Top CFB Storylines to Watch During 2025 Spring Practices

You may be getting ready to fill out your March Madness brackets, but college football teams across the country are gearing up for spring ball. 

Although not every team is doing an actual spring scrimmage this year, spring football is a great way to evaluate new players, including freshmen and transfers. It's also a chance for coaches to implement their new schemes.  

Let's take a look at the biggest storylines to watch during 2025 spring football. 

Several big-name programs have chosen to reimagine their spring games because of concerns over player injuries and other issues. Some teams altered their spring games, while others have chosen to eliminate them altogether.

Nebraska, which consistently brings in lots of fans for its annual spring game, was one of the first to do away with it. 

"I think it's really, fundamentally—I hate to say it like this—it's really because last year we were one of the more televised spring games, and I dealt with a lot of people offering our players a lot of opportunities after that," coach Matt Rhule said in February. "To go out and bring in a bunch of new players and showcase them for all the other schools to watch, that doesn't make a lot of sense to me."  

Several other teams have announced new spring game formats. Oklahoma will be having a "Crimson Combine" with players running through drills for fans, and Ohio State will be having a "Spring Showcase." Florida State won't have a spring game because of ongoing renovations at Doak Campbell Stadium, and Missouri is in a similar situation. NC State will be closing all spring practices to the public, with no spring games. Texas, USC and West Virginia have all stated there will be no spring game. 

While spring games are fun for fans, it's clear that coaches and players may not get the same value out of it. It'll be interesting to see if more teams follow suit in the coming years. 

The spring season will allow for the first look at some intriguing quarterback situations across the country. This spring, we'll get our first look at Arch Manning as Texas' new full-time starting quarterback, as the highly-touted recruit finally takes over for Quinn Ewers. 

At Alabama, the Crimson Tide will choose between Ty Simpson, Austin Mack or true freshman Keelon Russell under center. Georgia will likely be reloading with Gunner Stockton under center, but 4-star quarterback Ryan Montgomery also signed to the Dawgs' 2025 class. 

At Miami, we'll get our first look at Carson Beck as the new Canes' quarterback, and Oklahoma will be touting transfer-portal quarterback John Mateer. USC transfer Miller Moss will break in the new offense at Louisville. Colorado will be without Shedeur Sanders for the first time in two seasons, likely starting 4-star quarterback Julian Lewis to replace him. 

At Ohio State, the Buckeyes will likely turn to Julian Sayin, who transferred from Alabama last offseason after Nick Saban retired. Speaking of the Buckeyes...

Although the Buckeyes have to replace a ton of talent, like quarterback Will Howard, wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, running backs Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson and defensive end Jack Sawyer, the Buckeyes are expected to be playoff contenders once again. 

Unfortunately, head coach Ryan Day will also have to replace both his coordinators, as Chip Kelly is back in the NFL with the Las Vegas Raiders and Penn State hired defensive coordinator Jim Knowles away from the Buckeyes. 

But the good news is there are some big names returning, such as star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, wideout Carnell Tate, safety Caleb Downs and linebacker Sonny Styles. 

As for Ohio State's schedule, the Buckeyes' first big test is opening with Texas at home on Aug. 30. Ohio State does have some tough road tests in conference play, visiting Illinois, Wisconsin, Purdue and Michigan. The home games come against Minnesota, Penn State, UCLA and Rutgers. That's not an easy schedule by any means, let alone for a team rebuilding as much as OSU is. 

Next season's College Football Playoff may be a ways off, but there are a handful of teams that look like contenders heading into the 2025-26 season. Spring football will give us our first look at several of those. 

Playoff participants from last season like Penn State, Ohio State, Texas, Georgia, and Clemson all seem likely to earn bids again. Oregon, Ole Miss, Notre Dame and Alabama are also expected to be in the mix late in the season. 

Some teams looking to make it into the 12-team playoff for the first time include Miami, Texas A&M, Michigan and Ole Miss. Last year's more surprising playoff teams—Arizona State, Tennessee, Indiana and SMU—will be looking to make it back into the field, as well. 

And, as always, there are some dark-horse contenders to look out for. South Carolina, Florida, USC, Colorado and Louisville have all the talent to make surprise runs. Keep an eye out for Kansas State, Iowa State, Auburn and Oklahoma, too.