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2012 record: 8-5
2012 Big 12 record: 4-5
Returning starters: Offense: 5; defense: 8; kicker/punter: 2

Top returners: WR Eric Ward, RB Kenny Williams, TE Jace Amaro, DE Kerry Hyder, DE Branden Jackson, LB Will Smith, CB Tre Porter, DE Dartwan Bush

Key losses: QB Seth Doege, S Cody Davis, S D.J. Johnson, WR Darrin Moore, OL La'Adrian Waddle, RB Eric Stephens

2012 statistical leaders (*returners)

Passing: Seth Doege (4,205 yards)
Rushing: Kenny Williams* (824 yards)
Receiving: Eric Ward* (1,053 yards)
Tackles: Cody Davis (101)
Sacks: Dartwan Bush*, Kerry Hyder* (5.5)
Interceptions: Cody Davis (3)

Spring answers

1. Springing to safety. Replacing Johnson and Davis at safety was a huge concern since that kind of experience and talent isn't easy to find. But J.J. Gaines and Tre Porter, had a strong spring and that position looks to be in good hands. There may be some trouble with inexperience, but defensive coordinator Matt Wallerstedt has to feel pretty good about the group.

2. More depth at quarterback. I don't buy that there's competition between Michael Brewer and Davis Webb. Brewer was consistently praised all spring, and coach Kliff Kingsbury remarked at how quickly he picked up the schemes and how well he kept the up-tempo pace. Webb, a true freshman, adds comfort as a backup, but this is Brewer's job.

3. A spring miracle in Lubbock. Injuries have just been a constant for the last few years. Every spring and fall, it's been surgery after surgery, injury after injury. Not this year. Apparently the Red Raiders' practice fields are not, in fact, cursed. Getting through the spring without any serious losses is a huge deal considering the school's recent bad luck.

Fall questions

1. Can they weather the storm? I've written about this in the past, but I'm curious to see how the young coaching staff handles the inevitable crises and issues that will come with a season of college football. Kingsbury's a first-time head coach in a big job and stocked Tech's staff with a ton of Red Raider alums. It's an interesting approach, but adjusting on the go in a season full of learning experiences will be interesting to watch.

2. Is there an identity crisis? Tech will air it out plenty, but the full identity on both sides of the ball is still forming and Kingsbury is still getting to know his team. The defense will play some three and four-man fronts and has a lot of strength on the defensive line, but both sides of the ball will adjust on the go to what works and what doesn't next season. Both sides could look different in December than it does in August.

3. Where will the running game factor in? Tech has a ton of strength at running back in Kenny Williams and SaDale Foster, along with DeAndre Washington and Quinton White adding some additional depth. The big question for any post-Mike Leach coach in Lubbock is how much they plan to run the ball. Kingsbury will throw it plenty, but can Tech break its streak of well over a decade without a 1,000-yard rusher? And how much will Brewer be asked/allowed to run? He's no Johnny Football, but he's got wheels and can keep Big 12 defenses on their toes.

Texas Tech played the first spring game of the Kliff Kingsbury era on Saturday. Here's a closer look:

What happened:

• Michael Brewer completed 26-of-43 passes for 282 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. Davis Webb completed 17-of-30 passes for 224 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Brewer took two sacks but had 15 yards rushing on five carries.
• Kenny Williams and Quinton White rushed a combined 30 times for 130 yards.
• Jace Amaro led all receivers with 11 catches for 80 yards and a touchdown.
• The defense topped the offense, 34-28.
• For all you recruitniks out there, hyped receiver K.D. Cannon was in attendance, and called the experience "outstanding. He's the nation's No. 58 player and No. 5 receiver.

What we learned:

• It's still Brewer's job to lose. Kingsbury has been slowplaying who his starting quarterback will be in the fall, but the long-held assumption by most is that Brewer would easily win the job on a roster with not much competition. Davis Webb has made things interesting, but Brewer's performance on Saturday -- just the third open practice of the entire spring -- made it look like it's hard to believe he won't be the guy come fall. Kingsbury, though, says the competition is "close." "It’s good competition and I think that’s good for everybody,” Kingsbury told reporters. “We’ll go through the summer, go into fall camp and get a starter named." I do think it's closer than most people realized, but I don't buy the prospect of Brewer legitimately not winning this job just yet. It might be "close," but there's a clear frontrunner. Webb did have a huge play on an 83-yard score to Dereck Edwards, but also threw an ugly interception after being flushed from the pocket.
• The defensive progress looked like it's continuing. I expect Texas Tech's offense to still be stellar next fall, but the defense opened up a 23-0 lead early on. That's got to be encouraging, even though it's still just one practice. There's a lot of firepower on Tech's offense, but this is the same team who was -13 in turnover margin last season, the worst mark of any Big 12 team in the last three years. The defense forced three turnovers on Saturday, and Kingsbury's been continually encouraged. It did all of that despite playing a pretty vanilla defense. "We addressed that going into this game," DC Matt Wallerstedt told reporters. "We just wanted to see guys run and hit, play your assignment, be aggressive, play with emotion and take the football away. I think we accomplished those things." Will Smith led the defense with 10 tackles and Branden Jackson made three tackles for loss, with a sack. Pete Robertson also had six tackles and a sack.
• The receivers are who we thought they were. Eric Ward sat out for good reason (he's got nothing to prove), but Amaro showed up big and Tech got some nice showings from unheralded receivers like Brent Mitcham (8 rec. 98 yards, TD) and Brad Pearson (six rec, 60 yards), while Jakeem Grant had a somewhat quiet day. He hauled in a short touchdown pass and a 22-yard grab.
• Tech is serious about The King. Only about 16,000 fans showed up on Saturday, but no autograph line in the Red Raiders' postgame meet-and-greet was longer than Kingsbury's. You don't have to look long for more evidence that he's got the people's vote in Lubbock these days. That was just another reminder.

