After missing the entire 2004 season due to suspension, Marcus Vick will be Virginia Tech's No. 1 QB in 2005. AP
	SI.com's SPRING IN REVIEW SI Writers • MANDEL: USC No. 1 in Power Rankings • WINN: An early Heisman top 10 • MANDEL: Which teams answered questions? Photo Galleries • Rite of Spring: SI camp images SI Extra • KING: Top 10 storylines of spring • LAYDEN: Weis putting fight back in Irish • MURPHY: Huskies look for steadying hand SI On Campus • THE U-AWARD: An easy choice at USC

Matt Leinart is good. Vince Young is fast. Adrian Peterson is hard to tackle.

These are not things we learned this spring -- because we already knew them.

Spring football is about the unknown. Who will replace departed stars such as Jason White and Carnell Williams? Which previously unseen players will emerge as next season's stars? To that end, here is a snapshot of what took place on various practice fields across the country this spring:

Teams that answered their biggest questions ...

Miami: The 'Canes got exactly what they wanted out of spring: a quarterback they can count on. Sophomore Kyle Wright, showing why he was the nation's top-rated high school signal-caller two years ago, went 10-of-13 for 159 yards and two touchdowns in the spring game and beat out redshirt freshman Kirby Freeman for the starting job. It also helped that Miami's injury-plagued offensive line of a year ago started returning to form.

USC: With All-America DTs Shaun Cody and Mike Patterson off to the NFL, head coach Pete Carroll was thrilled to see Patterson's replacement, redshirt sophomore Sedrick Ellis, step up and play at a similar level. Sophomore LB Keith Rivers, heir apparent to Matt Grootegoed, also drew raves. Of course, the Trojans will have a whole new set of questions if, as reported as a possibility, RB LenDale White and three other starters fail to remain academically eligible.

Virginia Tech: How is Marcus Vick doing? The answer came promptly at the end of spring when Frank Beamer elevated the junior QB -- who was suspended from school last season -- from No. 3 to No. 1 on the depth chart after going 31-of-53 for 406 yards in three scrimmages. With the large majority of last season's ACC title team returning, the Hokies are counting on a more mature Vick to provide the same type of leadership as departed three-year starter Bryan Randall.

Ohio State: You know you have a good team when the biggest question mark is at kicker, but in this case, the Buckeyes have to replace one of the most valuable in college football history, Mike Nugent. They may still be in good shape. In a kicking scrimmage held two nights before the spring game, Josh Huston, expected to be granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA (he missed two full seasons to injury), hit 8-of-9 field-goal attempts, including kicks from 50 and 51 yards.

Texas Tech: A fifth-year senior like predecessors B.J. Symons and Sonny Cumbie, Cody Hodges took advantage of an injury to redshirt freshman Graham Harrell to grab firm hold of the Red Raiders' coveted quarterback job, going 20-of-26 for 237 yards in the spring game. Meanwhile, Robert Johnson, who lost out to Cumbie in last year's QB race, moved to receiver and instantly became one of the top playmakers in Mike Leach's offense. 

... and teams that didn't

Oklahoma: Fans knew this would be a rebuilding year after the Sooners lost 12 starters, but spring was even rougher than expected. Not only did the three candidates to replace White at QB -- Paul Thompson, Rhett Bomar and Tommy Grady -- fail to distinguish themselves, but the young receivers dropped passes, the new offensive line starters got whupped and DT Dusty Dvoracek tore his bicep and could be out up to five months. Bob Stoops better have some magic left in him.

Auburn: If there was any doubt as to how special Auburn's 2004 backfield was, it got confirmed last Saturday when Ronnie Brown, Carnell Williams and Jason Campbell all went in the first round of the NFL Draft. Unfortunately their replacements, QB Brandon Cox and RBs Tre Smith, Kenny Irons and Carl Stewart, spent much of the spring getting humbled by the Tigers' defense. "We're still light years away from having the offense we'll need to compete for a championship," said coach Tommy Tuberville.

Florida State: Once a QB factory, the 'Noles apparently will enter a fifth straight season with uncertainty at the position. Coaches gave redshirt freshmen Xavier Lee and Drew Weatherford every opportunity to unseat shaky incumbent Wyatt Sexton, but they couldn't do it. "I don't think I can say [Sexton] is where we want him," offensive coordinator Jeff Bowden told reporters, "but he still clearly operates everything a little more smoothly than Drew and Xavier."

Georgia: The Bulldogs, having lost QB David Greene and WRs Fred Gibson and Reggie Brown (who made 82 percent of the Dawgs' receptions in '04), struggled in the passing game most of spring. The coaches aren't too worried about senior QB D.J. Shockley, who has extensive game experience, but junior Sean Bailey was the only consistent receiver. One encouraging sign from the spring game: redshirt freshman Kenneth Harris caught four balls for 95 yards.

Iowa: Though the Hawkeyes return 12 starters from last season's 10-2 team, they lost all four starters from a dominant defensive line. Coach Kirk Ferentz found two capable replacements in sophomore Kenny Iwebema and redshirt freshman Matt Kroul, but injuries to several other contenders, including DE Bryan Mattison, left the other spots up in the air. "Outside of Ken and Matt," Ferentz told the Des Moines Register, "it's going to be a little bit of guesswork."