College Football

College football summer checklist: Who's sitting pretty, and who has work to do?

Updated Apr. 25, 2024 9:48 a.m. ET

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Michael Cohen

College Football and College Basketball Writer

Laken Litman

College Football & Soccer Analyst

RJ Young

FOX Sports National College Football Analyst

With spring football winding down and the transfer portal in full swing, it's time to reset and take stock of what is happening across the college football landscape.

Which teams have to solidify their situations at quarterback in the ensuing months? Which coaches are making the biggest splashes on the recruiting trail? And which programs moving to new conference homes in the fall are in great shape to be immediate contenders?

FOX Sports college football experts Michael Cohen, Laken Litman and RJ Young share their thoughts on these questions and more!

Which quarterback situation at a CFP contender still concerns you entering the summer?

Michael Cohen: It's hard not to have some legitimate questions about the quarterback room at Michigan now that J.J. McCarthy is gone, especially if the Wolverines refrain from adding another signal-caller through the transfer portal as offensive coordinator Kirk Campbell seemed to hint over the weekend. The most experienced player in the room, seventh-year senior Jack Tuttle, threw four touchdowns and six interceptions during the two seasons in which he received legitimate playing time at Indiana before transferring to Michigan. Tuttle also missed at least a chunk of this year's spring season, including the spring game, with an undisclosed injury that affected his ability to throw. That left junior Alex Orji (dual threat) and senior Davis Warren (drop-back passer) as the top quarterbacks on the depth chart for the last two months. But neither player has started a game or thrown a touchdown pass in college.

Putting aside the collective inexperience of Michigan's quarterbacks, there are additional reasons to think whoever earns the starting nod could face a difficult transition. The Wolverines lost all five starters along an offensive line that manhandled opponents en route to the national championship last season. Three of the team's four leading receivers are gone after Roman Wilson (789 yards, 12 TDs), Cornelius Johnson (604 yards, 1 TD) and AJ Barner (249 yards, 1 TD) all departed for the NFL. And the shuffling of assistants by first-year head coach Sherrone Moore means there are different leaders in the offensive line room, the running back room and the tight ends room. That's quite a bit of change for a new starting quarterback to absorb.

RJ Young: USC — it's looking like Miller Moss or bust for Lincoln Riley right now. But given Riley's track record of producing Heisman winners (three) and No. 1 overall picks (three if Thursday's draft goes to plan), Moss is in line to inherit an offense that is renowned for producing QBs that the NFL loves.

However, we're betting quite a bit on a player who was stellar in the Holiday Bowl against Louisville but wasn't good enough to come in for an injured Caleb Williams against Notre Dame in 2022. Through this period of movement in the transfer portal, I've wondered if former Riley recruit Nick Evers would reunite with the guy he committed to play for at Oklahoma. But with the window closing next Monday, it's looking more likely that Moss will lead the Trojans into Big Ten competition with Jayden Maiava waiting for an opportunity. Maiava passed for 3,085 yards with 17 TDs with 10 INTs and led UNLV to its most wins in a season since 1984. But neither QB screams CFP for a program that has never made the CFP, even though this 12-team format will be its best opportunity to make one since its inception in 2014.

Laken Litman: Ryan Day didn't have much to say about his quarterback situation after Ohio State's spring game. But at some point soon, he will.

After losing to Michigan three straight times and watching their nemesis win the national title, the Buckeyes have switched on their tunnel vision. Beat Michigan and win a national championship. That's it. That's the brief. Ohio State is certainly a favorite to do those things in 2024, and spent the offseason loading up its arsenal by way of the transfer portal, convincing playmakers to forgo the NFL draft for another year on campus, and making some coaching staff changes, including bringing in Chip Kelly as the new offensive coordinator.

What stood out in Ohio State's spring game?

But no matter how much talent and promise and expectations this year's team has, Day has to get the starting quarterback right. We saw how that impacted everything last year with starter Kyle McCord, who entered the transfer portal at the end of the season and is now at Syracuse. In his wake, Ohio State has an ultra-crowded QB room. There's Kansas State transfer Will Howard — the probable veteran starter who led the Wildcats to a Big 12 championship in 2022. He's a fifth-year senior with one year of eligibility remaining and was one of the top QBs in the portal. 

Then there's Devin Brown, who was McCord's backup last year and started in the Cotton Bowl before leaving the game with an injury in the first half. He was replaced by Lincoln Kienholz, who struggled to complete just six of 17 passes for 86 yards in a 14-3 loss to Missouri. Neither made a strong case to be the front-runner for this year's starting spot.

To make matters even more interesting, the Buckeyes also have former Alabama QB Julian Sayin, who transferred after Nick Saban retired. Though inexperienced, Sayin may be the most talented of the group — which also includes freshman and former four-star prospect Air Noland — and adds a ton of curiosity as the team heads into the summer.

