Highly questionable

  Spring football is a chance for coaching staffs and teams to answer questions heading into the summer, but not all of the questions are ever answered. The practices and Spring Game puts a microscope on the individual teams around the country. Each P5 school in the state learned a lot about what is to come in 2015, but all of them still have question marks that won’t be answered until the real football season begins. Here are the most important unanswered questions for each of those programs. TCU Paul Dawson’s departure at linebacker, coupled with the graduation of Marcus Mallet and Jonathan Anderson leaves holes to fill at linebacker, but the secondary also took a huge hit. Gone are safeties Sam Carter, Chris Hackett and cornerback Kevin White, all of whom are likely to end up on NFL rosters in some capacity for the 2015 season. In a Big 12 Conference known for high-octane offenses, the Horned Frogs need players to step up this fall to make a march towards a conference championship and a berth into the College Football Playoffs. Baylor With former quarterback Bryce Petty heading to the NFL the easy answer is quarterback. However, Art Briles has proven time and time again that he has someone capable waiting in the wings; and with all the talent at wide receiver and running back the new quarterback will have plenty of weapons at his disposal. The starting offensive line enters the fall with a lot of talent and a decent amount of experience, but the depth at the position is a concern, according to many people around the program. Texas A&M It isn’t a secret that the Aggie defense has been holding the program back since the arrival in the SEC. Kevin Sumlin’s offense has helped change the way SEC football is played, but a strong defense is still the key to success in the best conference in football. To fix that, A&M brought in long-time LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis. Chavis’ main job this spring and into the summer is figuring out a linebacker rotation. A.J. Hilliard is one of the only known commodities of the group. Guys like Josh Walker and Shaan Washington need to take the next step in their development for A&M to hold up against the power offenses in the SEC. Texas With low numbers due to injury and attrition Texas finished the spring with a lot of questions still unanswered. The biggest one, however, is still the quarterback position. All reports say that Tyrone Swoopes improved a great deal this spring, but the Longhorns have not settled on a sure-fire starting quarterback with the emergence of Jerrod Heard. Texas is moving to a up-tempo offense that may suit Heard better, so if the former prep star can improve his consistency as a passer he may give this team a better chance to win. Texas Tech Offense has never been an issue for Texas Tech. It is hard to imagine that changing in 2015 with the emergence of Patrick Mahomes at quarterback. The Red Raiders do have concerns on defense and it starts along the defensive line. The team will be undergoing a change in philosophy and system heading into 2015 and Texas Tech needs to improve at stopping the run and getting after the passer this season. The talent is there, but depth is still a concern around the program.

Mike Craven is the publisher of BirdsUp.com and a TexasFootball.com contributor.