The season is over. The portal is closed. Now college football rolls onto something that feels increasingly quaint in the modern era — spring practice.
Every FBS team will hold up to 15 spring practices over the next few months, barreling toward its annual spring game. It’s an opportunity for teams to install new systems and for coaches to get their first look at the 2026 roster.
The 2026 version of spring practice feels livelier than in recent years. Teams are putting spring games back on the schedule and with no spring portal window, they don’t feel like they need to hide their best young players from the world.
With spring practice already underway for a few schools — Nebraska, BYU and Clemson — and every other FBS team starting in March, these are the big things we’re watching this spring across the country.
1. How do the five-star QBs fare this spring?
Part of the reason spring practice lost some of its luster in recent years is the lack of legitimate quarterback battles. Over the last two seasons, more than 60% of Power Four teams have started transfers. When those players arrive — often with significant NIL backing — they’re expected to be the guy. There’s no intrigue about Sam Leavitt’s status in Baton Rouge or where Darian Mensah sits on Miami’s depth chart.
True freshmen are a different story. They’re hope. They’re also unproven and untested.
It’s what makes the 2026 five-star QB crop so fun. There’s a chance the No. 1, 2 and 3 players in the 2026 class could start next year.
The top-ranked player of the cycle, Houston’s Keisean Henderson, is the least likely, given the presence of Conner Weigman. Still, Henderson’s rapid ascent and rare talent make him impossible to ignore. He’s coming from a smaller private school in Texas, so there will be a learning curve. Once that’s crossed, he’s a potential program-changing talent. Weigman is going to have that shadow looming over him all year.
If you’re looking for the most likely Day 1 starter, it’s No. 2 Jared Curtis, who flipped from Georgia to Vanderbilt in one of the biggest stories of the 2026 cycle. The Commodores invested heavily in Curtis to get him to Nashville, banking on the local product to be the program’s long-term QB answer. Given that the other QBs on the roster have thrown a combined 39 career passes, Curtis will be given every opportunity to compete.
The No. 3 player of the cycle, Faizon Brandon, may prove the most consequential to the playoff race. Tennessee failed to land an established starter out of the transfer portal. That means redshirt freshman George Macintyre, Colorado transfer Ryan Staub and Brandon will be the main competitors. Staub is the only player in the group with a college start (two, total), so Brandon will have a chance to factor into that competition. But Brandon is also a question mark after missing most of his senior season with an injury. How he looks this spring will say a lot about his standing in Tennessee’s offense and his readiness to contribute.
2. The Lane Train pulls into Baton Rouge
Lane Kiffin is always part of the college football conversation thanks to his heavy presence on social media and general antics. But in 2026, the sport may truly revolve around him.
Kiffin is back at a blueblood program with one of the most expensive rosters in college football — maybe THE most expensive after portal binge shopping that would make any credit card company blush.
Fifty-one new Tigers are scheduled to be on campus this spring. It’s not a total reset, with several key pieces like Whit Weeks and Tre’Dez Green returning. It is a roster transformation that Kiffin will have to manage with playoff expectations hanging over every move he makes.
We’ll get our first hints this spring about how Kiffin’s imprint is changing things on the bayou. His press conferences will be appointment viewing, too.
3. How does Alabama’s QB battle shake out?
There aren’t many QB battles in this transfer-heavy era. But there are some, and none is more consequential nationally than Austin Mack versus Keelon Russell.
Mack is the slightly more proven player. A former Washington signee and top 75 prospect who followed Kalen DeBoer to Tuscaloosa following the 2023 season, Mack is a fourth-year junior who’s waited his turn. He’s played well in limited action — he went 24-for-32 with 228 yards and 2 TDs last season — and has the benefit of three years in DeBoer’s offense.
Russell is a rising redshirt freshman. He went 11 of 15 with 143 yards and two scores in his debut. It’s a hot start from the 2025 five-star recruit that backed up his billing as one of the most productive quarterbacks to come out of Texas this century.
The experience edge goes to Mack. Russell is a supremely accurate passer with above-average mobility. He brings a different element athletically.
Does experience and time in the system win out over potential? We’ll see the first hints of that choice for DeBoer this spring as he enters a critical third season in Tuscaloosa.
4. It’s a new era at Michigan: How’s the fit?
Michigan’s recent run has been anything but quiet. There was the whole Connor Stallions scandal, a national championship, Jim Harbaugh’s departure (and subsequent show clause), the signing of Bryce Underwood, and then, you know, Michigan’s head coach Sherrone Moore getting fired and arrested on the same day in December.
Next up? Sixty-six-year-old Kyle Whittingham is leaving Utah for the first time since 1993 to take the Michigan job.
Whittingham is one of college football’s top coaches. He’s just never worked in the Big Ten or on a stage quite like Michigan. How the Wolverines adjust this spring — and the early recruiting returns — should be fascinating.
Michigan would probably just like a few normal, quiet months this offseason. That would be a change for a program that once prided itself on its culture and academic focus.
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5. Can Texas protect Arch Manning?
That’s a funny question to ask for an o-line with a potential first-round pick at left tackle in Trevor Goosby, a high-profile right tackle transfer (Melvin Siani) and potentially 3,000-plus career snaps along the interior of the line. But that’s the reality for Texas after a disappointing 2025 offensive line output; Texas ranked 84th nationally in rushing yards per carry and 97th in pressure rate allowed.
That led to changes. Wake Forest OT transfer Melvin Siani — the No. 3 OT in the 2026 portal rankings — provides experience and NFL upside on the outside. Western Kentucky OG transfer Laurence Seymore wasn’t a flashy transfer, but he’s coming off a career year and brings experience — though he’ll still need a waiver approved to be eligible.
