Spring Practice Review: PAC-12

Spring practices have wound down by and large, but the college football world never rests. Now that the NFL Draft is in the rearview mirror, we can turn our attention to the upcoming 2019 college football season. We will be looking at the dozen of teams that call the PAC-12 home here, focusing on one intriguing storyline for each squad. 

In some ways, the PAC-12 has been something of an afterthought the last couple of years. The SEC and the Big 10 seem to be pumping teams into the College Football Playoffs, Clemson is making a ton of noise from its perch in the ACC, and the Big 12 has the always-intriguing Texas, and Oklahoma has the last two Heisman winners to its name. 

Meanwhile, USC has been a little down, but that could be about to change, and there are a couple other teams that at least can claim to be potential playoff teams. Namely, we're talking about the Oregon Ducks and the Washington Huskies. However, from a fantasy perspective, the PAC-12 has always been interesting. As long as Mike Leach is around, we know at least one quarterback is going to put up huge numbers, and defense often feels like it's optional on the West Coast. 

You may have trouble staying up to watch the games, but the PAC-12 can be a huge boon for your fantasy lineup. With all that in mind, and the spring practices behind us, here are the things that have been percolating. 

Arizona State

Storyline: The quarterback job is still up for grabs 

We know that the Sun Devils will have a new quarterback, as Manny Wilkins has graduated. As such, Herm Edwards and company headed into their EXTREMELY early spring practices (the Sun Devils started about a month before any other team) with four guys competing for the starting job. Dillon Sterling-Cole is the guy with the tenure on the roster, but it seems unlikely the job will be his. 

Frankly, the quarterback who intrigues us out of the quartet who got snaps during spring practice is Jayden Daniels.  The true freshman early enrollee  was a huge recruiting coup for Arizona State. He was considered one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks, 24/7 Sports had him second in its rankings, and talented true freshman are starting more and more often these days. Daniels got people excited with his lack of mistakes in practices, which is especially encouraging for a potential freshman starter. Whoever gets the job, they won't have much experience, and they also won't have N'Keal Harry to throw the ball to. Maybe ASU will be content to just give the ball to Eno Benjamin this season. 

Arizona

Storyline: Who will be the top receiver? 

The answer to this question at present is "Nobody knows." That's not just us saying that. After spring practices concluded, even receivers coach Taylor Mazzone said they were looking for somebody to step up into the role. The problem is that the top-three receivers for the Wildcats last year all graduated. Their top-two returning receivers are Cedric Peterson and Devaughn Cooper, who both had a mere 18 catches in 2018. 

You know who could be somewhat interesting? Tight end Bryce Wolma. Yes, the same Wolma who only had five catches all of last season. However, that's partially because he was called upon to block more often last year as the team made the transition into Kevin Sumlin's offense. This spring, though, he's worked with the inside receivers a bit. We're not saying draft him in the first round, but he could be a guy to keep in mind to snag off the waiver wire early. 

California

Storyline: The rise of Christopher Brown Jr. 

Fittingly, ESPN just ran an article about spring practice stars who could make an impact in the fall. One of the names highlighted was the Golden Bears' Brown. Cal desperately needs help on offense, as they were one of the worst offensive teams in the FBS last season. One of the rare, perhaps the only, bright spot was running back Patrick Laird. Ah, but Laird is gone, which means Brown is the next man up. As a freshman, he averaged 4.0 yards per carry, but he only got 37 rushing attempts. This year, he'll have a much bigger role, and the expectation from the coaching staff seems to be that the sophomore is up to the task. 

Colorado

Storyline: Will the offense excel under a defensive-minded coach? 

The Buffaloes hired Mel Tucker to be their new head coach this offseason, mostly because he brings an SEC pedigree, and because of his skills at honing a defense. However, Colorado's offense was dynamic last year, and will that continue to be the case? Most of the same talent is there, including starting quarterback Steven Montez and stud receivers Laviska Shenault and K.D. Nixon. What can new offensive coordinator Jay Johnson do? 

