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Texas A&M University

SEC spring football prospectus: Transitions in both divisions

Paul Myerberg
USA TODAY Sports
Alabama can expect to see even bigger things out of Derrick Henry (27) in 2015.

Alabama lost to Ohio State. Mississippi State to Georgia Tech. Mississippi to TCU. Auburn to Wisconsin. LSU to Notre Dame. Texas A&M and Arkansas rebounded to win their bowl games, knocking off West Virginia and Texas, respectively, but the damage had been done.

Viewed throughout the season as the best division in college football — if not the most competitive division in recent college football history — the Southeastern Conference West Division imploded majestically during bowl play. It raised a question:

Just how good was the SEC West, anyway? Maybe good enough to beat up one another during the regular season — and feast on a weak nonconference slate — but clearly flawed against the best teams from across the major-conference landscape.

MORE SPRING FOOTBALL:AAC | ACC | Big 12 | Big Ten | C-USA | MAC | Mountain West | Pac-12

It was a rare moment of comeuppance for the SEC, which has tasted unmatched success during a near-decade-long run atop the Football Bowl Subdivision. For the first time during that span, perhaps, the conference looked mortal.

This has done little to damage the league's overwhelming sense of confidence. Nor will last year's postseason disappointment stem the tide of preseason affection toward the entire West Division: As many as six of the seven teams could be ranked in the preseason polls, with the seventh surely just on the outside looking in.

Three spring storylines:

1. It's Coker's time at Alabama. Somewhat surprisingly, former Florida State transfer Jacob Coker didn't step right onto Alabama's campus and into a starting job; the honor went to Blake Sims, who had a superb final season in offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin's system. Even with the addition of true freshman Blake Barnett and the play of sophomore Cooper Bateman, it would be truly surprising if Coker didn't ascend to the starting job by the midway point of fall camp.

2. Optimism surrounds Tennessee. After capping Butch Jones' second season with a resounding bowl win against Iowa, the Volunteers enter spring drills with an optimistic take on 2015 and beyond. Part of the confidence stems from a roster rapidly growing in experience: Tennessee is stronger on both lines and at the offensive skill positions, with another influx of talent from February's signing class bolstering depth on each side of the ball. This fact may paint UT as a strong challenger in the East Division come August, but that may be year ahead of schedule. The greatest sense of confidence comes in the big-picture view: Tennessee is adding the sort of talent and depth needed to compete for conference and national championships.

Kyle Allen will start the season as the on-field director of Texas A&M's potent offense.

3. Chavis takes over at A&M. After long and successful stints at Tennessee and LSU, John Chavis tries his hand at a most difficult rebuilding project: Texas A&M's defense. To call the Aggies' recent defenses underwhelming might be an understatement; the Aggies have been putrid, offsetting potent offenses with a run of ineffectiveness unmatched in recent conference history. While a quick fix seems unlikely, think of it this way: Even if Chavis leads A&M to just a slight uptick in production — say, into the middle of the pack in the SEC — shouldn't that be enough to make the Aggies a West Division contender? Rest assured that the cupboard is far from bare as he begins his first spring with the defense.

Five impact newcomers:

1. Alabama DT Jonathan Taylor. Nick Saban doesn't often dip into the junior-college pool along the offensive or defensive lines. When he does, however, the recruit typically makes a significant early impact.

2. Tennessee RB Alvin Kamara. Once of Alabama, Kamara will fit a multipurpose role within Tennessee's offense.

3. Georgia LB Chuks Amaechi. He's the odds-on favorite to grab one of the two vacant starting roles at inside linebacker.

4. Texas A&M S Justin Evans. The Aggies' secondary has been abysmal. Smith should help change that along the back end.

5. Auburn ATH Jason Smith. He'll begin at quarterback, where he'll compete to back up Jeremy Johnson, but Smith's future may be at another offensive skill position.

Spring game schedule:

March 21, Vanderbilt; April 5, Arkansas; April 11, Florida, Georgia, Ole Miss, South Carolina; April 18, Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Mississippi State, Missouri; April 25, Tennessee (Kentucky and Texas A&M will not hold spring games).

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