Nine Power 4 schools have spring games this weekend.
It's spring game season in the world of college football with nine Power 4 schools holding an event on Saturday, April 11. The SEC will take most of the spotlight with four games, including the debut for new Florida coach Jon Sumrall and a quarterback battle at Alabama between Here's a look at the top storyline, a position of intrigue and player to watch for each Power 4 game this weekend.
Returning leaders and notable additions courtesy of ESPN Research.Ezavier CrowellCederian MorganSpring storyline: After back-to-back so-so seasons to start his Alabama tenure, Kalen DeBoer might need to win big this year. The Tide suffered ugly defeats in two of their last three games in 2025, falling 28-7 to Georgia in the SEC championship game and 38-3 to Indiana in a CFP quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl. The Tide ranked 125th in rushing and 111th in sacks allowed , which led to DeBoer firing offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic. Former NFL offensive line coach Adrian Klemm was hired to replace him, and Bryan Ellis moved from tight ends to quarterbacks coach. Longtime SEC assistant Derrick Nix was hired to coach receivers; former Louisville offensive line coach Richard Owens is now working with the tight ends.If the Tide are going to turn things around, they'll have to run the ball and protect the quarterback in 2026. It won't be easy after four of the team's five starting offensive linemen departed, along with several backups. Right tackle. Mack originally signed with Washington and followed DeBoer to Alabama. This will be his fourth season in DeBoer's offense, so he should know the system well. He attempted 35 passes the past two seasons. Russell was the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback in the Class of 2025 and played well in mop-up time in two games as a freshman. --Will GriffinSpring storyline: Coach Jon Sumrall's revamped staff. Sumrall has been a head coach for four years, two at Troy and two at Tulane, and he made the conference championship game in all four years, winning the title in three. He knows football, but he also has a great sense of place, as he referenced upon taking the Florida job. "One of my first priorities," Sumrall said, "will be to assemble an incredible staff, including an offensive coordinator who understands that, at Florida, having an explosive offense isn't optional -- it's mandatory."Quarterback. Sumrall talked about how important offense is at Florida, and the Gators have seemingly put pieces in place to give themselves a shot at delivering. Sumrall hired former Georgia Tech offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner and brought in transfer quarterbackand felt great about Philo as their backup. The OC/QB transfer duo has worked for teams in the past, and the Gators will give it a go with Faulkner and Philo.. Singleton transfers from Auburn, but has some crossover with Philo and Faulkner from Georgia Tech. He's a talented receiver who had a bit of a down year last season after a monster freshman season in 2023 that carried over into 2024 before his transfer to Auburn. He should be a main target for the Gators heading into 2026. --Spring storyline: Mississippi State's game against Texas in October encapsulated the potential and reality of the Bulldogs' 2025 season when a 38-21 fourth-quarter lead in a raucous stadium evaporated and ended with the Longhorns' backup quarterback delivering the winning score in a 45-38 overtime gut punch. Mississippi State lost seven of its last eight games, with only a 3-point win over Arkansas, which went winless in the SEC. Jeff Lebby lured Mike Leach's former defensive coordinator -- and former MSU head coach -- Zach Arnett back to Starkville to try to fix the defense, offering promise alongside an offense that can put up numbers.The Bulldogs' offensive line struggled last season, allowing 45 sacks, fourth most in the FBS. Eight offensive linemen departed after the season, and Lebby brought in eight new ones, including several from big programs:. There's not a lot of experience up front, but there is a lot of size and potential. How fast they get up to speed will determine how well Lebby's rebuild goes., the star freshman, will inherit the starting quarterback role after throwing for 629 yards with five touchdowns last season in spot duty, including finishing third on the team in rushing with 458 yards and having a team-best eight TDs on the ground. Taylor had 173 rushing yards in his first career start, in the Egg Bowl against Ole Miss. --Tyreek KingSpring storyline:, which would have given him another season with the Volunteers. But the more pressing work will come on the other side of the