spring and summer, as he has added about 15 pounds, aiming to make himself more durable and stronger over the course of a rough Pac-12 season. He also hopes that new offensive coordinator Kennedy Polamalu will continue to help him grow and evolve. Polamalu takes over for Noel Mazzone, who took his spread offensive scheme down south to Texas A&M. Although Mazzone is a great mind who has engineered great things in his coaching career, the move to Polamalu could really help Rosen. Mazzone relied heavily on the pass, as Rosen's near 40 attempts per game (on average) show. Rosen proved he could handle it and flourished with it, but throwing that many passes with stud back Paul Perkins in the backfield was sometimes questionable. Polamalu has a proven track record; he worked well with a number of future NFL prospects while being USC's offensive coordinator, and he has had a long career. He should design schemes that showcase Rosen's pinpoint accuracy and strong arm while also instilling balance in the offense.

The worry for Rosen is that he may endure the infamous "sophomore slump" that has hit more than a few athletes after a huge debut. Will Pac-12 defenses figure him out? Will he not mesh well with a new offense? Will he just simply not be as good? All of those questions may face Rosen, but this young man is special. He plays in a control and disciplined manner and carries himself well on and off the field. He has the chance to grow significantly as the 2016 season slowly creeps towards us, and he will get a chance to show Mazzone what he is missing, as UCLA opens up against Texas A&M on September 3rd. While some may worry about that sophomore slump, Rosen is bound to exceed expectations, much like he did last season. The sophomore is ready to take his serious game from simply late West Coast viewers and prove to the entire nation what he can do.

Spring Football 2016: The Mess at Texas A&M

Kevin Sumlin

It has now been 1,275 days since the college football landscape was turned upside down. On that day, the SEC newcomers,Texas A&M, cemented themselves as serious players in the conference as Johnny Manziel led the charge to upset the No. 1 and undefeated Crimson Tide. For Manziel, it was the Heisman moment he needed to claim the award in 2012. For Kevin Sumlin, it was the biggest win of his head coaching career and put him on a fast track towards an NFL future. Finally, for Texas A&M it seemed to be the beginning of a new era of exciting football and beating the other big boys of the South. Yet here we are, 1,275 days, roughly 40 months, and things couldn't be more different.

Here is just a quick summary of what has happened to Texas A&M over the past two years: after two straight 5-0 starts they've faltered in the second half finishing 8-5 over the past two years. During this span, the Aggies have struggled mightily against the SEC's top competition, most notably a 59-0 loss to Alabama in 2014, and an uninspired 23-3 drubbing at the hands of Ole Miss this past season. While the results of the last two years have been worrying, even more frustrating has been the Aggies' issues off the field. They have lost three high-profile quarterback transfers over the past two years, including Kenny Hill, Kyle Allen and Kyler Murray. Hill, who was supposed to be the heir of Manziel's throne, fell apart quickly after a flaming hot start and left to TCU, where he has a chance to start this season. Allen replaced Hill, and the former five-star recruit showed plenty of promise before he was eventually benched, and left for greener pastures at Houston. Murray was yet another five-star recruit who was supposed to also be the next big thing. He showed flashes of brilliance, but disagreements between him and the coaching staff led him to ditch to Oklahoma. The struggles of these past two years have all culminated in this extremely troubling week. To kick things off, the Aggies lost their most important recruit of the 2016 cycle, and another quarterback who was supposed to be the next superstar. Tate Martell was a consensus five-star recruit out of Las Vegas with astounding arm strength and terrific scrambling ability. He decided to decommit this week, leading to an ill-advised "tweet" by wide receivers coach Aaron Moorehead, who essentially called out Martell's lack of accountability and loyalty. That helped push Mannie Netherly, a four-star recruit to announce his decommit, referencing to Moorehead's tweet as he did so. Yet another highly touted prospect, ESPN 300 recruit Tyjon Lindsey, also dropped Texas A&M from his list. This recruiting drama and struggles have all exposed issues that have long been festering in College Station.

