Spring football will soon get underway across the country as college football teams begin preparations for the 2025 season. That means position battles, transfer arrivals and freshman debuts. It will also mean, at least at some places, a traditional spring game! (More on that in a second.)
The sport is rapidly changing, highlighted last season as fans enjoyed the first season of the 12-team College Football Playoff. With one season of experience on how that system plays out from the beginning of the regular season through the College Football Playoff National Championship, there are more questions than ever during the spring sessions as teams around the country vie for one of the 12 spots come December.
To get ready for the wave of practices across the country, these are 10 national storylines we’re following this spring.
1. Uh, who’s going to play a spring game?
Spring practice is going to happen across the country; coaches won’t waste their 15 sessions. But the institution that is the spring game? It’s very much in danger. Nebraska, Ohio State, Texas, USC and Florida State are among the teams to cancel their spring game thus far. Their reasons vary as to why. Florida State is doing renovations on Doak Campbell Stadium; Texas cited concerns with player workload after back-to-back CFB Playoff runs; and Nebraska … well, Matt Rhule doesn’t want his players poached in the transfer portal.
Expect more teams to join that list over the coming weeks and months as colleges shift toward NFL-like offseasons with OTAs and training sessions replacing the traditional spring practice regime.
Hopefully the schools that cancel figure out a way to still engage with fans — be it by opening practices to the public or via fan events. Spring games are one of the few cheap opportunities for fans to experience their favorite team in person.
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Chip Patterson
2. What does the Bill Belichick era look like?
Right now, it’s mostly friendly interviews with Pat McAfee, public appearances at UNC basketball games and stories about his love life. But, at the end of the day, North Carolina hired the 72-year-old NFL legend to win. How he will do so is under the microscope this spring.
There are roster questions to answer. Quarterback is a concern as presumed 2025 starter Max Johnson works his way back from a broken leg that cost him almost the entire 2024 campaign. Will the Tar Heels go into the portal post-spring to add an experienced arm to the room? North Carolina must also find skill to replace superstar running back Omarion Hampton, the best tight end duo in the ACC (John Copenhaver, Bryson Nesbit), leading receiver (J.J. Jones), multiple impact starting offensive linemen, superstar pass rusher Kaimon Rucker and almost every other member of its defensive line.
North Carolina’s transfer class, which ranked 14th nationally, is going to have to do a lot of heavy lifting.
The pieces the Tar Heels continue to add via the portal and how Belichick goes about installing a complex pro-style system with a group of 18- to 24-year-olds will be fascinating to follow.
3. How does Bryce Underwood fare at Michigan?
Few true freshmen enter college with the hype Underwood generated as the No. 1 recruit in the 2025 class. But few — OK, zero — true freshmen enter college with the kind of NIL deal ($3 million-plus a year) Underwood commanded to flip from LSU to the Wolverines.
Michigan suffered through abhorrent QB play in 2024, finishing last in the Power Four with 129.1 passing yards per game. The Wolverines did bring in Fresno State QB transfer Mikey Keene to help address that deficiency. Keene is a good player with multiple years of starting experience, but he’s more like the bar Underwood must clear to play in Year 1 as opposed to a no-doubt starter.
Spring practice will be the first real indication of Underwood’s preparedness to play in 2025. Ultimately, it’d be a surprise if Underwood didn’t grab the reins of Michigan’s offense at some point like Dylan Raiola did for Nebraska a year ago. The Wolverines have too much invested in Underwood for him to sit long.
More: Will Bryce Underwood be ‘the guy’ from Day 1?
4. Who wins Alabama’s QB battle?
Alabama’s QB room is in an interesting place post-Jalen Milroe. Frankly, it’s likely Milroe’s successor is a better fit for Kalen DeBoer and new OC Ryan Grubb’s offense. Those two have traditionally employed accurate passers who win with timing and anticipation. For all Milroe’s positive traits, he wasn’t always the most accurate or anticipatory thrower.
That brings us to the new contenders: Ty Simpson, Austin Mack and Keelon Russell, the No. 2 prospect in the class of 2025.
There’s no lack of talent in the room. Simpson was a five-star in the 2022 class. Russell held the same status in 2025. Mack, meanwhile, was a top-75 prospect in the 2023 cycle and, at the time, the crown jewel of DeBoer’s Washington recruiting efforts.
Simpson is the program vet. This will be his second QB battle having lost the job to Milroe in 2023. Mack is the hand-picked guy for DeBoer and Grubb, having essentially taken Julian Sayin’s spot in the 2024 class for Alabama, while Russell is as talented and productive a QB recruit as any in the country.
Word around Alabama is very strong about both Simpson and Mack. Whoever has the better spring will be in the driver’s seat for QB1. And, depending on the results, could tip over a large transfer domino as well.
It’d be easy to assume after Steve Angeli’s Orange Bowl performance — 6-of-7 passing, 44 yards in relief of an injured Riley Leonard — that he’s next up for the Irish. And that may prove to be the case. But I would not underestimate CJ Carr.
Carr, the grandson of former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr, ranked as the No. 45 overall player in the 2024. He’s viewed by those in South Bend as the future of Notre Dame’s program after impressing everybody behind the scenes this fall.
That makes the battle between Angeli and Carr a fascinating one. Angeli is the more experienced passer, but if Carr is ready, do you really want to risk sitting him for two seasons? And if Carr does make a move, would Angeli consider the portal? He’d be a breath of fresh air for QB-needy teams.
There haven’t been many interesting QB battles in South Bend of late due to the Irish’s reliance on transfers. But this is shaping up to be one of the most critical competitions nationally this spring.
