Hope springs eternal, but these 8 college football teams have plenty to fine-tune this spring

Spring practices are getting underway across college football as staffs get to know their new rosters. In the era of the transfer portal, the early practices are a key opportunity for development and cohesion. 

In so many ways, the expanded College Football Playoff brought new expectations. More programs than ever see the opportunity to compete nationally. Traditional heavyweights as a roadblock are no longer an excuse when multiple teams from each conference can make the field. 

Last season alone, building cohesion and finding strategy in spring practice helped set up multiple teams. Arizona State rode a strong spring to the College Football Playoff. Indiana instilled a strong team culture. Miami integrated a true QB1 in Cam Ward. New teams will have to do it all over again. 

Here are eight teams nationally with the most work to do this spring to set up for a successful 2025, including legendary NFL coach Bill Belichick coaching at the collegiate level for the first time. 

Even though “Hard Knocks” pulled out, all eyes will still be on North Carolina heading into spring practice. The Tar Heels hired legendary NFL coach Bill Belichick, giving him his first ever role at the collegiate level. With a staff filled with recognizable names like Jamie Collins, Freddie Kitchens and Bob Diaco, the Tar Heels hope to flip the program into an ACC contender. 

That said, everything is changing in Chapel Hill. Nearly every playmaker on offense is gone, including superstar running back Omarion Hampton. Three of the top four tacklers are also out. No one questions Belichick’s coaching ability, but he has to integrate 46 new players and develop his next Tom Brady, and all with a staff that largely hasn’t coached at the collegiate level. Buckle up for what may be a quirky spring in Chapel Hill — especially as Belichick is making players earn the right to have uniforms with numbers this spring. 

“Bill Belichick is dropping a bomb on Kenan Stadium and everything to do with the football program and saying, ‘We’re going to start from scratch,'” Inside Carolina analyst Greg Barnes said on the Spring Football Preview show. “It’s going to be tryouts. A lot of guys are going to get work.”

The Utes entered 2024 as prohibitive Big 12 favorites, only to post perhaps the most disappointing season of the Kyle Whittingham era. The program finished below .500 for the first time since 2013 and was a total disaster on offense. Whittingham previously said that he planned to retire by 65, but a 5-7 debacle was certainly no way to go out. 

Whittingham made a shrewd move, hiring New Mexico offensive coordinator Jason Beck to the same position and luring Lobos quarterback Devon Dampier. Beck’s RPO identity marks a steep shift from the pro style systems of Andy Ludwig. The Lobos posted the No. 2 rushing offense nationally, trailing only Army. 

Putting Utah’s offense in the hands of Beck and Dampier is a big swing as the Utes try to reenter the Big 12 championship picture. The emergence of rival BYU as a contender only adds a level of urgency. Still, Whittingham isn’t often wrong. 

Nominally, the Tide were on the doorstep of the College Football Playoff in Kalen DeBoer’s first season. More acutely, the Tide boasted the most talented roster in college football and lost four games for the first time since 2007. 

After scoring 35 points in a loss to Vanderbilt, the Crimson Tide went on to score a paltry 11 points per game in their last three losses. Bringing in offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb – DeBoer’s right-hand man at Washington – should help. Starting now, the clock is ticking to return to contention. 

Alabama QB battle now in focus as Ryan Grubb reunites with Kalen DeBoer on Crimson Tide coaching staff

Will Backus

The primary focus of the spring will be the passing game. Wide receiver Ryan Williams papered over many holes, but the pass-catchers outside of Williams and Germie Bernard were underwhelming. Quarterback Jalen Milroe is off to the NFL, leaving more traditional pocket passers Ty Simpson and Austin Mack. The unit needs to get better. With all the blue-chip talent on campus, there are no excuses. 

Following a miserable 2-10 season, coach Mike Norvell is starting from scratch. The Seminoles hired Gus Malzahn as offensive coordinator and Tony White as defensive coordinator. The ‘Noles landed Thomas Castellanos to play quarterback, Duce Robinson to play tight end and James Williams to man the edge. 

