The stars of spring in the ACC, SEC

Spring football is over. There are 123 days until the SEC and ACC open their seasons with South Carolina taking on N.C. State on Thursday, Sept. 3.

Which leaves a lot of time to talk about football.

Florida looks like the solid preseason No. 1. Superman Tim Tebow is the favorite to win the Heisman. No shockers there.

But who are the surprises, those players who stepped up and showed fans something during the spring practices?

Joe Cox did what was hoped for at Georgia and took over at quarterback for Matthew Stafford.

But Caleb King couldn’t fight off Carlton Thomas in the battle to replace Knowshon Moreno at running back. Thomas, 5 foot 7 and 170 pounds, caught the coaches’ eyes during the spring.

“He’s a little bit like [former Bulldog] Tyson Browning, ” Richt said earlier this year. “He’s doing a nice job. Going to be a pretty good player.”

At Georgia Tech, Marcus Wright, another smallish running back (5-8, 175), may have solidified a starting A-back spot.

“Marcus has had a good spring,” coach Paul Johnson said earlier this year. “I tell you, he’s a physical guy. I think he’s made a lot of improvement. I’m excited about Marcus, I think he can help us.”

Just 123 more days …

Until then, here are 10 more players who made an impact during spring practice:

1. Chris Scott, RB, Florida

The junior walk-on really pushed incumbent starter Emmanuel Moody throughout the spring. Scott had 14 carries for 80 yards in the spring game.

“Scott … that’s someone I’m so proud of,” Tebow told the Gainesville Sun. “He came here and walked on and he goes out here and works hard every day. He goes harder than a lot of other people. That’s a sign of someone who’s good and someone who has an opportunity to get a scholarship.”

2. Greg McElroy,

Coach Nick Saban, not one to hand out rewards easily, tabbed McElroy the starter during the spring rather than let the competition drag through August. But McElroy is used to waiting. He backed up Chase McDaniel in high school, finally starting his senior year. He waited again in Tuscaloosa for John Parker Wilson to move on. McElroy threw for 189 yards and two TDs in the spring game.

3. Patrick Peterson,

The sophomore had a 61-yard interception return for a touchdown on the final play of LSU’s spring game. He started four games last year, finishing with 32 tackles. He thinks he’s more mature now and primed for a big year.

“Getting better as a unit, getting better as a person,” he told the New Orleans Time-Picayune.

4. Kyle Parker, QB,

Parker seemed to take command of the job over Willy Korn. A redshirt freshman, Parker led his team to two touchdowns and a 30-13 win in the Tigers’ spring game. He finished 13-for-21 for 171 yards but the coaches aren’t ready to tab him the starter yet.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do and we’ll see who wants to get it done,” offensive coordinator Kyle Napier told The (Columbia, S.C.) State.

5. Gus Malzahn, Offensive Coordinator, Auburn

His offenses at Tulsa were statistically among the best in the nation. Of course, that could be said about Auburn’s previous OC, Tony Franklin, who left in the middle of the 2008 season.

With the hiring of a new and more open-minded coach, Gene Chizik, and a new staff, including Malzahn, Auburn’s offense may actually look a little more spiffy than the old reliable running game that served former coach Tommy Tuberville so well.

If the spring game is any indication, watch out: two 70-yard touchdown runs, and three more plays of 40 or more yards. And Malzahn said that’s just a couple of pages from the playbook.

HHe and the rest of the Seminles’ defense dominated the spring game, forcing seven turnovers. Coach Bobby Bowden described Robinson’s performances during the spring as big-time..

7. Dyrell Roberts, WR, Va. Tech

A 2,000-yard running back in high school, Roberts switched to wide receiver as a freshman last fall and caught 17 passes for 227 yards. He worked on his route-running this spring and lends QB Tyrod Taylor another weapon to go with RB Ryan Williams. He caught four passes for 65 yards and returned a kickoff 41 yards in the spring game.

“We know if we put the work in, we’ve got a good chance of going as high and far as we wanna go. It’s no limits to what we can do,” Roberts told the Roanoke Times.

8. Ryan Mallett, QB,

The former Michigan starter earned the job for the Hogs this spring, but don’t be surprised if Tyler Wilson gets some playing time. Mallett, 6-7 with a strong arm, has the tools to make coach Bobby Petrino’s offense hum. He and Wilson combined to throw for 534 yards in the spring game.

9. Jarvis Giles, RB,

The true freshman had 80 yards on 12 carries in one scrimmage and appears to be quickly moving up the depth chart.

10. Denarius Moore, WR, Tennessee

This is a choice by default. Inconsistency reigned at nearly every position during the spring drills but one player who seemed to step up was Moore. He averaged 24.6 yards per catch last year on 11 receptions.

“He gives us that vertical stretch of a receiver that can go deep and put pressure on a secondary,” Vols receivers coach Frank Wilson told the Knoxville News-Sentinel.

Tony Barnhart contributed to this report.