What questions do Jacksonville State football need to answer during spring practice

Jacksonville State will be starting to get into spring practice this month, and coming off a successful first FBS season there are a few things that this crop of Gamecocks will need to show this spring.

The Gamecocks start spring practice on Saturday.

The Gamecocks will be going through a few weeks of spring practice, leading up to the spring game under the lights at 6 p.m. Friday, April 19 at JSU Stadium.

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Who will stand out at quarterback?

The biggest question going into spring practice is what will the quarterback situation end up being, with the graduation of Zion Webb. Rich Rodriguez has six quarterbacks on the roster, including last year's apparent No. 2 Logan Smothers alongside Te'Sean Smoot and Ashton Frye, who both saw time last year. Also returning are Caden Creel and Carter Lambert, as Earl Woods III is now listed as a running back.

Rodriguez has brought in two transfers but only Zion Turner will be here for spring ball as Tyler Huff will be a summer enrollee. It's doubtful that a starting quarterback will be decided by the end of the spring game but someone could either take the frontrunner spot or play themselves out of the competition over the next few weeks.

What will the defense look like?

With new defensive coordinator Luke Olson, Rodriguez admitted that the defensive scheme was going to hit "the reset button a little" during his signing day press conference. Spring practice will be the first that Olson's defensive scheme for the Gamecocks will been seen publicly. In his only season as an FBS defensive coordinator, the Tulsa defense was strong against the pass but struggled against the run. The Gamecocks excelled against the run last year.

Will the influx of size show up?

Over the past year, Rodriguez has talked about how the Gamecocks needed to get bigger, especially up front. If the 2024 class is any indication, that goal has been accomplished, even if it's going to need to be an ongoing venture. In freshman alone, they have eight signees on either side of the line that weigh more than 275 pounds and in the transfer class, Rodriguez added a 6-foot-8, 330 pound tackle that has FBS experience.

Whether any of the new additions will break the depth chart will be the main thing to watch in the trenches.

Where will the speed of this team come from?

Rodriguez prides his teams and offenses on speed, with a couple of new additions joining some returnees, it will be interesting and fun to watch who will be bringing the speed on this team. Expect the returning running back duo of Ron Wiggins and Anwar Lewis to lead that charge but with a few new faces at receiver along with some returners, it will be something to watch for on the outside.

Who has stepped up to be this year's leaders?

With many of the long-time leaders graduating and running out of eligibility, it's time for a new crop of leaders to step up for the Gamecocks. Some should have already emerged during workouts but it will be interesting to see who did and how that will translate to practice. Coaches always say the best teams are player ran, last year's Gamecocks squad seems to be but this is a new year.

Maxwell Donaldson covers high school sports and Jacksonville State athletics for the Gadsden Times. Find him on Twitter/X @_Max_Donaldson and contact him at MDonaldson@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: What does Jax State football need to show in spring practice