ball, where new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles will try to fix a unit that ranked 15th in the SEC in passing defense and 14th in total defense and scoring defense . Knowles brought two of his assistant coaches from Penn State, as well as four transfers, including linebackerTennessee's secondary is getting a complete overhaul, so new co-defensive coordinator/secondary coach Anthony Poindexter is going to have his hands full. The Volunteers brought in seven new defensive backs to shore up the back end of their defense. Auburn transferis probably the quarterback to beat for the starting job. He was the No. 8 pocket passer coming out of Brentwood Academy in Nashville in the Class of 2025. He played in two games as a freshman and attempted nine passes. Freshman Faizon Brandon was the No. 1 prospect in North Carolina and No. 3 pocket passer in the Class of 2026. --Once again, Pitt got off to a strong start last year only to falter at the end of the season, losing three of its last four to put a damper on what was an improved campaign. Pitt has plenty to work with on offense behind second-year quarterback, who wowed as a true freshman a year ago. How Pitt puts Heintschel in a better position to succeed will be a big story to watch. After turning heads in his first seven games of the year, defenses started to game plan for him, and he ended throwing just four touchdowns to three interceptions in the final four games. Part of that is because Pitt struggled to run the ball consistently afterPosition of intrigue: -- the best linebacker combo in the ACC and one of the best in the country. Louis and Biles were surehanded tacklers, and each had the ability to know where to make a play thanks to their instincts and savvy. The two combined for 179 tackles a year ago, with four interceptions, three forced fumbles and 7.5 sacks.Kenny Johnson and Raphael "Poppi" Williams . Outside of returning starter Cataurus "Blue" Hicks, Pitt does not have much in the way of production or experience in the receivers room. That is where Knight hopes to make his mark. A transfer from Western Carolina, Knight has 12 career starts, and had 47 catches for 774 yards and seven touchdowns a year ago. With Heintschel leading the offense, it is important to build a solid, reliable receivers group around him, and working together this spring will go a long way toward that.There's a new sheriff in town ... again. After a year of interim head coach Frank Reich, a new era begins under former Stanford QB Tavita Pritchard. There's a lot of work to be done, and in truth, 2026 is probably as much about setting a foundation as it is about making a real run at winning the conference. But Pritchard and GM Luck have clear alignment on their vision, so this spring will offer the first real chance for fans to get an idea of exactly what that looks like. On offense, aside from returning tailbackPosition of intrigue: Tight end. It's a position where Stanford has routinely churned out stars, including last year's best offensive weapon in the passing game,did get some good experience last year backing up Roush . Three-star freshman Marcus Monroe is set to arrive this summer, but that opens the door forand Zach Giuliano -- two members of last year's signing class -- to prove their worth this spring. The offense isn't likely to have a lot of downfield explosiveness, and QB is thin, so having a safety valve at tight end who can turn some short throws into big gains and provide some physical mismatches in the red zone will be critical if the Cardinal want to maximize their chances this season.. Want a reason for optimism for Stanford in 2026? Rose is the best place to start. There's not a ton coming back from last year -- though, after a seventh straight season winning four games or fewer, that's not always a bad thing -- but Rose is an established star. He finished last season with 106 tackles and was one of the most prolific linebackers in the ACC. With so much turnover around him, his leadership will be on display as much as his physical talent. He's a worthy building block for a team that needs a lot of new faces to develop quickly, and Rose figures to be the lynchpin for a defense that has some upside -- along with a lot of question marks.from Georgia Southern. The depth at the position offers some security compared to last year, when a walk-on from the lacrosse team ended up starting multiple games. The real question for the Orange this spring instead likely revolves around how much development can happen quickly for the youngsters after coach Fran Brown signed back-to-back strong recruiting classes, including six blue chips in 2026. There's a lot of talent on this Syracuse roster -- but most of it is extremely green. Building