2024 pressing questions for every SEC team this spring

Missouri and Auburn started spring practice last week, while LSU, Florida, Arkansas and others will hit the fields later this week. The rest of the SEC will follow suit in the coming weeks, so while it seems like the 2023 season just ended, it’s football time again in the South. 

Praise be. 

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. 

There are pressing questions galore across a loaded SEC that stands to feature as many as nine teams in most preseason Top 25 polls.

So here’s a key question I’m curious about for all 16 SEC teams in 2024:

Alabama — Is Jalen Milroe the unquestioned QB1? 

When the Greatest Coach of All-Time retires there’s not just a single pressing question for a program embroiled in such dramatic change, so Kalen DeBoer is looking to quickly make his imprint on the Tide. But if we want to get real micro with Alabama, what does DeBoer taking over the program mean for the starting quarterback job? While plenty of Alabama headliners entered the transfer portal, Jalen Milroe stuck around. He enters the spring as Alabama’s QB1, but what happens if we start to hear really positive whispers around Austin Mack or Ty Simpson — two guys who seem like better fits in DeBoer’s system. Could Milroe be in a push for his job or are the Tide ready to roll into the 2024 season with the electric, but enigmatic talent?

Arkansas — What can Bobby Petrino do with the Hogs’ offense?

The Razorbacks ranked last in the SEC in yards per play (4.93) and averaged just 20 points per game in conference play. Sam Pittman made a mistake hiring his buddy Dan Enos, and now on the hot seat, is in an interesting marriage with Bobby Petrino at offensive coordinator. The former Hogs head coach is tasked with getting the most out of an offense that no longer has KJ Jefferson around and will hold a three-way QB competition (Boise State transfer Taylen Green from Boise State, Jacolby Criswell and redshirt freshman Malachi Singleton) this spring.

Auburn — Is Auburn truly set at quarterback?

The Tigers enter the spring with Payton Thorne as the team’s established starter, with young guns Holden Geriner, Hank Brown and freshman Walker White all pushing for the job. Hugh Freeze recently said that it’s Thorne’s job to lose, but will the Tigers truly enter the 2024 season with a rather low-ceiling option at QB? Throne wasn’t bad in 2023 (19 total touchdowns, over 2,200 yards) but he averaged just 6.6 yards per play and had 10 picks despite limited attempts. Freeze inked a crazy class of receivers in 2024 (meet, Cam Coleman), so will he bank on Thorne making a jump in Year 2 on the Plains? Will one of the kids emerge? Do they go portal hunting post-spring?

Florida — What sorts of strides can the defense make in six weeks?

If not for LSU’s porous defense, the Gators would’ve had the most disappointing unit in 2023. Year 1 of the Austin Armstrong experiment didn’t go well at all, with UF allowing 6.44 yards per play (second-worst in the SEC) and nearly four touchdowns per game. Billy Napier held onto Armstrong but brought in Auburn DC Ron Roberts in a co-coordinator role. Florida added seven transfers, including Washington safety Asa Turner and South Carolina linebacker Pup Howard, in hopes of infusing the roster with more ready-made help. We’ll see how these moves pan out over the next six weeks.

Georgia — Does the Bulldogs’ new-look secondary start to take shape?

After touting one of the best pass defenses in the country last season, UGA must reload in the secondary this spring — looking to replace a trio of future NFL defensive backs in Kamari Lassiter, Javon Bullard and Tykee Smith. All-American Malachi Starks remains a fixture at safety, but who will start alongside him? Could 5-star freshman KJ Bolden push for early playing time with a strong spring? Former 5-star Joenel Aguero is the front-runner for the nickel-back job, while Daylen Everette, Daniel Harris and Julian Humphrey will battle for the two boundary cornerback spots. 

Kentucky — What will the Brock Vandagriff + Bush Hamden pairing look like?

The Wildcats’ offense is ripe with change this offseason, as Mark Stoops brought in quarterback Brock Vandagriff from Georgia only to have to immediately hire a new offensive coordinator after Liam Coen left for a job with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Stoops went with Boise State OC Bush Hamden, who becomes the fifth OC change in as many seasons for UK. Kentucky’s offensive depth chart stands to look much differently next season, too, as the ‘Cats brought in a trio of transfer receivers as well as veteran Ohio State tailback Chip Trayanum. How will all the new faces in new places gel? What does Hamden’s offense look like?

LSU — Is the Tigers’ secondary still a sieve?

Brian Kelly overhauled his entire defensive staff this offseason, bringing in Blake Baker to run the show, along with quality assistants like Kevin Peoples, Bo Davis and Corey Raymond joining the staff too. But has the Tigers’ personnel actually improved all that much? Kelly made news last week noting that Harold Perkins Jr. would stick at inside linebacker, who could become a superstar if utilized better, but concerns in the secondary remain. The Tigers ranked 118th nationally in pass defense in 2023, and the only notable newcomers are Texas A&M transfer Jardin Gilbert, Ohio State corner Jyaire Brown and freshman Ju’Juan Johnson. Is that enough to shore up what has been the program’s biggest weakness since Kelly took over or will ‘DBU’ have to become ‘Transfer U’ for the third straight spring?

Mississippi State — Can the Bulldogs actually run Jeff Lebby’s offense?

The Bulldogs ranked last in the SEC in scoring last season, barely averaging over 21 points per game. Former head coach Zach Arnett’s decision to pivot away from Mike Leach’s ‘Air Raid’ offense cost him his job after just a single season in Starkville, and now the roster is a mishmash of personnel recruited for multiple different systems. Mississippi State must replace all five starters along the offensive line, and former UGA wideout Justin Robinson is the lone returning starter. First-year head coach Jeff Lebby brought in 10 transfers hoping to fill some immediate holes, including former Baylor quarterback Blake Shapen. Can Shapen grab the starting job? Do the Bulldogs have the right pieces to run Lebby’s pass-heavy attack?