6. Any pass catchers available for Penn State?
Who had a better early offseason than Penn State?
Drew Allar is back. So are Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen. Dani Dennis-Sutton and Zane Durant both passed on the NFL, too. It’s a run of stiff-arming the pros to stay in college reminiscent of what Michigan did ahead of the 2023 season and Ohio State ahead of the 2024 campaign. That type of retention instantly makes Penn State a 2025 national title contender.
But there’s one obvious flaw in Penn State’s contention plan: Who’s going to catch passes from Allar? Remember, Penn State’s receivers combined for zero — yes, zero! — catches in the Orange Bowl semifinal loss.
All-American tight end Tyler Warren is gone, and an already underwhelming Penn State wide receiver corps saw its top two receivers (Harrison Wallace and Omari Evans) bolt to the portal.
As for who has next, the Nittany Lions are optimistic the No. 1 tight end from the 2024 class, Luke Reynolds, can emerge as a difference maker. He won’t be Warren, but his upside and athletic profile seem to make him a likely high-level contributor. His development this spring will be fascinating to follow.
The wide receiver room is more in question. Penn State is banking on USC transfer Kyron Hudson (38 catches, 462 yards) and Troy’s Devonte Ross (1,043 yards, 11 TDs) can emerge as difference makers. It’d also help if younger receivers on the roster like Josiah Brown, Tyseer Denmark or even true freshman Matthew Outten could emerge.
How that pass catching group develops will determine if Penn State can crash through that pesky national title celling.
More: Penn State transfer WRs continue to impress
Oklahoma got its guy in the transfer portal landing Washington State QB John Mateer with one of the largest NIL deals in history. He’s the type of dual-threat presence who can help jumpstart a Sooners attack that ranked 124th nationally in yards per play this season.
But he also can’t do it alone, which is a concern for Oklahoma heading into spring.
Outside of Mateer, the Sooners largely swung and missed on offensive targets in the portal. Oklahoma will have some reinforcements back like wide receiver Deion Burks, a highly regarded transfer from Purdue who missed almost all of 2024 with an injury. But in terms of new pieces? It was an underwhelming effort by Oklahoma in the portal, especially when you consider how many quality receivers walked out the door.
That’s why the progress of the offense under new OC Ben Arbuckle will be so fascinating to watch this spring. The Sooners need to see better health from its receiver room (likely starter Jayden Gibson is still recovering from an injury he suffered in fall camp), transfers like Arkansas-Pine Bluff’s Javonnie Gibson must seamlessly transition to the Power Four and young players like freshman Zion Kearney must take a step.
The offensive line must take a huge jump this spring, too. Be it via internal development or a new reinforcement like Western Carolina OT Derek Simmons or five-star signee Michael Fasusi.
Oklahoma answered the QB question. Now it must spend the spring figuring everything else out on offense.
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Shehan Jeyarajah
8. How’s Florida State’s reconstruction going?
There’s a lot of new for Florida State this spring. New offensive coordinator (Gus Malzahn), new defensive coordinator (Tony White) and what could be, at least per the Noles247 depth chart projection, 11 new starters, including nine on offense.
That’s the type of overhaul you get after you follow up an ACC championship with a 2-10 campaign.
White is among the most respected defensive coordinators in the sport and inherits a talented unit. That group should be fine. The offense feels much more in question with Malzahn taking over as play caller and likely shifting the offense to a run-heavy attack led by former Boston College (and UCF) QB Thomas Castellanos, a breathtaking runner but inconsistent passer in his two-year run as starter for the Eagles.
How Malzhan imprints his identity on the offense and how he balances that with a healthy pass game this spring will say a lot about Florida State in 2025.
9. Who steps up at Colorado this spring?
Don’t forget about the Buffaloes. In some ways they’re more interesting than ever this spring. Everyone knew about Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders, a pair of likely first-round picks and two of the best overall players in the sport. Now, Colorado head coach Deion Sanders must win without his blue-chip pieces.
The quarterback situation seems cut and dry. Colorado landed Liberty QB Kaidon Salter to be Sanders’ successor. He had a down year in 2024 off the highs of his Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year campaign in 2023. Can he regain form in Boulder? Also, it’ll be interesting to see how highly decorated recruit Julian Lewis fares during his first spring.
As for Hunter the pass catcher, the Buffaloes have a lot to sort out in their wide receiver corps where the team’s top four receivers step out the door. Colorado is counting on a pair of Millers — Drelon and Omarion — to help fill that void in addition to Tulsa transfer Joseph Williams.
There’s really no replacing a player like Hunter or even Sanders. But the strides Colorado makes in that regard this spring will say a lot about whether this team can be a Big 12 contender once again.
More: Ten returning Colorado players primed for breakout seasons
10. How active will the spring portal window be?
Let’s be honest: Spring practice is now a prelude to the real spring activity — the spring portal window, which runs April 16 through April 25 this year.
That’s the last chance teams must improve their rosters. It’s also the time teams scramble to keep their two-deep happy and out of the transfer portal. You’re going to see new NIL demands, players evaluating their spots on the depth chart and Power Four teams poaching to fill roster holes.
Still, the spring portal window isn’t super hectic, at least compared to what occurs in December and January. As one Power Four DPP told 247Sports last year: “We’re trading starters in December and backups in April. If you’re looking for a starter in this window, you’re going to overpay.”
Will there be a similar pattern this spring window? That remains to be seen. Given that collectives have one last chance to push ahead of the rev share era – and the fair market stipulation that comes with it – teams could be more active than usual.
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