Based on early returns, what catches your eye from the 2025 recruiting rankings?

RJ: LSU hasn't fallen off the way some might have thought they would with Oklahoma and Texas joining the conference. The Bayou Bengals, No. 3 in the country at present, still get who they should. But Brian Kelly knew that when he took the job. The machine in Baton Rouge works for most Louisiana kids not named Manning, and the Tigers remain attractive from a name, image and likeness perspective because their alumni base is not shy about paying for great players. I'll be curious to find out if Bryce Underwood sticks with his pledge, though. Not long after he made LSU one of his five finalists, he watched Jayden Daniels become LSU's second Heisman winner in four years. But there's still quite a way to go before he signs.

LSU coach Brian Kelly on what makes Jayden Daniels so special

Laken: There's a long way to go before everything is signed, sealed and delivered, but you have to be impressed by what Ohio State has been able to do so far. The Buckeyes lost to Michigan and missed the CFP last year, but have sprung back to life with impactful pickups via the transfer portal, and as of the end of April, Ryan Day also has the current No. 1 recruiting class for 2025.

Day has the commitments of three five-star players, including cornerbacks Devin Sanchez and Na'eem Offord (both of whom are from SEC states — Texas and Alabama, respectively) as well as quarterback Tavien St. Clair, who is an in-state prospect. Both Sanchez (6-foot-2) and Offord (6-foot-1) have length and speed, while St. Clair is an intriguing addition given what the Buckeyes already have going on at quarterback, which includes two of the top 2024 QBs in Sayin and Noland already on campus.

Keep an eye on the Buckeyes, as Day is more motivated than ever to get this program back to winning national championships.

Michael: Two programs whose recruiting classes have made waves to begin the 2025 cycle are LSU (No. 3 overall, No. 1 SEC) and USC (No. 4 overall, No. 2 Big Ten). After back-to-back 10-win seasons to begin his career in Baton Rouge, Kelly is putting together what could be the Tigers' first class to rank among the top three nationally since 2016. The unquestioned jewel is Underwood, the No. 1 signal-caller and the No. 1 overall prospect in the 247Sports Composite. That Kelly and his staff plucked Underwood from Belleville, Michigan, which is roughly a half hour from the Wolverines' campus, only added to the sweetness of the verbal commitment in January. Underwood is one of three five-star prospects already committed to LSU in an eye-catching collection of offensive firepower. He's joined by wide receiver Dakorien Moore (No. 1 WR, No. 3 overall) and running back Harlem Berry (No. 1 RB, No. 14 overall). 

As for the Trojans, it's impressive to see what head coach Riley is putting together on the recruiting trail given how poorly USC performed during an 8-5 finish last season. Riley and his staff plucked two five-star prospects from the state of Georgia in defensive lineman Justus Terry (No. 2 DL, No. 8 overall) and quarterback Julian Lewis (No. 2 QB, No. 9 overall) to headline the class. Lewis' commitment is particularly noteworthy given the turnover in USC's quarterback room following the departures of former Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams (NFL) and former five-star prospect Malachi Nelson (transferred to Boise State). The Trojans also secured verbal commitments from three more players rated among the top 100 prospects nationally in safety Hylton Stubbs (No. 6 S, No. 55 overall), defensive lineman Isaiah Gibson (No. 5 DL, No. 57 overall) and safety Mantai Tagoa'i (No. 10 S, No. 78 overall).

USC's Miller Moss throws six touchdowns in Holiday Bowl

Which program will have the most difficult time replacing the players it will likely lose in the NFL Draft?

Laken: Alabama is losing playmakers Dallas Turner, JC Latham, Terrion Arnold, Kool-Aid McKinstry and others to the NFL. In the past, the Crimson Tide had the luxury of being able to replace first-round talent by reloading with more first-round talent that was still on campus. But when Saban retired after last season, there was a player exodus, depleting a roster that had just made it to another College Football Playoff.

Of course, star players stayed, too, like quarterback Jalen Milroe and defensive back Malachi Moore, who was one of three holdovers from last year's group of defensive starters. New head coach Kalen DeBoer wants to compete for national championships just like his predecessor — and he knows what it takes after leading Washington to the title game against Michigan last season. With significant change comes new schemes, new staff and new players. There will naturally be growing pains as DeBoer figures out which guys fit where. It's just a matter of how long those growing pains last.

Michael: Based on the sheer volume of departures, it has to be Michigan, right? After winning the school's first national championship since 1997 and first outright title since 1948, the Wolverines set an NFL record with 18 players earning invites to the scouting combine. Washington (13), Florida State (12), Texas (11) and Georgia (11) were the only other programs with more than 10 invitees this spring.

