2024 pressing questions for every Big 12 team this spring

In the most wide-open conference in college football in 2024, a bunch of Big 12 programs have kickstarted spring practice within the last week including BYU, Houston, Kansas State and UCF. Utah returns to the field today as well and the rest of the league will follow suit soon. 

Today we conclude our series on pressing questions for every power conference this spring, wrapping up a look at the SEC, Big Ten, ACC and the Big 12 — which now has 16 teams with the additions of Utah, Arizona, Arizona State and Colorado from the defunct Pac-12. 

After an offseason dominated by storylines off the field, it will be nice to dive into individual teams, players and narratives over the next six weeks. Spring practices rarely provide finite answers, but they can offer valuable clues about what’s to come in the fall. 

The reimagined Big 12 has no surefire College Football Playoff contender, but as many as 12 teams could conceivably make a run to the conference title game. So the league is full of unknowns. This year, the Big 12 features two new head coaches, a host of coordinator changes and the return of Touchdown Jesus, aka Utah sixth-year senior quarterback Cam Rising.  

With that, here’s a pressing question I’m curious about for all 16 Big 12 teams this spring:

Arizona — Can Brent Brennan maintain Arizona’s momentum amid a wild transition?

The Wildcats won 10 games for the first time in a decade in 2023, as quarterback Noah Fifita and wideout Tetairoa McMillan flourished in Jedd Fisch’s pass-happy offense. Arizona’s defense also made huge strides from the previous season, allowing nearly 16.0 fewer points per game. The program looked like a potential Big 12 title contender in Year 1 in a new conference, and then Nick Saban surprisingly retired, creating a coaching carousel spin that saw Fisch leave for Washington. 

Arizona wasted no time hiring San Jose State head coach Brent Brennan, but the program saw a mass exodus of transfers following Fisch’s departure — with 10 players alone joining its former head coach in Seattle. Fortunately for Brennan, Fifita and McMillan decided to stay in Tuscan, so can the new Power Conference head coach use the spring to build a winning infrastructure around his top two players?

Arizona State — Is Jaden Rashada ready to take the reigns at quarterback?

It was a tough Year 1 for Kenny Dillingham at Arizona State, as the former Sun Devils alum stripped the roster to the studs and is still looking to rebuild the foundation entering his second season. ASU suffered a ton of injuries in 2023, resulting in four quarterbacks starting games last fall. Ideally, former blue-chip signee Jaden Rashada grabs this job this spring, giving Dillingham a high-upside horse to ride the next few seasons. 

As a freshman, Rashada started the first two games with mixed results, only to get hurt and miss the next two months of the year — which badly stunted his development. He started the season finale against Arizona, going just 10 of 22 for 82 yards with two interceptions. Can Rashada grab the job this spring? Is Arizona State’s OL in a position to better protect its QB1, too?

Baylor — Will the Dequan Finn-Jake Spavital pairing spark a bad Bears offense?

Since winning the Big 12 title in 2021, Baylor has had consecutive losing seasons, tumbling to 3-9 in 2023. Dave Aranda is in win-now mode, so he fired both coordinators, decided to call the defense himself next season and plucked Jake Spavital away from Cal to jumpstart an offense that averaged just 23.1 points per game last season. 

In his one year with the Golden Bears, Spavital improved their scoring margin from 96th nationally to 52nd. If he can engineer a similar turnaround in Waco, then any hot-seat talk around Aranda would likely dissipate. Baylor brought in Toledo transfer quarterback Dequan Finn to run the offense, and it will be up to Spavital to get the most out of the veteran MAC dual-threat talent now making the jump to Power Conference football.

BYU — Who will take control of the Cougars’ open quarterback competition?

The Cougars had a rough go of it in their move to the Big 12 last season (5-7), ranking last in the league in offense and 11th in scoring defense. Kalani Sitake received poor QB play from transfer Kedon Slovis, but he went back to the transfer well this offseason, hoping either Treyson Bourguet (Western Michigan) or the well-traveled Gerry Bohanon (last seen at USF) could be a better answer in 2024.

Jake Retzlaff remains on the roster as well, so BYU has a rather wide-open competition this spring. 

Cincinnati — Can new defensive coordinator Tyson Veidt make any progress with a terrible unit?

The Bearcats have a quarterback competition to sort out this spring, but addressing a litany of defensive concerns is at top of mind for Scott Satterfield entering Year 2. Cincy featured the worst defense in the Big 12 last season, allowing 6.7 yards per play and giving up 30 points per game. Satterfield made several staff changes and nabbed Tyson Veidt away Iowa State. Veidt had been Matt Campbell’s right-hand man dating back to their days at Toledo, serving as linebacker coach and assistant head coach at multiple stops. Now he’s charged with fixing a defense that was terrible in the red zone, rarely recorded pressure (just 18 sacks) and lost its best player (safety Deshawn Pace) to graduation. 