Spring practices went well, but that's to be expected with a veteran-laden offense. The most-important thing may be health. Shenault put up huge numbers last season (86 catches for 1,011 yards), but he missed a few games as well. Had he stayed healthy, Colorado would have at least made a bowl game. A couple of other names made themselves known this spring, namely sophomore receiver Daniel Arias and freshman running back Jaren Manghan. There are a lot of weapons for the Buffs. Let's see if they can excel under Tucker and Johnson. 

Oregon

Storyline: Can Justin Herbert take the leap? 

Most people thought Herbert would declare for the NFL Draft. Had he done so, the quarterback would have almost definitely been a top five pick. However, the 6-foot-6 signal caller decided to stay for his senior year, postponing his NFL career. Herbert's return arguably makes the Ducks the favorites to win the PAC-12, but will it end up being worth it? Or will his numbers fall, and with it his draft stock? 

Herbert's completion percentage dropped in 2018, but at 59.4 it was still satisfactory, especially in an offense that is a little more pro style. Plus, his attempts basically doubled from 2017. He finished with 3,151 yards, 29 touchdowns, and only eight interceptions, and he has mobility as well. If he can improve upon those numbers, he could be exciting for fantasy players, especially once conference play begins. Although, you'll have to wait for the season finale for a chance to take advantage of Herbert facing Oregon State. Herbert looked fine in spring, where more of the focus was on the defense. Coordinator Jim Leavitt left in February, meaning there was a quick turnaround for new DC Andy Avalos. 

Oregon State

Storyline: The QB battle remains unresolved 

Last season, the Beavers went 2-10, and only Jermar Jefferson showed any potential on offense. Well, to say he showed potential is an understatement. The running back netted 1,380 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground despite missing some time. How does a team with a weapon like that win only two games? By having a terrible defense, and also having issues at quarterback. 

Jake Luton was granted a sixth year of eligibility, but the job is not guaranteed to be his. He's stuck competing with sophomore transfer Tristan Gebbia. While Oregon State had seven weeks of spring practice, nothing was resolved. It's expected that a starter won't be named until right before the season, and don't be surprised to see both guys get playing time in the opener. At least Jefferson is still around. Also, keep an eye on redshirt freshman wideout Jesiah Irish, who has insane speed and big-play potential. 

Stanford

Storyline: All out of Love 

The Cardinal got a little bit of a glimpse of what life without Bryce Love would be like last season. The shifty running back missed a ton of time with injury, and when he played he was rarely at full speed. However, what they saw wasn't always encouraging. Stanford knows they won't have Love this year, so who will emerge as the lead back? 

The early favorite has to be Cameron Scarlett. He actually led the Cardinal in rushing touchdowns last year with eight, but he only finished with 330 yards on the ground on 79 carries. We don't know what he can do with a bigger share of the touches. That's especially true given that Scarlett missed the entire spring. Trevor Speights and Dorian Maddox are also back, and they both at least got double-digit touches last year. The absence of Scarlett this spring leaves the depth chart a bit of a mystery, though. Perhaps we're in for a true running back by committee situation. Whoever gets the lead role should be seeing carries behind an improved offensive line headlined by future draft picks Walker Little and Foster Sarell.

UCLA

Storyline: Year Two under Chip Kelly 

Kelly was seen as an offensive wizard when he was with Oregon, and the Ducks' offense, and record, justified that assertion. His move to the NFL even worked well…at first. Eventually, though, his act no longer worked at the next level, so he returned to college, and to the Pac-12, to try and turn the Bruins around. 

That didn't happen in year one. UCLA finished 69th in yards per game and 91st in points per game, a far cry from Kelly's Ducks days. People expect more, and quickly. So when you see a spring game with zero touchdowns in it, well, that's a little concerning. The positive spin is that the defense has gotten a lot better, but we need to see more from this offense. Dorian Thompson-Robinson seems to have a strong hold on the starting quarterback job. Caleb Wilson, UCLA's top pass-catcher last year, was just Mr. Irrelevant, but Theo Howard is intriguing heading into this year. He had 51 catches last season, which isn't bad, but he did that on 72 targets. That comes out to an impressive 70.8 percent catch rate for a vertical receiver like Howard. 

