Georgia three-peat, new coaches, QB competitions highlight spring college football storylines
Preparations for the 2023 season are already well underway in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
It may feel like they just finished clearing off the confetti from the turf at SoFi Stadium following Georgia's destruction of TCU for the national championship. But several teams began spring drills as early as February — one even got started in January — and the rest are currently in action, with dozens of spring games set for this month.
Along the way, this spring will help determine key position battles and provide some insight into which teams will rule the FBS when the regular season begins in August.
Here are the important things to remember and the things you may have missed since the end of last season:
The 24 new head coaches
This was a quieter coaching cycle compared to 2022, when changes occurred at Southern California, Miami, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, LSU and Florida.
But the 24 coaching moves — impacting every conference and nearly 20% of the FBS — featured several eye-opening hires:
Colorado nabbed Deion Sanders after his three-year run at Jackson State. In the matter of months, he's put an enormous spotlight on the program and reworked a roster in desperate need of an overhaul.
Nebraska brought in former Temple and Baylor coach Matt Rhule on his rebound from the NFL. An accomplished rebuilder, Rhule takes on another challenge with the Cornhuskers.
Auburn flirted with several options before landing on Hugh Freeze, who returns to the SEC after a very successful stretch at Liberty.
Wisconsin surprisingly turned away from interim coach Jim Leonhard and, even more surprisingly, reeled Luke Fickell away from Cincinnati despite the Bearcats' upcoming move into the Big 12.
Florida Atlantic hired former Houston and Texas coach Tom Herman. While he's been off the radar since being fired by the Longhorns in 2020, Herman is 54-22 overall as a head coach with two appearances in New Year's Six bowls.
Herman is one of seven new coaches in the American. Other changes of note include Jeff Brohm returning to Louisville and Alabama-Birmingham hiring former NFL quarterback and high school coach Trent Dilfer.
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The impact of the transfer portal
Once again, the transfer portal will impact every program in the FBS and play an enormous role in deciding the national championship.
New coaches such as Sanders and Arizona State's Kenny Dillingham have used transfers to boost rosters depleted by years of ineffective recruiting and player retention. The Sun Devils have already taken in 27 newcomers and may make more roster changes before the start of preseason camp. The Buffaloes signed the nation's top-ranked transfer in defensive back Travis Hunter, who followed Sanders from Jackson State.
Among quarterbacks, Sam Hartman's move from Wake Forest to Notre Dame makes the Fighting Irish legitimate contenders for the playoff. Wisconsin signed SMU transfer Tanner Mordecai, one of the most prolific passers in the FBS the past two seasons.
The most impressive transfer classes belong to LSU, Florida State, Southern California, Michigan and Oregon. The Wolverines' haul includes former Nebraska linebacker Ernest Hausmann, a rising star, and former Coastal Carolina edge rusher Josaiah Stewart.
A potential three-peat for Georgia
There is a definite loss of star power on defense — interior lineman Jalen Carter, cornerback Kelee Ringo, safety Christopher Smith and linebacker Nolan Smith — but no reason to believe Georgia will suffer any major decline in production after ranking fifth nationally in scoring defense in 2022.
There are more question marks on the offensive side, beginning with how the offense will look under new coordinator Mike Bobo. There's also the matter of replacing quarterback Stetson Bennett, with former backup Carson Beck the early favorite after throwing for 486 yards and six scores in his first two seasons.
After running through TCU for a second national championship in a row, Georgia will attempt to make college football history with a three-peat. Six programs have come close during the modern era, most recently Alabama in 2013 and Nebraska in 1996.
But no team has claimed three consecutive championships since Minnesota from 1934-36. Going back to the very start of college football, the only other program to win three unshared and undisputed national championships in a row was Yale from 1886-88.
Quarterback competitions unfolding this spring
The competitions to watch this spring:
The favorite to replace Bryce Young at Alabama is sophomore Jalen Milroe, who earned valuable experience behind Young in 2023 and made one start against Texas A&M. But he'll be pushed by redshirt freshman and former five-star recruit Ty Simpson.
Arch Manning's ballyhooed arrival at Texas sets him in competition with incumbent starter Quinn Ewers.
Look for Ohio State to eventually settle on Kyle McCord as the replacement for C.J. Stroud. The Buckeyes will also evaluate Devin Brown, however.
You'd think Joe Milton's excellent finish to the 2022 season as Hendon Hooker's backup and eventual replacement would make him very hard to unseat as Tennessee's new starter. But the Volunteers will at least give a long look to incoming freshman Nico Iamaleava.
Mississippi coach Lane Kiffin added two newcomers into the mix in Oklahoma State transfer Spencer Sanders and LSU transfer Walker Howard, giving the Rebels more options to go with returning starter Jaxson Dart.
Conference moves
Conference realignment occurring this summer serves as the appetizer to next year’s main course. Beginning in 2024, Texas and Oklahoma will leave the Big 12 for the SEC while Southern California and UCLA leave the Pac-12 for the Big Ten.
The realignment occurring this season impacts three conferences and represents the most drastic series of changes to the FBS landscape in nearly a decade.
The Big 12 will add Brigham Young, formerly an FBS independent, and Central Florida, Cincinnati and Houston from the American.
The American will add six teams, all from Conference USA: Alabama-Birmingham, Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice and Texas-San Antonio.
And Conference USA will add four teams. Liberty and New Mexico State, which were independents. Jacksonville State and Sam Houston were grabbed from the Football Championship Subdivision level. Another future FCS addition, Kennesaw State, will be an independent in 2023 before joining Conference USA in 2024.
The future of the Big 12 looks far more secure after adding the top available programs from the Group of Five. The American's additions reflect the league's wise decision to expand into fertile areas in Texas and the Southeast. The slimmer pickings left for Conference USA illustrate the difficulties lesser FBS conferences will face in trying to replenish their ranks amid broader realignment.
Alabama’s new coordinators
There were major changes on both sides of the ball for the Crimson Tide and a new quarterback behind center. On offense, they replaced Bill O'Brien with former Notre Dame coordinator Tommy Rees. Defensively, Kevin Steele begins his third separate stint at Alabama as the replacement for former coordinator Pete Golding, who accepted the same position at Mississippi. Steele's experience with the program and under Nick Saban should make that a seamless transition. Look for the offense to be much more dedicated to the run under Rees after ranking 82nd nationally in attempts per game in 2022.
The other coordinator change to watch is Clemson's move to hire Garrett Riley away from TCU to overhaul its offense. It's a major shift for Dabo Swinney after the Tigers have struggled on that side of the ball.
The Caleb Williams show returns
Southern California junior Caleb Williams will aim for another Heisman Trophy without leading receiver Jordan Addison, leading rusher Travis Dye and three important offensive linemen. Despite these losses, there's little reason to believe Williams won't build off a memorable 2022 season that featured 52 combined touchdowns and nearly 5,000 yards of total offense.
The Trojans added wide receiver Dorian Singer from Arizona and running back MarShawn Lloyd from South Carolina to fill some of the holes. Beyond his inventiveness and uncanny command in and out of the pocket, Williams' deep grasp of coach Lincoln Riley's scheme will ensure that USC doesn't miss a beat while breaking in a rebuilt supporting cast this spring and summer.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College football spring update: Georgia, new coaches, QB competitions