Satterfield did attempt to flip the roster this offseason, bringing in over a dozen transfers — nine on defense from the likes of Ohio State, Wisconsin, Louisville, West Virginia and Virginia Tech. More upgrades are surely needed, but the spring is all about Veidt seeing what he has to work with.

Colorado — Has Deion Sanders adequately retooled the Buffs’ offensive and defensive lines?

Quarterback Shedeur Sanders was beaten to a pulp last season (56 sacks allowed, second-most nationally), and the Buffs’ defense couldn’t stop a nosebleed, so Deion Sanders inked another 22 transfers in the initial window, and none were more important than the 13 linemen (six offensive linemen, seven DL/edge) he added to Colorado’s roster. When you add in freshman five-star tackle Jordan Seaton, the Buffs could be starting completely new units in both trenches in 2024. 

Seaton isn’t on campus for the spring though, but Sanders and his staff still need to start to build an offensive line that can protect his star quarterback. Defensively, Colorado is looking to shore up a unit that ranked 11th in the Pac-12 in both rush defense (4.69 yards per carry allowed) and scoring (34.9 points per game). 

Houston — Can Willie Fritz put his initial stamp on the Cougars’ program this spring?

In all likelihood, the Cougars are not going to win many games in 2024. Willie Fritz inherited a roster in rough shape, and although he brought in a host of transfers (14), the team still has key deficiencies along the offensive and defensive lines. Potential starting quarterback Donovan Smith is also set to miss all of spring practice following offseason shoulder surgery. So the goal for Fritz over the next month is to instill his expectations and practice habits for a program that’s had too much of a laissez-faire attitude under former coach Dana Holgerson. 

Fritz’s Tulane teams were known for their lunch pale mentality, and after a slow build the first several seasons, he turned the Green Wave into a perennial bowl team and a conference title contender. That’s the challenge now at Houston — only in a much more difficult conference.

Iowa State— Can the Cyclones avoid a regression offensively with another new coordinator for the third straight year?

The Cyclones could be a dark horse contender in the Big 12 this fall, as Matt Campbell’s program ranks No. 2 nationally in returning production. After a 4-8 season in 2022, they rebounded to go 7-6 with freshman sensation Rocco Becht at quarterback. Working with first-time offensive coordinator Nate Scheelhaase, Becht had 26 total touchdowns and threw for over 3,100 yards. But three weeks ago, Scheelhaase took a job with the Los Angeles Rams, forcing Campbell to make another OC hire. Like he did last offseason, Iowa State’s head coach promoted from within his own staff, tabbing tight ends coach Taylor Mouser as his new play-caller. 

Iowa State should once again field one of the best defenses in the Big 12 (No. 1 in yards per play allowed in 2023), so if the Cyclones can continue their offensive momentum from last season, they should be in the mix for the Big 12 come the fall.

Kansas — Can Jeff Grimes keep the Jayhawks’ offense humming?

Lance Leipold lost his longtime lieutenant this offseason, as Andy Kotelnicki took the offensive coordinator job at Penn State. Leipold quickly hired Jeff Grimes, who was on the market after getting fired by Baylor. It was an interesting move, and one that could go either way. Kotelnicki was among the more innovative OCs in the country, as Kansas averaged 33.6 points per game last season despite quarterback Jalon Daniels missing most of the year. 

Daniels is back, as is star tailback Devin Neal (1,280 yards, 16 touchdowns) and Kansas’ top three wideouts, so Grimes inherited plenty to work with. The former OL coach must replace three starters up front, though, and he would be wise not to deviate too much schematically from what made the Jayhawks’ offense so potent the last few seasons.

Kansas State — Can an offense in major transition get up to speed?

The Wildcats have played solid defense under Chris Klieman, but the program’s recent spike in success (19 wins, Big 12 title the last two years) has been fueled by a nasty offensive line, gritty quarterback play and force-feeding a couple of impact playmakers.

Well, pretty much all that is gone in 2024. Kansas State must replace four of five starting o-linemen, its top two pass catchers, quarterback Will Howard and offensive coordinator Collin Klein. Electric sophomore Avery Johnson has plenty of folks in Manhattan excited about the quarterback’s 5-star potential, and while Johnson’s continued development is paramount over the next six weeks, what happens around him will be as important to the team’s overall hopes in 2024. 

Oklahoma State — Can Mike Gundy capitalize on the Cowboys’ opportunity?

