Position battles to watch at FBS programs around the state

[caption id="attachment_23523" align="alignright" width="193"]SR1_3115 Photo by John Hamilton[/caption] Position battles start to take shape with football practice starting across the state. Numerous spots are open at each university as head coaches work on replacing holes on each side of the ball. With pads starting to come on, we take a look at a few of the position battles to watch in August. Shane Buechele vs. Tyrone Swoopes (Texas) Charlie Strong’s future in Austin comes down to his offense’s ability to be successful in 2016. No one near the program can deny Strong is increasing the talent level on the 40 Acres. Texas is more talented across the board than it has been this decade, but the quarterback position remains a question mark. Most outlets report that Buechele – a true freshman from Arlington Lamar – is the likely starter against Notre Dame. This is hardly a shock for people who watched Texas in spring practice. Buechele arrived to campus earlier than most true freshman and he made that time count. Swoopes is experienced and likely earns snaps as a running quarterback, but the accuracy and football IQ of Buechele will win him the starting job. Sam Linebacker (Texas A&M) The Aggies need help at the second level of the defense. This has been true since Texas A&M joined the SEC and it remains a major question mark entering football camp. Junior Shaan Washington and sophomore Otaro Alaka should remain starters at Will and Mike linebacker, respectfully. The strong-side position, known as Sam, isn’t as set. Dwaine Thomas was listed as the starter on the depth charter after spring practice, but the buzz around camp is centered on the play of fellow sophomore Richard Moore. Texas A&M is already on its way to solving the problems along the defensive line with stars like Myles Garrett, Daeshon Hall and Daylon Mack. It is now up to the linebackers to be a positive against the run. Ian Sadler vs. Jonathan Giles vs. Cameron Batson (Texas Tech) An offense run by Kliff Kingsbury and driven by Pat Mahomes is going to put up a lot of points and lead the Big 12 in most statistical categories. One of the places Tech is known for doing damage is at the inside wide receiver position. The Red Raiders lost a ton of production from Jakeem Grant and it will have to be replaced by a trio of options. Kingsbury will rotate all three players and each will get opportunities early in the season. One should emerge as the go-to option for Mahomes, and Sadler seems like the obvious choice.

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