5 storylines to watch in spring camp: Longhorn & Aggie QB battles

Courtesy of Texas Football & Haynes King's Twitter

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Spring ball is officially underway in the state of Texas. Several programs have already opened spring camp, while others are right around the corner. After Texas colleges lost this opportunity in 2020, spring will prove extra important in 2021. 

With that in mind, here are five storylines involving Texas colleges that we will be watching closely as spring gets underway, including key competitions at one position and new coordinators at Baylor, North Texas and Texas Tech. 

Who emerges from the quarterback battles? 

It’s a state of transition in the state of Texas as some of the most recognizable quarterback names leave. Sam Ehlinger, Kellen Mond and Shane Buechele are trying their hand at the next level. Charlie Brewer and Alan Bowman are headed to Power Five schools via grad transfer.

Only three of the 12 FBS schools in the state return their full-time starting quarterback from the 2020 season: UTEP, Houston and TCU. UTSA and Texas State return primary starters, but both will still face competition in spring ball. The Bobcats especially added a pair of transfers to compete with incumbent Brady McBride and veteran Tyler Vitt. 

All eyes will be on the 40 Acres as Steve Sarkisian makes his choice between Casey Thompson and Hudson Card. Former Longview state champion Haynes King will compete with Zach Calzada and freshman Eli Stowers to lead the Aggies. At Baylor, there’s a wild four-man battle between junior Gerry Bohanon, sophomore Jacob Zeno and freshmen Blake Shapen and Kyron Drones. 

Most of the competitions around the state feature young stars from recent recruiting classes with multiple years of eligibility remaining. Whichever players emerge from these competitions could define the state for the next several years. 

How long will it take for Phil Bennett to help at UNT?

Last season, North Texas posted the worst defense in America. The Mean Green gave up 522.1 yards per game and 6.94 yards per play, effectively meaning playing North Texas’ defense automatically transformed a team into Lincoln Riley’s Oklahoma on offense.

Luckily, Seth Littrell hired the perfect assistant to turn the tide. Defensive coordinator Phil Bennett has a reputation for stepping into broken defenses and pulling them back from the brink. During his time at Baylor, the Bears had the worst defense in college football history through six games. Then, a switch flipped and Baylor went on to win back-to-back Big 12 Championships. 

Bennett found his identity through forcing turnovers, getting third down stops and getting his unit off the field while complementing a dynamic Baylor offense. If he can do something similar at North Texas – with strong defensive talent for the Conference USA level – it will help speed the process along. 

What will Sonny Cumbie bring to Texas Tech? 

For years, Texas Tech was known primarily for the high-flying air raid offense. After two years of a spread-based attack, Matt Wells opted to take the program back by hiring former Tech QB Sonny Cumbie to lead the program’s offense. 

Cumbie served as offensive coordinator on Kliff Kingsbury’s first, best team, and helped construct one of the best offenses in college football with Trevone Boykin. However, after a Big 12 title game run, Cumbie struggled to produce consistent passing offenses, especially as injuries mounted in the program. 

Now, Cumbie has a fresh start to reimagine the Red Raider offense in his vision. Adding Oregon starter Tyler Shough as a grad transfer will help move the process along – Shough has been projected as a future first round pick by many outlets. However, Texas Tech previously had strong offensive line play, a promising young quarterback and plenty of young skill talent and it didn’t work. Cumbie has big expectations in front of him. 

Can Jake Spavital integrate all the transfers? 

Texas State coach Jake Spavital put together one of the most surprising recruiting classes in America, especially for a coach in the talent-rich Hill Country. With a small senior class – many of whom plan to return – Spavital looked to the transfer market. When the dust settled, Texas State signed 11 college transfers, one JUCO transfer, and no high schoolers. 

For a program that proved it could be competitive against top competition early in the season, it’s a major gamble, but one that could pay off. Six of the transfers were Power Five bounce-backs, and three transfers were on the offensive line. The transfers should immediately fill some of the biggest holes on a team that returns most of its production. 

However, even though Sonny Dykes has made it look easy, integrating transfers is no guarantee. Spavital has his work cut out trying to work through all the position battles, but it could lead to a more cohesive roster ready to compete for a bowl game. 

How quickly can Jeff Grimes fix Baylor’s offensive line? 

By any metric, Baylor’s offensive line had one of the worst years in America. The Bears ranked bottom 10 nationally with 3.44 sacks allowed per game, rushing yards and yards per carry. The unwatchable offense mustered just 310.2 yards per game. 

Now it has to be said, it wasn’t purely a talent issue on the offensive line. Baylor’s old offensive coaching staff mixed multiple complicated schemes, leading to miscommunications. Former quarterback Charlie Brewer also struggled to find his rhythm with the unit. Injuries just made the problem worse. 

To fix the line, Dave Aranda turned to former BYU offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes, an offensive line coach by trade. He brought BYU offensive line coach Eric Mateos with him. The Cougars’ unit ranked No. 8 sacks allowed, No. 15 in yards per carry and No. 1 in yards per play. OL Brady Christensen will be a top NFL Draft pick. 

If Grimes can simplify line responsibilities and communicate it effectively to the veteran unit, Baylor could quickly rise to bowl contention. However, that’s what it’ll take. 

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