around the likes ofPosition of intrigue: Defensive line. It's a complete makeover up front on D for the Orange -- and that's probably not a bad thing. Syracuse ranked 100th nationally in non-blitz pressure rate last year, and the D managed just 20 sacks , good for 14th in the ACC. In steps a mix of young talent and veteran transfers. Kamron Wilson, Jarius Rodgers and Alexander Haskell are all blue-chip recruits, but it's rare to see a true freshman step in and immediately contribute big-time production at the line of scrimmage. That puts more emphasis on the impact offrom UNLV, among a handful of other returning veterans who need to showcase they're ready for the big time. Much of Syracuse's second-half tailspin was credited to the struggles of the QB position, but the defense was a mess, too, and turning things around on that side of the ball is every bit as critical as getting a healthy QB.Half the fun of getting a healthy Angeli at QB will be seeing what he can do with a supremely talented receiving corps. Syracuse inked its best recruit in decades with five-star Calvin Russell , as well as landing another blue-chip receiver in Amare Gough. Add in established veterans Johnny Cook and Darrell Gill and an emerging crop of tight ends, and Syracuse should have plenty of weapons in the passing game. Russell, however, is the star. He worked with the Orange basketball team this winter in hopes of becoming a two-sport talent, which only goes to underscore his competitiveness and athleticism. A year ago, Samuel went from highly touted freshman to, arguably, Syracuse's best player. Can Russell do the same in 2026?Deion Sanders brought a spotlight to Boulder in a way that has rarely been seen in college football, but now -- three years in -- it's fair to start questioning how long he'll be around. This never felt like a long-term solution for Colorado and after the Buffaloes went just 1-8 in the Big 12 last season -- their second one-win conference season in Sanders' three years -- there isn't much to indicate a major turnaround is on tap. Brennan Marion's arrival as the offensive coordinator is an interesting addition that could spark some improvement.Offensive line. This unit has been the Achilles' heel for Colorado for years and with the departure of standout left tackle. If Colorado is going to have the type of bounce-back season it had in 2024, it will have Lewis to thank. The former five-star prospect got his feet wet last season and showed flashes of what might be possible, but he has a long way to go before there should be an expectation for him to play at an all-conference level. The revolving door at quarterback last season was a problem, so having an entrenched starter is a significant development. --After a winless Big Ten season in 2025, coach Barry Odom is turning to some familiar faces to engineer a Year 2 upgrade in West Lafayette. Quarterback, who battled through injuries during the second half of the 2025 season, will once again lead the offense. Odom told ESPN he really liked what he saw from Browne before the injuries, as the quarterback eclipsed 200 passing yards in five of his first six games of the 2025 season. Purdue also brought back Kevin Kane, the team's defensive coordinator in 2023 and 2024, to oversee the defense. Odom and Kane have known each other for years, and Odom credited Kane with helping retain several key defenders through his previous relationships with them.Linebacker. Like many position groups at Purdue, the linebackers will have a different look in Year 2 under Odom. The Boilermakers were aggressive in the portal, adding transfers like). The 6-foot-4 Moore had six sacks and three forced fumbles last year for San Diego and should help Purdue's pass rush. Hayden had 26 tackles in 11 games for the Illini last fall, and Miller returned to Purdue, where he started the final five games in 2024 under Kane. Purdue also must develop several holdovers and younger players to create a better defensive midsection this fall.. He's a fifth-year player who has started games in each of the past four seasons, three at UCF and one at Iowa State. Townsend was a third-team all-conference punt returner as a freshman at UCF, where he had 33 receptions as a sophomore. Although he started only one game at Iowa State and recorded 18 receptions last fall, Odom thinks his skill set and experience will translate well to a Purdue offense that resets at receiver after losingand others. Townsend ran the ball in high school and has a versatile skill set with his returns background that could make him especially useful for offensive coordinator Josh Henson. --Napa nonprofit installs 'Beacon Boxes' to help guide wildfire crews
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