Spring practice will wrap up over the next couple of weeks, so keep an eye on these battles
The spring practice schedule is going to reach its conclusion over the next couple of weeks, with a strong collection of spring games set for this Saturday, April 12, and plenty more to come before players wrap up the semester and enter the summer conditioning portion of their calendar.
How coaches treat spring games is changing rapidly, but the goals of spring practice remain the same. They want competition at every position, but we know better than to think that every spot on the depth chart is truly up for grabs. For the top teams in the country — or at least the ones who we project to start the year in that conversation — sorting out a few position battles could end up being the difference in realizing their full potential in 2025. For some, that means identifying a new starting quarterback. For others, it’s about putting the pieces around expected or returning starters to solidify a well-rounded squad ready to contend for a spot in the College Football Playoff.
We have highlighted a handful of position battles that we’re tracking as spring practice wraps up, noting any opportunity to gain some insight from a spring game when applicable. There are a couple of quarterbacks, obviously, but also some spots that could be crucial for solidifying what’s already a strong depth chart heading into 2025.
Spring game: April 12
Names to know: Ty Simpson, Austin Mack, Keelon Russell
Ty Simpson might have a full punch card for all the times he has been deemed a contender for the starting role as the former five-star prospect prepares for his fourth season of spring practice with Alabama. After running backup to Jalen Milroe, one would think he’s ready to finally ascend to the starter’s role, but he’s got some stiff competition that Kalen DeBoer and the current staff were responsible for recruiting to Tuscaloosa. Mack has impressive size at 6-foot-6, 235 pounds and followed DeBoer from Washington to Alabama after redshirting with the Huskies in 2023. With Ryan Grubb reuniting with DeBoer as offensive coordinator, that reignites yet another connection of familiarity that could give him an edge in the battle. Buzz has been building for Simpson’s chances to take hold of the QB1 role, and while Alabama’s spring game won’t be on TV, expect for plenty of commentary afterwards regarding how he fared in live action in front of the fans at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
But don’t count out Keelon Russell, who has arrived in Tuscaloosa as an early enrollee showing no signs of backing down when it comes to competition. An elite playmaker who has drawn comparisons to Jayden Daniels by talent evaluators, Russell was a five-star prospect in the 2025 class with a perfect 100 grade, but he could benefit from putting on weight before being thrown into the fire of SEC competition. The Alabama quarterback battle is one that not only has our attention but the rest of the country as well with the transfer portal set to open up again later this month; there are three power conference-quality quarterbacks competing for just one starting job.
Georgia: Defensive line
Spring game: April 12
Names to know: Jordan Hall, Joseph Jonah-Ajonye, Xzavier McLeod, Christen Miller (injured)
When you think about the identify of Georgia’s back-to-back national championship teams, it starts with the defensive front, and that group has undergone a significant reset this spring as the Bulldogs look to defend their claim to best in the SEC against several worthy contenders. At its best, Georgia can come at you with waves, rotating future NFL talent in and out to overwhelm an opposing offensive line. But with mainstays like Mykel Williams, Nazir Stackhouse, Warren Brinson and Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins all off to the NFL Draft, there is a lot to be sorted out up front on defense. Also, Christen Miller has missed time this spring due to an offseason surgery, so the opportunities have been there for the next generation of Georgia defensive linemen to earn their playing time for the fall.
Joseph Jonah-Ajonye saw his freshman season shut down because of a foot injury but now has an opportunity to be a real factor at defensive end, while his classmate, Xzavier McCleod, hopes to be the next dominant nose tackle in Athens at 6-foot-4, 315 pounds. Jordan Hall is a player that a lot of people are rooting for after the former five-star prospect has undergone multiple significant injuries during his two years with the program and eyes a return to full health so he can be a factor in the battle for starter’s snaps.
Spring game: April 12
Names to know: Steve Angeli, CJ Carr, Kenny Minchey
This is one of the most intriguing battles in the sport this spring. It’s a throwback of sorts in that all three players were on the roster last season when Notre Dame made its run all the way to the national title game and all three players will be given ample opportunities to prove themselves as the next QB1 this spring. Notre Dame was in the position the last two offseasons of bringing in a high-profile transfer that somewhat limited competition, but all reports point to an even battle between the three returning signal callers.
Angeli has the most game experience, backing up both Hartman and Leonard and stepping up big against Penn State in the College Football Playoff semifinal win. But Carr was a prized prospect signee with tons of arm talent, and Minchey might possess the most athleticism while also being an accurate passer. Of course, with three gifted players at quarterback, all eyes will be on how this is handled in spring and what, if anything, happens in terms of portal exits at the end of April. When you combine the status of Notre Dame as a title contender, the number of contenders and their collective ability, this might be the best quarterback battle in the country this spring.