Missouri — Will any standouts/leaders emerge on defense?

The Tigers should have one of the best offenses in the SEC in 2024 with the return of OC Kirby Moore, quarterback Brady Cook, wideouts Luther Burden, Theo Wease and Mookie Cooper. Georgia State transfer tailback Marcus Carroll is expected to slide into Cody Schrader’s spot as the team’s bell cow back, too. But if the Tigers hope to crack the first 12-team expanded playoff, they need to avoid major slippage defensively — this on a unit with a new defensive coordinator (Corey Batoon) and down 10 contributors from last season. Missouri is sure to miss likely First Round pass rusher Darius Robinson and All-SEC corner Kris Abrams-Draine, but Eli Drinkwitz did add six defensive pieces during the initial transfer portal window, hoping guys like former Florida defensive lineman Chris McClellan and Clemson corner Toriano Pride can carve out immediate roles. 

Oklahoma — How does the OL look by the end of spring?

Although all eyes will be on former 5-star signee Jackson Arnold at quarterback, Oklahoma’s other most pressing concern this spring is seeing who can block for its first-year starter. The Sooners lost impressive freshman tackle Cayden Green to Missouri, meaning all five starters and a couple of rotational backups must be replaced from last season. Bill Bedenbaugh is one of the top OL coaches in the country, but that’s a big blow to his unit’s depth in advance of the Sooners’ first year in the SEC. Oklahoma nabbed four linemen from the portal (namely Washington guard Geirean Hatchett, USC tackle Michael Tarquin). Is that enough, though?

Ole Miss — How quickly will all the new defensive pieces gel?

Lane Kiffin brought in nearly an entire starting 11 on defense from the transfer portal, banking on guys like former 5-star lineman Walter Nolan, Florida pass rusher Princely Umanmielen, Arkansas linebacker Chris Paul Jr., Alabama defensive back Trey Amos and others to fortify a Rebels’ defense that hasn’t played at a level capable of seriously competing for a championship (9th in the SEC in yards per play allowed last season). Individually, the accumulation of talent is impressive, but do all the new pieces fit? Kiffin has previously raised concerns with the chemistry challenges of recruiting a team full of mercenaries, but he doubled down on the straggly big-time this offseason. Can this group start to really mesh over the spring?

South Carolina — Is LaNorris Sellers ready to be QB1?

The Gamecocks will feature a totally different offense in 2024 — at quarterback, tailback, wideout and offensive line. Shane Beamer had to bring in all sorts of transfers to supplement the majority of the vacant positions, but promising redshirt freshman LaNorris Sellers is expected to get a long look as the team’s future QB1. The dynamic dual-threat talent flashed in very limited work at South Carolina last season (three total touchdowns including a 37-yard run vs. Vandy), and his development over the spring could be the difference between the Gamecocks making a bowl or not in the fall. 

Tennessee — Can the Vols replace their entire secondary?

Nico Iamaleava will garner most of the headlines out of Knoxville, but how quickly Vols defensive coordinator Tim Banks can get a brand new secondary up to speed might be just as important for the team’s hopes in 2024. Tennessee saw several starters and depth pieces enter the transfer portal. The Vols also lost star corner Kamal Hadden to the NFL Draft. Josh Heupel did nab three defensive backs from the portal, and there’s optimism that young guys like Rickey Gibson and Jourdan Thomas are ready for bigger roles. There’s also the opportunity for freshmen like Boo Carter and Kaleb Beasley to make some waves in camp, too. Can they?

Texas — Does Quinn Ewers immediately click with a brand new receiver room?

The Longhorns will enter next season ranked in the Top 3 of most preseason polls, but aside from quarterback Quinn Ewers, Steve Sarkisian’s offense will be breaking in totally new personnel. NFL Combine stars Xavier Worthy and AD Mitchell are gone. Same for tight end JT Sanders. Former 5-star Johntay Cook will see an increased role, while newcomers Isaiah Bond, Silas Bolden, Matthew Golden and tight end Amari Niblack must all be immersed within the offense. Does Ewers find a new go-to target? Can the group develop the requisite chemistry and timing to continue to be one of the most electric offenses in the country?

Texas A&M — Are the Aggies actually positioned to make a surprise run in 2024?

There’s plenty we don’t know about Texas A&M under first-year head coach Mike Elko, but if the cards unfold just right, the Aggies could be a sleeper contender in 2024. Their schedule is extremely manageable, by SEC standards. Elko hired a solid staff, especially with offensive coordinator Collin Klein coming in from Kansas State. But where exactly is the roster? The Aggies added impact pieces at wideout, corner and safety, but is that enough to overcome a mass exodus of departures? Is quarterback Conner Weigman ready to live up to his 5-star billing? If Elko can maximize the roster, starting this spring, the potential is there for the Aggies to have a real rebound 2024 campaign. 

Vanderbilt — What are the early returns from a completely revamped offense?

Clark Lea’s program remains in transition, and that’s especially true for an offensive roster and coaching staff that saw massive personnel losses this offseason. He brought in Tim Beck as the ‘Dores new play-caller and former New Mexico State head coach Jerry Kill as a senior offensive analyst, hoping a pair of fresh set of eyes can kickstart an attack that averaged merely 22.8 points per game last season. Vandy saw both its quarterbacks leave the program, as well as its top three wideouts London Humphreys (Georgia), Will Sheppard (Colorado) and Jayden McGowan (Boston College) to transfers. However, unlike seasons past, Clark decided to use the portal this offseason, bringing in a pair of QBs to compete for the job (Nate Johnson from Utah, Diego Pavia from New Mexico).