Contrary to this past week, recruiting has not been much of an issue for Kevin Sumlin and Texas A&M. In the 2014 recruiting cycle, Sumlin hauled in loads of talent, chiefly defensive end Myles Garrett, athlete Speedy Noil and Allen, all who were ranked No. 1 at their position group. In 2015, they hauled in five-star defensive tackle Daylon Mack, Kyler Murray and explosive wide receiver Christian Kirk. Overall, ever since the breakout of Manziel and the arrival to in the SEC, Texas A&M has been a staple among the best recruiting programs, and continues to be a force to be reckoned with in the Lone Star State. Yet, their is much more to college football than simply landing five-star recruits and incredible athletes. Sumlin is a great offensive mind who has proven he can do special things, in College Station and at Houston before his arrival. Yet, his player development has been seriously lacking. Outside of Garrett (who has a very serious chance of going No. 1 overall in the 2017 NFL Draft), most of Texas A&M's big-time prospects have fallen far short of the hype. There have been the transfers (Murray, Allen). Outside of solid receiver Ricky Seals-Jones, who has had his injuries, no player from the 2013 recruiting class has done anything of note. Not every player is going to come into college football and become a star, particularly in the ulta-competitive SEC, but Sumlin hasn't been able to work the same magic he worked with underrated Johnny Manziel at quarterback, or a number of other positions. Running back doesn't play a big role in the Aggies' offense, but none has emerged consistently under Sumlin and the defense as a whole continues to have their growing pains despite the addition of former LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis last season.

Just as worrying as the player development of Kevin Sumlin is his player management. All the way back to the Manziel era, Sumlin has received plenty of criticism for the discipline of his program. He never interfered with Manziel even when his partying lifestyle became national headlines, or when the autograph scandal became a major distraction early in the 2013 season. Manziel's replacement, Kenny Hill, was arrested for public intoxication before he came the figurehead of Texas A&M football (before his benching). Since the start of 2010, Texas A&M has been among the leader in players arrested, along with Oklahoma and Washington State, with 21. Considering these are 18 and 19-year olds thrown into the bright lights of SEC football who immediately became celebrities on a football-centric campus like Texas A&M, some of these issues are understandable. However, Sumlin and much of the Aggies' coaching staff hasn't been able to control some of these issues, and haven;t exuded the role of a mentor, which many of these young men need. For a program that is aiming to become the elite of college football, giving of a sense of crime and little leadership isn't what should be happening.

Once more, the talent is in College Station for this team to win big as they look ahead towards 2016-2017. Oklahoma transfer Trevor Knight is expected to take over the reigns of an offense that has plenty of potential. Christian Kirk enters his sophomore season criminally underrated, and there are plenty of receiving options that can break a game wide open. The defense has plenty of talent beyond Garrett, and Chavis will continue to find difference-makers. Also sure to help is the addition of new offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone who replaces the extremely unpopular Jake Spavital and hopes to rejuvenate an offense that was truly magical under now-Texas Tech head coach Kliff Kingsbury. However, the pressure on this team and Sumlin is immense. This hungry A&M fanbase has seen success on the recruiting trail and on the field, and they are eager to see it return. Things won't be easy on to 2016, but Sumlin needs to have success, as he hopes to turn around a program that is quickly creeping in the wrong direction. And he needs to do it fast.

Spring Football 2016: Alabama's Quest to Repeat

Tim Williams

In late September, hopes of a fourth Alabama title under Nick Saban seemed highly unlikely. The Tide had just lost to Ole Miss for the second straight year, and while the Rebels jumped in polls, Alabama was searching for solutions to their quarterback and pass defense problems. How did Alabama respond? Only by absolutely crushing everyone who stood in their path along the way on their way to an SEC title and berth in the College Football Playoff. They then continued their magnificent play, punishing the Big Ten champion Michigan State in the semifinal and then overcoming the previously undefeated Clemson Tigers in the National Championship. In 2016-2017, Alabama will enter the season as the hunted, which has become a common theme for them. Also common for them has been the abundance of impact players that left in the off-season. Even so, thinking Alabama won't be a serious national title threat is downright foolish.