Penn State: Wide receiver
Spring game: April 26
Names to know: Devonte Ross, Kyron Hudson, Liam Clifford, Kaden Saunders, Koby Howard, Matt Outten, more
The 2025 season positions Penn State with arguably the highest preseason expectations of the James Franklin era. The Nittany Lions were a field goal away from playing for a national championship last season and return not only star quarterback Drew Allar but both 1,000-yard rushers Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton. The defense loses Abdul Carter but returns Dani Dennis-Sutton and gains new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles after he helped lead the rival Buckeyes all the way through the College Football Playoff to a national title. So, now the microscope focuses on the unknown and unproven, and for Penn State, that’s the pass-catcher positions.
With Tyler Warren, Harrison Wallace and Omari Evans gone, Penn State is losing 2,368 receiving yards and 17 touchdown catches from last year’s team. And while Luke Reynolds appears to be the heir apparent to Warren at tight end, it’s unreasonable to expect the sophomore to carry the load that the Mackey Award winner did in 2024. Penn State needs to get more out of its wide receivers, and this spring is about sorting out the candidates for those roles.
Devonte Ross led Troy in receiving last season and can bring game-changing speed, even as me makes the jump to the Big Ten, while Kyron Hudson will have no adjustment necessary following a productive season as an outside receiver at USC. They signed with Penn State out of the portal expecting to play with an NFL quarterback and compete for a national championship, so they figure to have a good chance to wind up with solid opportunities. Liam Clifford and Kaden Saunders are program guys who have been around a couple years, with Clifford actually checking in as the third-leading wide receiver last season (18 catches, 286 yards), but they have some real competition thanks to a pair of true freshmen in Matt Outten and Koby Howard that have drawn praise for their work in spring practice.
Oregon: Quarterback
Spring game: April 26
Names to know: Dante Moore, Austin Novosad
A five-star prospect coming out of high school, Moore was initially committed to Oregon before a high-profile flip to UCLA just before the early signing period opened in December 2022. He saw some action as a true freshman with the Bruins in 2023 with mixed results and transferred to Oregon prior to the 2024 season.
Now back with the school and head coach he originally committed to back in July 2022, Moore is hoping to put that five-star potential together on the field for the reigning Big Ten champs. But he is not without some real competition this spring, as Austin Novosad remains a factor in the battle. This is Novosad’s third spring practice with the Ducks, all under the leadership of offensive coordinator Will Stein, and that experience edge combines with an athletic profile (hurdles and triple-jump track competitor at the 6A level in high school in Texas) to make him a real factor if Moore can’t seize the job this spring.
Texas: Wide receiver
Spring game: None
Names to know: Ryan Wingo, DeAndre Moore, Parker Livingstone, Michael Terry III, Dylan McCutcheon
We know that Arch Manning is going to be the next quarterback up after Quinn Ewers, and that the former five-star prospect will carry immense weight not only as QB1 of a national title contender but as the star that was promised following his much-anticipated commitment three years ago. Manning has shown flashes of his athleticism and play-making in spots, even as a starter when Ewers was out with injury, but now he’s the every-game, down-to-down engine running the Longhorns offense.
So who, then, will be catching passes from Arch Manning?
Steve Sarkisian went to the transfer portal to reload the pass-catching positions after 2023 but the staff did not take a wide receiver in the winter portal window. That means it’s go-time for the highly touted receivers that Texas has been recruiting over the last couple of cycles, and with both Matthew Golden and Isaiah Bond off to the NFL, there are plenty of receptions to go around. The assumption is that both sophomore Ryan Wingo and junior DeAndre Moore will step up into top starter roles after strong 2024 campaigns, but both players have been limited this spring because of injuries. That’s allowed for a lot of work between Manning and some first-year and second-year players, and according to Horns247, those opportunities have been seized by redshirt freshman Parker Livingstone, freshman Michael Terry III and fellow freshman Dylan McCutcheon.
Spring game: April 12
Names to know: Julian Sayin, Lincoln Kienholz
Ryan Day says this quarterback competition to be the successor to national championship winner Will Howard is “neck-and-neck.” Because the reigning national championship-winning coach says there’s real competition, we’ll include it here in our discussion because the starting quarterback for Ohio State in 2025 is one of the most important positions in the country.
That said, there have been too many positive reports for too many months about Julian Sayin to think he’s not going to wind up winning this job. Kienholz has been in the program for long enough to help set the standard for the underclassmen, but if he is going to get more than that, he’s going to have to be more than a pace car in the spring ball. He reportedly had a good showing during a public scrimmage earlier this spring, but look for Saturday’s spring game — one of the few you can actually watch on TV — to allow for some splash plays for Sayin with Ohio State’s loaded wide receiver room.