McCarthy and running back Blake Corum headline a list that features 10 of the 11 offensive starters from last year's national championship game, including all five offensive linemen. The lone returner is tight end Colston Loveland, who some believe could be a first- or second-round pick in 2025 after his junior season. Of the 14 players who logged at least 300 offensive snaps for the Wolverines in 2023, 11 of them are no longer at Michigan. 

On the defensive side of the ball, the Wolverines lost key contributors at all three levels: defensive tackle Kris Jenkins and the edge rush tandem of Jaylen Harrell and Braiden McGregor; both starting inside linebackers in Junior Colson and Michael Barrett; and two of the team's three starting corners in Mike Sainristil and Josh Wallace. 

Michigan's firm belief in player retention and player development will be tested in 2024, even if Jim Harbaugh is gone. 

What stood out in Michigan's spring game?

RJ: Michigan — but the question in Ann Arbor is more about how important the system is to the Wolverines' success? I tend to think people make a system to go, and player retention is as much about staff as it is about process. No question Harbaugh's implementation of a culture at Michigan that prized Ben Herbert's strength and conditioning among its pillars for success has put them in a position to defend a national title. And while the transfer portal remains an option, what Michigan lost could end up being its deepest NFL Draft class ever. Perhaps this is the moment when Michigan becomes the kind of football factory Alabama became in the Nick Saban era, or we learn the limits of culture in this new era of college football.

Of the schools entering new conferences for the 2025 season, which program is best positioned to challenge for a league title in Year 1?

Michael: There's a real chance Oregon head coach Dan Lanning could bring the Ducks to the Big Ten title game during their debut season. It's not a stretch to say Oregon already has the best quarterback in the league in 23-year-old Dillon Gabriel, a transfer from Oklahoma. Between his two seasons with the Sooners and his three seasons at Central Florida before that, Gabriel has four years of starting experience and nearly 15,000 passing yards to his name. His career touchdown-to-interception ratio of 4.8 to 1 reflects the kind of sound decision-making and ball security that coaches crave. To help Gabriel, the Ducks brought back wide receiver Tez Johnson (1,182 yards and 10 TDs) and running back Jordan James (759 yards, 11 TDs) from a unit that ranked second nationally in both scoring offense and total offense last season.

Oregon also received a relatively favorable schedule for its first year in the Big Ten. With Rutgers and Penn State not on the docket, and with Maryland venturing to Eugene on Nov. 9, the Ducks only have to make one cross-country flight all season — and they won't travel any farther east than Michigan for a marquee game against the Wolverines on Nov. 2. Lanning's team also gets to play Ohio State and rival Washington at home. The only non-conference game of note is a trip to Oregon State on Sept. 14.

It won't be a surprise to see Oregon at Lucas Oil Stadium come December. 

Steve Sarkisian compares his Texas tenure to Kirby Smart's success at Georgia

RJ: Texas — plain and simple. The Longhorns return the starting quarterback and most of the staff that made it the only one of the new members to a Power 4 conference to make the four-team CFP last year. As much as Oregon might have a great chance to be that team in 2024, they're turning over the QB as well as losing their top running back and wide receiver on offense. In Quinn Ewers and CJ Baxter, the Longhorns already have two of those, even if they lost Xavier Worthy, Adonai Mitchell and Ja'Tavion Sanders to the NFL Draft.

Laken: It's not outrageous to say that Texas could contend for an SEC title in its first year in the conference. The Longhorns made their first-ever CFP appearance last year and have a strong roster entering the 2024 season.

Having a quarterback entering his third year as the starter is huge. And while the college football world is anxious to see Arch Manning take the field, this is Ewers' team, and head coach Steve Sarkisian is sticking to him. Texas has made upgrades on both the offensive and defensive lines, has a robust group of running backs, and boasts significant experience defensively with guys like Jahdae Barron and Anthony Hill Jr. returning. Sark also snagged some top talent out of the transfer portal, like Alabama wide receiver Isaiah Bond and Clemson safety Andrew Mukuba.

The Longhorns have an exciting, albeit challenging, schedule with games against Michigan, Florida, Georgia and Texas A&M ahead. But Sarkisian is building a program to win a national championship and this debut season in the SEC will be even more of an indicator as to where he is in that process.

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Michael Cohen covers college football and basketball for FOX Sports with an emphasis on the Big Ten. Follow him on Twitter at @Michael_Cohen13.

Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of "Strong Like a Woman," published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her on Twitter @LakenLitman.

RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports and the host of the podcast "The Number One College Football Show." Follow him on Twitter at @RJ_Young and subscribe to "The RJ Young Show" on YouTube.

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Michael Cohen

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