Few players in college football transformed as much as Jake Coker did from the start of the season to the end. The former Florida State transfer took over the quarterback job (a year later than many expected) and was far from overwhelming. While he performed well in the opener against Wisconsin, his comfort in the offense was an immediate question and he soon slumped. Saban turned to youthful Cooper Bateman for the Ole Miss game before he was leveled and left the game. From that point on, Coker showed the poise and confidence many had hoped they would get from the veteran. By the end of the season he was making NFL-level throws and playing with a chip on his shoulder. Unfortunately for Alabama, they won't get to see how much he may improve with a second year on the job, as he graduated. That leaves Saban and offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin with their third consecutive offseason of searching for their starting quarterback. Talent is not a problem at the position, as a number of the competitors are former big-time recruits. Bateman will compete with highly touted Blake Barnett, David Cornwell and the ultimate wild card, Jalen Hurts, for the gig. Bateman and Barnett have to be considered the favorites in the race, and Kiffin has done a terrific job with his quarterbacks over the past two years. Unfortunately, whoever starts at quarterback this year for the Tide will not have the comforting feeling of a Heisman-winning (at least not yet) running back behind them. Derrick Henry ran through everybody this year on his way to the sport's most prestigious trophy and while he was too often injured, backup Kenyan Drake also graduated. However, Alabama finds dominant running backs like few others and the next in line appears to be Bo Scarbrough, who has the looks of a beast in the backfield. The sophomore is 6'2", 235 pounds and is built like a bulldozer; he showed plenty of potential last season and ran for 104 yards in 'Bama's spring game earlier this week. Joining Scarbrough will be last year's third-stringer, Damien Harris, another prolific high school player who showed signs a year ago. Alabama will also have big shoes to fill on the defensive side of the ball, where they lose defensive linemen A'Shawn Robinson and Jarran Reed and gritty linebacker Reggie Ragland.

Let's just say that the young guys come in and star at quarterback, running back and on the D-Line from the get-go. It won't happen, and there are going to be growing pains, no matter how talented the new pieces are. However, the talent on the rest of the Tide's roster is truly mind-boggling, with future NFL players dotting every position group. It starts with sophomore Calvin Ridley at receiver, who broke numerous records in his first season in Tuscaloosca. The dynamic receiver doesn't quite have the size of Amari Cooper, but he is quicker and more agile and he could be in store for a truly monster season. Tight end O.J. Howard is back for his senior year as well, and should be a great complement to Ridley's deep threat abilities. After a disappointing junior season where he never truly found a rhythm, Howard came out in full force in the season's biggest game. reeling in a number of huge grabs to help seal the deal against Clemson in the National Championship. Howard has deceptive speed and should continue to grow as a pass-catcher in his final year on campus. Also joining the stacked receiver corps will be highly coveted transfer Gehrig Dieter. Dieter, who arrives from Bowling Green as a graduate transfer, has game-changing speed and put up huge numbers in the Falcons prolific offense. Those three will play a huge role throughout this season and will be looked at to guide whoever starts at quarterback. On defense, the Tide do have talent returning, mainly defensive linemen Jonathan Allen. Allen could have been a first or second-round draft pick but opted to return and hunt for another title. The powerful Allen will be supported by Tim Williams, a pass-rushing specimen who could be in store for a monster season. Williams managed to make his presence felt last season despite not seeing a ton of snaps. With another offseason to grow even stronger and quicker the senior should put up big numbers. In the secondary, expect big things from another stud that spurned the NFL, Eddie Jackson. Jackson can play an important role at either cornerback or safety. He is a great coverage guy but also showed excellent safety traits, and the ability to make plays. Minkah Fitzpatrick showed the potential to be a superstar as well in the stocked 'Bama defensive backfield.

Perhaps more than ever, college football heavyweights scheduled major opponents and Alabama joined the trend. Alabama has actually done a good job of scheduling challenges early on and this year they will be tested by USC to begin the year. The Trojans are coming off a disappointing year that culminated in Steve Sarkisian's firing, but they are still going to give the Tide quite the challenge. Another non-conference test with sneaky Western Kentucky could be relatively close, and the Tide face a schedule from late October to late November that includes Tennessee, Texas A&M, LSU, Mississippi State and Auburn (with a bye in the middle). That should only put more pressure on a young team that while clearly talented, will have a number of issues to pan out before.

There is few things more difficult in sports than winning two straight National Championships, especially in a college football landscape that now includes a Playoff. The Tide will not only have to find a quarterback, they'll have to plug him into an offense that isn't easy to learn and relies heavily on the mind of their signal-caller. A dominant, four-down back will have to show up as well, and he defense will still have gaps to fill, which will become increasingly difficult, considering that Alabama will be without their defensive coordinator Kirby Smart, who took the Georgia job. Playmakers like Ridley, Howard and Jackson will obviously keep Alabama humming for the most part, and it is hard to imagine 'Bama taking much of a step back, no matter what happens. "The Process" in Alabama has begun again and while the road will be extremely difficult, the Tide have enough throughout their ranks to close in on yet another title.