With no Texas or Oklahoma, there’s a power vacuum in the Big 12 this fall, and the Pokes are primed to pounce on the opportunity. Mike Gundy returns 20 of 22 starters, including potential Heisman Trophy candidate Ollie Gordon II at tailback. Oklahoma State is No. 4 nationally in ESPN’s returning production, so the roster is ready to win now. 

The spring will be all about establishing defined roles and depth, so that Oklahoma State is ready to seize its opportunity when the fall rolls around. Gundy has come close to winning the Big 12 in the last couple of seasons (2021 loss in the title game, 10-3 in 2023), so can he make the right tweaks this spring to get over the hump for the first time in 13 years?

TCU — Can Sonny Dykes reproduce the Frogs’ magical Hypnotoad elixir from 2022?

Coming off the program’s first national title appearance, the Horned Frogs nose-dived to 5-7 last season, missing a bowl game and finishing just 3-6 in the Big 12. Dykes benched quarterback Chandler Morris (now at North Texas) midseason, turning to freshman Josh Hoover for the rest of the year. Hoover is back, as are TCU’s top two wideouts.

Still, the offense remains in a bit of flux, as four of five starters on the line need replacing, and No. 1 tailback Emani Bailey is also gone to the NFL (1,209 yards, eight touchdowns). Dykes went heavy on the transfer portal, inking 19 newcomers — including three offensive linemen. 

Most of the portal focus was on patch-working a defense that actually statistically wasn’t any different from the unit that made the title game the previous season (27.8 points per game in 2023 vs. 29.0 in 2022, yards per play allowed almost identical, too). TCU completely reloaded in the secondary (seven defensive backs) and edge (three pass rushers), and Dykes fired defensive coordinator Joe Gillespie and replaced him with former Boise State head coach Andy Avalos.

Texas Tech — Did the Red Raiders make enough offensive upgrades to be competitive in the Big 12?

Joey McGuire believes he found his quarterback in sophomore Behren Morton, and star tailback Tahj Brooks (1,538 yards, 10 touchdowns) will be back for a super-senior season, too. But for Texas Tech to truly be competitive in the Big 12, McGuire knew he needed to upgrade the positions around the QB and RB. He restocked the offensive line with four transfers, signed 5-star wideout Micah Hudson and grabbed impact playmakers like Arizona State tight end Jalin Conyers and Washington State’s No. 1 wideout Josh Kelly. 

Is it enough? McGuire will have to decide that following spring practice. 

UCF — Will Gus Malzahn need to hit the portal for more plug-and-play help?

The Knights were the lone Big 12 newcomer to make a bowl game in 2023, but Gus Malzahn had to hammer the transfer portal this offseason (16 additions) to make sure his program doesn’t take a step back in 2024. UCF ranks 101st nationally in returning production (and just 121st offensively). Former Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson steps in to replace John Rhys Plumlee, and the Knights did receive a boost with the return of super-senior tailback RJ Harvey (1,400 yards, 16 touchdowns). 

However, UCF’s offensive line will look a lot different in the fall (as many as four new starters) and the defense (which was awful against the run last season) is banking on all the additions at edge and linebacker will not only fill holes but be upgrades. 

Utah — Is Cam Rising finally healthy?

Battling injuries all across the roster throughout last season, the Utes slipped to 8-5 in 2023 — with star quarterback Cam Rising missing the entire season. Rising, who tore his ACL in the Rose Bowl, dressed for multiple games yet never played. He’s back, but how healthy is he? Rising led Utah to back-to-back Pac-12 Championships and now he’s looking to lead the program to an immediate Big 12 title.

Utah is reloading at tailback and receiver (Dorian Singer from USC, Taeshaun Lyons from Washington), so it would behoove Kyle Whittingham to know if Rising is ready or not — or else the Utes may have to dip into the portal for additional QB depth because the rest of the roster is ready to win now.

West Virginia — Did Neal Brown do enough in the transfer portal to plug holes at all three levels of the Mountaineers’ defense?

After being picked to finish last in the Big 12 last season, Neal Brown parlayed a surprising 9-4 year into a re-worked contract with the Mountaineers. Brown got WVU’s offense back on track, as Garrett Greene returns as one of the best quarterbacks in the Big 12 (29 total touchdowns), while Jaheim White and CJ Donaldson are a lethal 1-2 punch in the backfield (over 1,600 yards, 14 touchdowns). 

But for the Mountaineers to avoid a regression season, Brown must make sure the team’s defensive improvements don’t fall off despite major personnel losses. Star cornerback Beanie Bishop Jr. is off to the NFL Draft, same for senior linebacker (and leading tackler) Lee Kpogba. WVU must replace multiple starting defensive linemen, too. Of the team’s nine transfer additions, seven are on defense, and the spring will be all about getting that group acclimated as quickly as possible.