In all, 39 players are flipping year-over-year and six on-field staff members are new, including both coordinators. Defensive line coach Terrance Knighton and safeties coach Evan Cooper both follow White after stints at Texas Tech to hopefully help the transition. Still, this is a program that fell from 13-1 to 2-10 in one season. Quick results are expected. 

The fumes of the 2023 national championship squad carried through at times, headlined by another devastating win against Ohio State. With Mason Graham, Colston Loveland, Will Johnson and Donovan Edwards off to the NFL, the Wolverines are officially entering their next phase under second-year coach Sherrone Moore. 

At the same time, there’s serious intrigue on the roster. No. 1 recruit Bryce Underwood could factor into the quarterback competition next to transfer Mikey Keene. Alabama running back transfer Justice Haynes was the best rusher in the class. The linebacker and defensive back groups remain among the best in the sport, though Michigan will have to develop the next in line along the defensive line. 

A transition year was expected after all the departures from the national championship group. Still, it was the first five-loss season since 2017. That won’t be acceptable in Year 2. 

The Sooners aren’t used to losing seasons, but coach Brent Venables has delivered two in the last three seasons. The pressure is on to get things turned around and Oklahoma, especially with another brutal schedule on the horizon. 

“I’ve been fighting for my job every year, like somebody’s holding me under the water trying to drown me,” Venables said this week. “And that’s been my mindset, that’s been my attitude when I come to work every day. So, nothing’s changing for me. Do we need to be better? You’re damn right. Does your mindset got to change? Nope. And why am I going to call the defense? Because I’m good at it. And I’m confident in it.

Welcome to the hot seat, Brent Venables: Oklahoma coach at crossroads after bowl loss and second losing season

Tom Fornelli

The offense is starting from scratch, but has nice pieces to build around with offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and quarterback John Mateer coming as a package deal from Washington State. Legendary offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh has his work cut out after years of underperforming units. And perhaps the biggest question mark, the wide receiver room has almost no proven production at the power conference level. 

But even on defense, there are holes to fill. Linebacker Danny Stutsman and safety Billy Bowman are off to the NFL, leaving playmaking vacuums at both positions. After a string of elite recruiting classes, the talent is there to backfill, but the Sooners need to get quick production from some underclassmen. It’s a lot to juggle and there’s no time to waste. 

There are other Group of Five programs that need to solidify themselves for potential CFP runs, but the Thundering Herd are in a more bizarre position. Former coach Charles Huff voluntarily left right after winning the Sun Belt to take the Southern Miss job, which most would consider a step down. To make matters worse, 36 players departed via the transfer portal, with 20 of them landing with the Golden Eagles, including starting quarterback Braylon Braxton. 

Marshall will both have to integrate 62 new scholarship players and win back over fans who expressed displeasure with the Huff saga. To build credibility, the Thundering Herd hired Tony Gibson, who boasts serious in-state credentials. At the same time, he’ll have to do it with a completely depleted roster. 

For context, Marshall only has one player with returning rushing yards on the roster. That player is kicker Rece Verhoff, who had a nine-yard fake field goal conversion against James Madison. Everything else has to be developed. 

Texas Tech Red Raiders

The list of top transfer classes in the country looks mostly familiar. LSU and Ole Miss are No. 1 and 2. Oregon and Miami round out the top five. But sitting in the middle, with the No. 3 transfer class in the country, is an unexpected interloper… Texas Tech. 

The Red Raiders went all in over the offseason and landed one of the most impressive transfer groups in the nation, headlined by 11 blue-chip transfers out of 17 recruits. Texas Tech went heavy in the trenches, nabbing seven combined linemen on both sides of the ball. Offensive tackle Howard Sampson (North Carolina), edge rusher Romello Height (Georgia Tech), tackle Will Jados (Miami-Ohio) and interior lineman Hunter Zambrano (Illinois State) were all top-50 players in the class. On top of that, Texas Tech hired new coordinators on each side of the ball, Mack Leftwich (Texas State) and Shiel Wood (Houston). 

With all the spoils, expectations for the Red Raiders are off the charts. Texas Tech has not won 10 games since 2008. They haven’t won an outright conference title since 1955. All of those are well within sight. It’s up to fourth-year coach Joey McGuire to deliver.