USC

Storyline: The (second) new offensive coordinator 

R.I.P. to the Kliff Kingsbury era in Southern California. There was excitement in LA when the former Texas Tech head coach was hired to lead USC's offense in 2019. The next thing any of us knew, Kingsbury was the new head man for the Arizona Cardinals. It was a tough blow for the embattled Clay Helton to handle.  

The Trojans rebounded, and were able to turn to Graham Harrell. He's another former Texas Tech quarterback and Air Raid disciple, so USC clearly has the same plans for how they want their offense to look. For the last two years Harrell has been the offensive coordinator at North Texas. The Mean Green had some potent offenses down in Conference USA, finishing in the top 30 in FBS in points, total yards, and passing yards per game. In fact, they were 15th in that last category. J.T. Daniels was considered talented enough to start for the Trojans as a true freshman. The numbers weren't always there, but if we weren't wrong on Daniels' talent, with Harrell at the helm, he could see his numbers skyrocket. This could suddenly become a very fantasy-friendly offense. 

Utah

Storyline: Could a healthy Bryan Thompson bolster the receiving corps? 

Tyler Huntley is healthy, which probably the biggest thing from this spring. It was mostly all positive vibes coming from the Utes. They have a new offensive coordinator in Andy Ludwig. The talk is that the offensive line is greatly improved. What they need is weapons at receiver to step up. Case in point, last season only Britain Covey had more than 32 catches (he had 60), and he led the team with 637 yards. However, the possession receiver only had one touchdown all year. 

The guy who got a shout out from head coach Kyle Wittingham this spring? That would be Bryan Thompson. Yes, a guy who had one catch for 31 yards last season. In fact, he has six catches in his college career. The problem? Injuries, but Thompson is healthy at the moment, and Wittingham singled him out as having a strong spring. If he can stay healthy, maybe he can be the big-play receiver this offense needs. 

Washington

Storyline: The Browning era ends, the Eason era seemingly begins 

The Huskies offense is going to look very different. Both quarterback Jake Browning and running back Myles Gaskin, two stalwarts, are gone. Chris Petersen's crew is going to look quite different. A familiar face is expected to step up at running back. Salvon Ahmed averaged 5.8 yards per carry on 104 carries in 2018, and the starting role seems likely to be his. As for the quarterback situation, all signs seem to be pointing toward Jacob Eason. 

It's been a circuitous route for Eason. He was a vaunted recruit for Georgia, and he played well as a freshman for the Bulldogs. However, the next thing he knew, Jake Fromm had taken his job, and Eason decided to transfer to the Huskies. Is he still the same quarterback that he projected to be back in 2016? Here's what we know after spring. Redshirt freshmen quarterbacks Jacob Sirmon and Colson Yankoff both entered the transfer portal after spring practices. They seem to see the writing on the wall. The job seems to all but be Eason's, at least for now. 

[LOGO}Washington State

Storyline: A plug-and-play offense? 

Look, at this point we know what Mike Leach's offense does for quarterbacks. There is never a Leach quarterback that is going to go undrafted in a fantasy league, and daily fantasy players are usually tempted as well. That being said, it may be a bit much to simply say it's all about the scheme and not the quarterback. Let's not diminish Gardner Minshew. The 'Stache threw for 4,779 yards, 38 touchdowns, and nine picks. Yes, scheme is partially responsible, but Minshew had true talent. The next man up isn't guaranteed to be as good. 

Right now, nobody has been able to seize the job. Gage Gubrud came over in a transfer from Eastern Washington, and was expected to be the favorite to get the nod. However, he's been dealing with an injury that kept his out this spring. As such, he's fighting to dig his way out of a hole now. Coming out of spring practices, coach Leach said that Trey Tinsley and Anthony Gordon are the favorites, but didn't clarify beyond that. Right now, given that nobody has grabbed the role with gusto, we should probably be expecting a step back for the Wazzu offense.