College football

Five things to watch for in spring practices

Position changes and new starters are par for the course this time of year

Sue Ogrocki / AP

Oklahoma State quarterback Brandon Weeden, a former second-round pick of the New York Yankees, is expected to start for the Cowboys at age 26 next season.

By Dave Curtis

updated 6:09 p.m. ET March 13, 2010

A quick note, from amid the madness of March: Air Force finishes spring practice Wednesday.

Yes, football continues to churn along, with about a quarter of the Division I-A programs already into their NCAA-allowed 15 spring workouts. From the hodgepodge of position changes and new starters, here are five developments that jump out from the first stages of college football's second season.

1. Re-inventing Russell
The plan was for LSU's Russell Shepard to remind fans of fellow Houston-ite Vince Young. But Shepard's move to receiver has him eyeing a new role model — NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Percy Harvin.

"I love watching his game," Shepard said. "He's a very physical-type player, he played through injuries. I have to look at guys like that."

Shepard, a top quarterback recruit, spent last season as LSU's enigma. A true freshman, he moonlighted behind center, mostly as a runner, before asking coach Les Miles for a position switch.

Shepard will play the Tigers' "Z" spot but hopes to be used as a quarterback, runner and receiver in 2010. LSU's hire of receivers coach Billy Gonzales, who worked with Harvin at Florida, should help Shepard better emulate the former Gator.

2. Irish have fight
Brian Kelly's first on-field work with his new team remains two weeks away. But the reports from strength and conditioning coach Paul Longo brought Kelly a pleasant surprise.

"We're not physically strong enough," Kelly said. "But I was really impressed by the level of toughness. I expect a softer group in a sense that the mental part wouldn't be there. But they've held up and done what we've asked."

Kelly often mentions "tempo" when he talks about football and guaranteed that the 2010 Irish at least will play faster than their previous iterations. The accelerated pace make these conditioning sessions extra-important for the Irish.

Another edge -- quarterback Dayne Crist, who'll trick the new attack, remains on track to participate this spring after recovering from an October knee injury.

3. Ducks gone wild
So much for the positive carryover from a Pac-10 title and Rose Bowl trip. Oregon has endured as negative a spring as any program in the country. The big news: quarterback Jeremiah Masoli has been suspended and will miss next season.

As the legal situations and potential punishments continue to unfold, keep Darron Thomas in mind. With Masoligone, Thomas likely will beat out veteran Nate Costa for the starting job.

A sophomore, Thomas looks like a Dennis Dixon clone and might inherit the pressure of leading a preseason top-five team. The Ducks start practice March 30.

4. Devil in charge
Thanks to still-healing knee ligaments, Sean Renfree will spend the biggest spring of his football career watching and learning. And so the growth of David Cutcliffe's next great quarterback has gone slower than expected.

"I do things from a mental standpoint every day," said Renfree, Duke's expected starting quarterback for the fall. "But it hasn't been easy."

Good enough to play for Chan Gailey at Georgia Tech or Dennis Erickson at Arizona State, Renfree opted for the Blue Devils to become a Cutcliffe pupil. His performances last season in relief of Thad Lewis included going 14-for-23 for a touchdown against Kansas. He completed 68 percent of his throws for the season.

Defense remains Duke's major concern with the losses of Vincent Rey, Leon Wright and Vince Oghobaase. But the offense should remain dangerous with Renfree in charge.

5. Yankee-turned-Cowboy
Brandon Weeden joked to reporters that the best part of earning a scholarship at Oklahoma State was getting to eat at the team's training table.

Another cool part could come this fall, when the 26-year-old former minor league baseball player pulls a Chris Weinke and starts for a major college program.

Weeden has enough athleticism to be a second-round pick of the New York Yankees. And he gets to learn from offensive guru Dana Holgorsen, who studied under Mike Leach and plans to bring a pass-happy offense to Stillwater. Weeden has decent experience, too, having led a Thursday-night comeback against Colorado last November.

Weeden will get the majority of the repetitions this fall, and how he responds will help determine whether OSU can weather the losses of top skills players Zac Robinson and Dez Bryant.

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