Few college football groups have each little element found out by the point the common season arrives. You’ll be able to rely on surprising bumps within the street, and it usually takes just a few video games earlier than a staff hits its full stride.
Nonetheless, fall camp is an especially invaluable time to develop a roster, consider the place it stands and squeeze in each rep doable earlier than truly lining up towards one other staff. Coaches need finality, however questions at all times emerge within the early week of August.
Even potential College Football Playoff groups are prone to main issues. Quarterbacks steal all of the headlines, so it felt acceptable to take a look at some burning non-quarterback questions going through distinguished groups across the nation, and the way issues stand with the beginning of the common season — Week 0, no less than — only one Saturday away.
25 compelling storylines, teams, coaches, players that will dominate the 2025 college football season
Chip Patterson
What’s Texas going to do alongside the offensive line?
Offensive line was a huge question mark for Texas coming into fall camp. The Longhorns have to exchange 4 of 5 starters from their 2024 squad, together with beginning left sort out Kelvin Banks Jr., who was the No. 9 choose within the 2025 NFL Draft, and beginning proper sort out Cameron Williams, who made the shocking determination to check the skilled waters a 12 months early.
To make issues worse, the Longhorns misplaced potential beginning sort out Andre Cojoe for a significant amount of time due to a knee injury suffered Aug. 4. That leaves Texas dangerously skinny on choices and confirmed expertise. Cojoe was battling Brandon Baker, a former top-50 prospect within the 2024 class, for the beginning proper sort out spot. Baker now has no selection however to raise his sport after taking part in simply 64 offensive snaps final season.
Guard DJ Campbell is the veteran of the group, and the one returning full-time starter, and sort out Trevor Goosby did play loads of significant snaps as a consequence of accidents forward of him final season, however Texas has some holes to patch within the wall in entrance of quarterback Arch Manning.
Does Tennessee have an enough supporting solid?
Nico Iamaleava’s spring departure stole all the headlines and created an surprising fall quarterback battle for the Vols. Whereas it is clearly necessary that Tennessee finds an answer at crucial place on the sphere, its lack of a confirmed supporting solid could also be an even bigger concern. The Vols misplaced all three of their main receivers and operating again Dylan Sampson, the 2024 SEC Offensive Participant of the Yr.
Tennessee needs to be in good arms at operating again, no less than. DeSean Bishop, who spelled Sampson at instances final season, is primed for an even bigger function, and Peyton Lewis‘ pace makes him a perfect slot in a Tennessee offense that creates loads of area for its backs. The Vols additionally obtained confirmed switch expertise from former Duke operating again Star Thomas. All three will see loads of work in 2025, and all three are having a stable fall camp. Even freshman Daune Morris might get some run.
Large receiver is in considerably worse form. Chris Brazzell II is Tennessee’s solely wideout with greater than seven profession catches, and he is missed most of fall camp with an damage. The Vols’ different anticipated starters — Mike Matthews and Braylon Staley — have additionally missed time this August with numerous illnesses. That is not excellent, provided that quarterbacks Joey Aguilar — who transferred to Tennessee after spring apply — and Jake Merklinger want to determine chemistry with that unit as they battle for the beginning job.
Will a Penn State broad receiver please stand out?
Penn State’s roster looks fairly complete lower than three weeks from the beginning of the season. There is a purpose why the Nittany Lions rank so high in preseason polls. There’s nonetheless some uncertainty at broad receiver, although.
Penn State hasn’t had a real broad receiver eclipse no less than 800 yards in a single season since 2021, when Jahan Dotson was giving opposing Huge Ten secondaries suits. Its prime two wideouts from 2024 are gone, and stud tight finish Tyler Warren is not round as a top-tier security valve and multi-dimensional offensive risk anymore.
Figuring out the place as a weak point coming into 2025, Penn State took an enormous swing at broad receiver within the switch portal. Three of the Nittany Lions’ switch signees play the place, and there is a probability all three begin. Kyron Hudson is a standard big-bodied possession sort participant, Devonte Ross brings some much-needed agility to the slot and Trebor Pena is a route technician that may recoup a few of the reliability misplaced with Warren. Each Ross and Pena lately landed on the Biletnikoff Award watch listing, so there’s hope that they’re going to elevate PSU’s offensive ceiling.
LSU’s secondary has expertise, however will the items match?
Brian Kelly hasn’t actually found out the entire protection factor throughout his LSU tenure, and that has stored the Tigers out of the CFP over the previous few seasons — regardless that they produced a Heisman Trophy winner in quarterback Jayden Daniels. Particularly, LSU had the SEC’s Tenth-ranked move protection final season whereas permitting 224.3 yards via the air per sport.
Upgrading the secondary was an enormous emphasis within the switch portal. There is a good probability that three of LSU’s prime 5 defensive backs are transfers, together with a pair of recent safeties in Tamarcus Cooley (NC State) and AJ Haulcy (Houston). Mansoor Delane (Virginia Tech) will undoubtedly occupy one of many cornerback spots.
There are a pair in-house choices that should not be discounted, although. Ashton Stamps was a uncommon brilliant spot within the defensive backfield — beginning all 13 video games at cornerback final season — and second-year nook PJ Woodland is popping heads as fall camp progresses, in accordance with a recent report from Geaux247. The following couple of weeks can be essential for determining how all of the items match.
Can Georgia proceed its run of EDGE dominance?
Georgia has to exchange every of its prime three sack artists from the 2024 season. EDGEs Mykel Williams and Jalon Walker have been each first-round 2025 NFL Draft alternatives, and Chaz Chambliss ran out of eligibility. That is loads of expertise to exchange in a single offseason cycle.
Georgia moved 2024 signee Kris Jones from linebacker to EDGE and in addition has gamers like Joseph Jonah-Ajonye and Quintavius Johnson to assist choose up the slack, however the title price watching is Army switch Elo Modozie. Defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann has heaped reward on Modozie via his first handful of practices with the Bulldogs.
“He is a extremely good athlete,” Schumann informed reporters Aug. 7. “This man performed wideout in highschool. So when he does have to drop and do these issues, he is distinctive in that sense. However he is nonetheless — we’re six practices in. It is his first six practices. So regardless that, you already know, he is an older man, he is on the market adjusting like a few of the different new gamers.
“So he is solely going to get higher from right here.”
Does Michigan have its subsequent nice operating again?
Michigan coach Sherrone Moore has earned the good thing about the doubt on the subject of growing operating backs, however that place is considerably of an unknown for the Wolverines after Kalel Mullings and Donovan Edwards left for the NFL. Consequently, Michigan obtained loads youthful — and considerably extra unproven — at an important place for its offense.
The Wolverines did snag former Alabama again Justice Haynes from the switch portal. Haynes truly entered the 2024 season as Alabama’s major backfield choice, however his alternatives waned because the season went on, as he had simply 16 carries for 75 yards within the final three video games of the common season and simply two 50-plus yard speeding performances all season.
Then there’s the 5-foot-11 and 210-pound Jordan Marshall, who performed sparingly as a real freshman final season however broke out in Michigan’s ReliaQuest Bowl win towards Alabama with 23 carries for 100 yards. These two are going to see a wholesome quantity of touches, although they are going to be a lot totally different than what we have come to anticipate from a Michigan operating again. Haynes and Marshall are each very athletic, however neither are considered as energy runners. Will probably be fascinating to see how they slot in Michigan’s ground-and-pound scheme.