How that new-look unit comes together will determine Texas’ floor. The ceiling is obviously high with Manning and all of Texas’ skill talent. That won’t matter if the o-line isn’t much improved, and that process begins in the spring.
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6. What does the post-JMU era look like at Indiana?
When Curt Cignetti arrived at Indiana in 2025, he came with 13 of his players from James Madison. That group proved to be the foundation of Indiana’s success, elevating the Hoosiers from annual doormat status to national champions in just two years.
While Cignetti and his staff — many of whom came with him from JMU — remain intact, the player core he brought over from James Madison is no more.
That means in some ways this is a new version of the Hoosiers. It’s a more talented one on paper, given Indiana just signed a top-30 high school class and a top-10 transfer class. But it’s one without the glue of veteran Cignetti holdovers.
Will that matter? Likely not. Cignetti has proven to be a coach who gets the most out of his roster. Mostly, my curiosity lies with the idea that Indiana could actually be better. Indiana has had multiple seasons to recruit out of high school and is signing much higher-quality transfers. We’ll get our first clues to how good the Hoosiers’ new-look roster can be this spring.
7. Can Florida State, Wisconsin fix their rosters on the fly?
The hottest seats in college football next season, by a good margin, are Mike Norvell’s at Florida State and Luke Fickell’s at Wisconsin. Both are coming off disappointing seasons in which the fan base openly questioned their job status. Both turned to the portal to address their woes.
Florida State’s roster is slightly more stable. The Seminoles signed 23 transfers but do retain important holdovers like star wide receiver Duce Robinson and the Desir brothers off the edge. But the portal is where Florida State opted to overhaul its quarterback, running back, offensive line and linebacker rooms. QB is particularly in the spotlight as long-time back Ashton Daniels attempts to be FSU’s answer at QB. So too is Norvell himself who takes over play-calling duties from the now-retired Gus Malzahn. Integrating transfers isn’t new for the Seminoles. It’s just come with historically mixed results. Spring ball will tell whether Norvell managed to recreate some of his portal magic from 2022 and 2023.
Fickell brought in 33 new transfers — there will be 46 total new players on campus this spring, including high school signees – as he attempts to battle back from the hot seat. That includes fortifications at almost every position of the roster. After Wisconsin’s putrid play on offense last season, that’s the side of the ball that will be under the spotlight this spring.
Wisconsin lost several key offensive contributors to the transfer portal, putting the onus on new quarterback Colton Joseph to elevate the unit. The Old Dominion transfer was highly productive last season but is viewed more as a runner than a polished passer at this stage. How offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes tailors the scheme to Joseph’s strengths will be worth monitoring.
The Badgers should improve along the offensive line after a disastrous 2025 season in which they ranked 134th nationally in pressure rate allowed. Grimes has now had a full year to recruit and implement his wide-zone system. How Joseph and the offensive line perform this spring will offer an early indication of what Wisconsin might be in 2026.
8. Does Gary Patterson still have his fastball in LA?
The problem with including coordinator hires on a list like this is that they’re tough to judge. What are you supposed to grade as the public: How the defense fared against a basic offense in the spring game?
I’m willing to make an exception for Paterson, because it’s such an interesting move. Patterson is a College Football Hall of Fame coach with a statue in front of TCU’s stadium. The 66-year-old hasn’t coached in a full-time capacity since 2021 – he made stints at Texas and Baylor as an analyst. Now, he’s the DC charged with turning around Lincoln Riley’s tenure. The Trojans have gotten slightly better on defense each season under Riley, but the peak of that was 65th nationally last year in yards allowed per play. That’s not great and far below the standard Patterson set for decades in Fort Worth.
How Patterson adjusts to the new era of college football and how his traditional 4-2-5 defense fits in the Big Ten and with USC’s personnel will be fascinating to follow.
9. Who can pull ahead in Florida’s QB battle?
There’s an assumption Florida hand-picked Georgia Tech QB Aaron Philo to be the program’s starter for the 2026 season. That’s understandable. He played for now Gators OC Buster Faulkner at Georgia Tech and Florida didn’t pursue any other quarterbacks in the portal outside of Philo.
Just don’t overlook returning redshirt freshman Tramell Jones. The 6-foot, 203-pound Florida native flashed last season in relief of DJ Lagway, finishing 21 of 35 with 191 yards and two touchdowns. He’s an anticipatory passer with plenty of arm talent. Florida felt good enough about Jones that it didn’t add a veteran to compete with Philo, who has one career start.
Spring will be a great indication of whether Jones is capable of pushing Philo and stretching Florida’s QB battle into fall camp.
10. How do teams fill their post-spring roster holes?
Spring practice is more critical than it’s been in years because teams are working with what they have. There’s no spring transfer window safety net for teams to address needs or backfill after an injury. The roster is the roster … with a caveat.
Just because there’s no spring portal window doesn’t mean movement won’t happen.
We’ve seen in recent years that players can unenroll and enroll at a new school to get around portal windows. Xavier Lucas and Jake Retzlaff did it last season, and in talking with agents and sources around the sport, it’s something I would expect players to try and skirt the portal windows. The NCAA seems to be aware of this, as it proposed earlier this week to alter the Division II recruiting calendar and to patch the unenrolling loophole.
Also, keep an eye on summer JUCO transfers and D-II and D-III players. JUCO transfers can move post-spring, which gives teams an avenue to improve their rosters. D-II and D-III players can also move because they’re not constrained by transfer windows. So don’t be surprised if you see teams fill roster holes that way.
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