Five big questions before Baylor's spring practice

As spring practice creeps closer, we'll take a look at the big questions every team in the state will try to answer during its 15 practices this spring. First up: Baylor.1. Do the Bears trust the process? One win over Kansas isn't much reward for an entire calendar year of work. The Bears were much-improved late in the season and competitive nearly every time they took the field, but Rhule has to keep 100 players invested during what will be a long offseason. They have to believe a return on their investment is waiting this fall, and his January flirtations with the NFL probably didn't help. Baylor wasn't close to good enough on either side of the ball last year for a fan base that won't put up with a lengthy bowl drought after getting accustomed to Art Briles-era football. And the NCAA ruling against a sixth year for injured defensive lineman K.J. Smith cost the Bears an All-Big 12 caliber talent on next year's still-green roster. The close calls from last year made it easy to believe, but can Rhule keep his roster as invested after a frustrating debut season? We won't know the answer until this fall. 2. What can a quintet of big-time transfers offer? Yes, Smith's denial from the NCAA was rough and perhaps unfair, but Baylor will have a host of new faces on the field next year who will have loads of high-level experience. Tennessee transfer Jalen Hurd highlights the group, arriving at Baylor after an ugly midseason exit from Knoxville in 2016. The 6-4, 220-pound senior led the Vols in rushing for three seasons but came to Waco to play receiver, the position at which he'll project in the NFL. The offensive line gets a boost from offensive tackle Jake Fruhmorgen, who played two seasons and started eight games at Clemson during the Tigers' 2016 national title run. The former high school All-American initially transferred to Florida before stepping away from football for two months and landing at Baylor. UCF transfer Christian Beard, a Waco native, should also give the O-line a boost, if only by providing another capable body. Graduate transfer cornerback Derrek Thomas also followed Rhule to Waco after leaving Temple following the 2017 season. He could be an immediate starter, and Texas A&M transfer James Lockhart gives the Bears another promising talent on the defensive line. Lockhart played 16 games in two seasons for the Aggies and was a high school All-American. All but Thomas sat out last season on the scout team, but could become household names early next season. We should get a sense of what each can provide this spring when they start earning first-team reps. 3.  Can Matt Rhule and OL coach George DeLeone keep building the offensive line? Beyond new faces in Fruhmorgen and Beard, the Bears thinnest position has to improve for the offense to develop a real identity and learn what it can and cannot be and do. Last year's unit barely had five Big 12-caliber bodies to put on the field. Along with adding transfers, Rhule has made offensive line play and emphasis in each of the last two recruiting classes, adding 12 total offensive linemen in each of the last two classes. This year, three-star tackle Casey Phillips has enrolled early and we should get some indication during spring of how improved this unit has become. It can't get much worse, if only because of a lack of depth and experience. 4. Can Charlie Brewer take the next step? The mobile, accurate passer from Lake Travis showed tons of promise in 2017, earning Big 12 Co-Offensive Freshman of the Year honors. But he still only started four games and played in eight. It's a small sample size and defenses will have plenty of tape to study and adjust next fall. Any true freshman completing 68 percent of his passes during late-season conference play is stellar, but Brewer has to do it for a full season and improve along the way for the Bears to reach a bowl next season. He capped his season with a 300-yard game on the road against an experienced TCU defense, so Brewer is starting way ahead of schedule. But this is his offense now with Zach Smith gone to Tulsa and Anu Solomon out of eligibility. Can he embrace that and take hold of this team in the spring? 5. Which new faces steal the spotlight? This depth chart could be the wild, wild west. As much as almost any in the state, at least. Last year's team was one of the youngest in the country last year, playing an outrageous 17 true freshmen. Only four CFB teams played more last year. It's not a stretch to suggest almost every job is up for grabs in the spring, and we should keep an eye out for breakout players who either played sparingly last year or redshirted. That happens periodically in lots of spring camps, but we could see a higher number of new names in Waco who look poised to make a big impact for the first time this fall. Keep an eye out.