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Spring football is when the rebuilding process officially starts for each college football team and each team around the Pac-12 has a trouble spot they are going to start trying to buff out in the next handful of weeks.
Arizona - Wide Receiver - The Wildcats graduated three of their top receivers from a unit which was one of the least-dangerous in the Pac-12 last year. Leading receiver and big play threat Shun Brown comes back, as does former blue chip recruit Cam Denson. The two have the potential to form a nice duo, but combined for less than 50 catches, 800 yards and just five TDs in 2016 and the Wildcats don’t have another returning receiver with at least 100 yards in 2016.
Arizona State - Quarterback - The Sun Devils return a lot of experience across the board, including at quarterback, but the problem is that experience didn’t exactly light the world on fire in 2016. The Sun Devils seem to be banking on Alabama transfer Blake Barnett, but 2016 starter Manny Wilkins could be a more dangerous weapon if he can start putting things together this spring.
Cal - Quarterback - The Bears patched their Jared Goff hole with a nice graduate transfer last year, but now Justin Wilcox and Co. must bite the bullet and pick a new starter at quarterback from their group which failed to throw a pass in 2016. The Bears may not need a QB who can sling it the way they did in the Bear Raid, but they need to find someone starting this spring that who can take the reigns of the offense and not be a liability.
Colorado - Defensive Line - The Buffs lost epic talent in their secondary, but they have some proven talent to restock there. Defensive line is a little bit more of a question as they must replace three starters and veterans in a unit whose progression and experience was a big reason why the Buffs took their massive step forward in 2016.
Oregon - Defensive Line - The Ducks are a mess on the entire defensive side of the ball, but I think the most work needs to be done up front where the Ducks have the least talent, experience and health. The Ducks have some players in this unit, but they need to start forming a group this spring that can hold up against the run and stay healthy throughout the year.
Oregon State - Offensive Line - The Beavers lost three senior starters from an offensive line that came together for the first time in a very long time in 2016. They will have to plug in new starters for three veterans starting this spring and it won’t be easy.
Stanford - Backfield - The Cardinal head into spring with two massive tasks going into spring. 1. Figure out who is there leader at quarterback for now with Keller Chryst injured and on the shelf. 2. Start figuring out how to fill in the productivity Christian McCaffrey produced at running back.
UCLA - Defensive Line - The Bruins have talent coming back, but they will have to reload in the experience department as they lose Eddie Vanderdoes, Eli Ankou and Takkarist McKinley. The Bruins have been deadly on the defensive line since Jim Mora took over, but this might be his biggest rebuilding project yet starting this spring.
USC - Offensive Line - The Trojans lose two first-team All-Pac-12 tackles in Chad Wheeler and Zach Banner who are basically impossible to replace in one year along with starting guard Damien Mama. The Trojans have some nice pieces in Viane Talamaivao and the oft-injured Toa Lobendahn, but this unit is a much bigger question mark than one might think given USC’s preseason hype.
Utah - Offensive line - The Utes were set to lose three starters on the offensive line before they lost All-Pac-12 star Garett Bolles a year early to the NFL. They still have a lot of big bodies in the unit, but the Utes are going to have to start finding four new starters in the trenches this spring.
Washington - Defensive Backs - The Huskies should have three defensive backs taken in the first two rounds of the NFL Draft which means they have some major rebuilding to do. They have a nice piece coming back in 2016 Pac-12 Defensive Freshman of the Year Taylor Rapp, but they will have to install new starters at every other position in the secondary.
Washington State - Wide Receiver - The Cougars don’t actually lose too much coming off of last year. The big losses are at receiver where Gabe Marks and River Cracraft will have to have their unbelievably steady production and reliability replaced.