NCAA Endzone

All this week NCAA Endzone will take a look at spring football and how the major college teams are preparing for the 2007 season.

Months before the first games are played, the 2007 college football begins with spring practice.

For new coaches and coordinators, it’s the first chance to put their stamp on a team. For some players, it’s about a climbing to the top of the depth chart. For others, it’s about proving that injured body part is as good as new.

Over the next two months at campuses around the country, the foundations for next season are being set. Here’s a sampling of what’s ahead (teams listed in alphabetical order):

Florida
Starts: March 21.
Spring game: April 14.
Last season’s record: 13-1.
The defending national champions are now QB Tim Tebow’s team. Coach Urban Meyer has a quarterback whose mobility is a better fit for the spread-option, and the offense could look even more like Meyer’s Utah squad with Alex Smith. How Tebow progresses in his first spring as the starter is worth watching. Ultimately, the offense should be on the rise. The defense must replace four stars who left early for the NFL draft. About a third of the Gators’ heralded recruiting class is already enrolled and will participate in spring ball.

Florida State
Starts: TBA
Spring game: TBA.
Last season’s record: 7-6.
This spring in Tallahassee, the focus is on the revamped coaching staff. Coach Bobby Bowden overhauled his assistants after the Seminoles’ worst season since his first in 1976. Jimbo Fisher left LSU to take over as offensive coordinator. His No. 1 job is to straighten out quarterbacks Drew Weatherford and Xavier Lee. Rick Trickett, who worked wonders with West Virginia’s offensive line, is in charge of getting Florida State’s blocking fixed. Chuck Amato returns to re-take the defensive coordinator post after Kevin Steele jumped to Alabama.

Georgia
Starts: March 5.
Spring game: April 7.
Last season’s record: 9-4.
Unlike last season, the Bulldogs don’t have to worry about the quarterback position; Matthew Stafford locked up that spot with his strong play down the stretch as a freshman. But Georgia will try to fill major holes in the offensive and defensive line, which likely will be the focus on spring practice. Unlike in past years, Georgia recruited heavily in the junior college and prep school ranks, looking for players who could make a quicker impact. Seven linemen already have enrolled in school and will be available for spring workouts.

Georgia Tech
Starts: March 1.
Spring game: April 7.
Last season’s record: 9-5.
All eyes will be on the quarterback and receiver positions during spring workouts. Junior Taylor Bennett, coming off a 326-yard performance in the Gator Bowl, is the early favorite to replace four-year starter Reggie Ball at QB. Also keep an eye on freshman Steven Threet, a 6-foot-5, 230-pound prospect who enrolled early. At receiver, the Yellow Jackets must replace first-rounder-to-be Calvin Johnson, who gave up his senior season. James Johnson had 39 catches and 7 TDs as a sophomore, but no other receiver had double-figure receptions.

Illinois
Starts: March 27.
Spring game: April 21.
Last season’s record: 2-10.
The Illini lost TBs E.B. Halsey and Pierre Thomas, but Rashard Mendenhall, who carried 78 times for 640 yards and scored five touchdowns, returns. QB Juice Williams will be a sophomore and a second-year starter. Illini coaches say he needs to learn to put better touch on the ball but say his decision-making improved as the season progressed. Defense was Illinois’ strength, and nine starters return. LB J Leman, who led the Big Ten in tackles, anchors the defense.

Indiana
Starts: March 20.
Spring game: April 14.
Last season’s record: 5-7.
Coach Terry Hoeppner, who missed two games after having brain surgery in late September, returns for his third season upbeat and without the revolving quarterback situation that dominated the first half of last season. Sophomore Kellen Lewis is the incumbent, and backup Blake Powers is expected to move to tight end. WR James Hardy, who had a two-game suspension last year, gets a clean start. Hoeppner is counting on improvement from a defense that has six returning starters. The question is the offensive line, which lost four starters.

Iowa
Starts: March 1.
Spring Game: April 14.
Last season’s record: 6-7.
A 2-6 record in the Big Ten has sparked coach Kirk Ferentz and his staff to “open their eyes” to the prospect of playing underclassmen sooner. Competition at wide receiver and in the defensive backfield should be heated. The position to watch will be quarterback, where sophomore Jake Christensen is expected to step in for Drew Tate. Iowa also has holes to fill along the offensive line and at both safety spots.

Iowa State
Starts: March 20.
Spring Game: April 14.
Last season’s record: 4-8.
First-year coach Gene Chizik, the former Texas defensive coordinator, will have his work cut out for him as he attempts to fix one of the nation’s worst defenses. The secondary was abysmal in 2006, so look for heavy competition there. Senior QB Bret Meyer, who regressed last season thanks to a terrible offensive line, will have to learn new offensive coordinator Robert McFarland’s system. There will be plenty of starting jobs up for grabs during spring practice on a team that went 1-7 in the Big 12.

Kentucky
Starts: March 28.
Spring game: April 21.
Last season’s record: 8-5.
QB Andre Woodson temporarily lost his starting job last spring, but he is entrenched as the starter after throwing 31 TD passes and leading the Wildcats to their first bowl game victory since 1984. WRs Keenan Burton and Dicky Lyons Jr. are back. RB Rafael Little leads a trio of talented backs, so the offense should be in good shape. Former defensive backs coach Steve Brown takes over the coordinator duties, trying to improve a unit that ranked second-to-last in the nation in yards allowed.

Louisville
Starts: March 31.
Spring game: April 20.
Last season’s record: 12-1.
Coach Bobby Petrino and RB Michael Bush are gone, but there’s plenty of talent still around. QB Brian Brohm opted to stick around for his senior year rather than enter the NFL Draft, and new coach Steve Kragthorpe is eager to figure out a way to implement all of the players at his disposal. The few questions the Cardinals have are on defense, which lost six starters. But a handful of freshmen received extensive playing time last year, and more help is on the way this summer when linebacker Willie Williams arrives after spending last season at West Los Angeles Community College.

LSU
Starts: Feb. 26.
Spring game: March 24.
Last season’s record: 11-2.
LSU’s offense is in the midst of a makeover following the early departure of QB JaMarcus Russell and two of his best receivers. QB Matt Flynn, who’ll be a senior, is the projected starter, with sophomore Ryan Perrilloux backing up. New offensive coordinator Gary Crowton, hired when Jimbo Fisher left for Alabama, is expected to implement some spread-option looks. The Tigers’ are also looking for two new starters at safety and on the defensive line. Some of those spots might not be set until late summer, after several highly rated recruits have had a chance to suit up in August.

NCAA, spring football, Florida