Four Big 12 teams will kick off their spring games this weekend. We'll be offering up a preview of each throughout the day.

Texas Tech

When: Saturday, 1 p.m. ET

What you need to know:

• It will be televised live by Texas Tech TV on Fox and around the region on Fox Sports Southwest.
• Admission is free.
• Excitement surrounding Kliff Kingsbury's arrival means Tech is expecting record crowds.
• The scoring system will be offense-defense based. There won't be two separate teams.

What to watch:

• The design of the offense. Kingsbury isn't laying out exactly what Tech's offense will look like, but his plan was to get more acquainted with his personnel and what it can do early on in spring and shape his offense around that. He's not handing the QB job to Michael Brewer yet, and Davis Webb is making the competition a little interesting, but what exactly the offense looks like will be even more interesting. You can expect it to be spread out and likely pass-heavy, but how many opportunities will Brewer have to run it and how quickly will the offense move? Kingsbury will be calling plays for the offense.
• The design of the defense. Kingsbury and defensive coordinator Matt Wallerstedt had a similar plan for the defense. Assess the personnel and design the defense around what it does best. The frequencies of four-man fronts and three-man fronts is still up for discussion and may change throughout next season, too, depending on how well it works. Tech has solid talent on both sides of the ball, but how the defense plays and what it looks like will be intriguing.
• The young receivers. Dominique Wheeler and Reginald Davis were both ESPN 150 signees a year ago and redshirted. Tech's receiving corps is deep and solid, but Wheeler and Davis have been turning heads all spring, and I'm psyched to see them in action. This year, they'll likely just be providing depth barring injury with Eric Ward and Jace Amaro being featured in the passing game, but Saturday might change those expectations in a big way.

Texas Tech is the latest Big 12 team to kick off spring practice later today. Let's take a closer look.

Schedule: The first of Texas Tech's 15 NCAA-allowed spring practices begins today. They will conclude with a spring game on April 20. Between now and then, just two practices will be open: April 6 (in Midland, Texas) and April 12.

What's new: Pretty much everything. Tech does return 13 starters from last season's eight-win team, tied for fourth-most in the Big 12. Beyond that, though, it's a whole new ballgame on the sidelines. More on that later.

New faces: Besides the coaches, Texas Tech is welcoming a new quarterback to the practice field this spring: Davis Webb. The 6-foot-5, 205-pounder is the nation's No. 24 pocket passer.

All eyes on: Kliff Kingsbury and his new staff. He's added six alums to the Red Raiders' sidelines. Kingsbury will be calling the plays for the Red Raiders. He handed the keys to his defense over to Matt Wallerstedt, who followed him over from Texas A&M. How will the 33-year-old Kingsbury run the program? As a program legend, he has the support of the city, and he'll have to learn on the job as a first-time head coach, the youngest among AQ conference teams. He inherited a talented team capable of making some noise immediately, but he'll have to take them there. That journey begins today.

Breaking out: Big 12 blog readers voted quarterback Michael Brewer the breakout player of the spring across the league. He's my pick, too. Kingsbury's not handing the sophomore the job right out of the gate, but it doesn't look like he has a ton of competition. The 6-foot-1, 183-pound native of Austin, Texas, hails from the same powerhouse Lake Travis program as Garrett Gilbert. Brewer lost just one game in high school, helping his coach, Chad Morris, take his first steps to being a major conference offensive coordinator. He's now at Clemson.

Question marks: I've written about the safeties a lot this spring, but the Red Raiders have a lot of work to do in replacing starters Cody Davis and D.J. Johnson. New position coach Trey Haverty has his work cut out for him, and any weakness in this area come fall will be exposed quickly.

On the mend: Tight end Jace Amaro. He became something of an afterthought during Big 12 play last season sue to a rib injury, but he's the cure for what has ailed the Big 12's tight ends these past couple of seasons. The position has been really, really weak, but if he's healthy, Amaro is the league's best at the spot. He had a forgettable night in the Meineke Car Care Bowl, catching two passes for 15 yards and getting ejected after throwing a punch. But shortly after taking the job, Kingsbury was already talking about how Amaro pops off game tape.

Don't forget about: Wide receiver Eric Ward. He's one of the Big 12's most underrated players, and all he's done in his career is lead Tech in receiving in each of the past two seasons and became the first Tech receiver to top 1,000 yards receiving and return to campus since Michael Crabtree in 2007. Ward's a big-time player in the passing game who doesn't get enough respect across the conference. Among returning players, only Oklahoma State's Josh Stewart had more receiving yards.

Turnover is an annual tradition in college football, but with that, teams' strengths and weaknesses constantly shift, too. Today, we'll begin a look at the biggest strengths and weaknesses for each Big 12 team.

Strongest position: Pass-catchers

I had to expand the position of strength to include tight ends, because to exclude Jace Amaro would be criminal. He and Eric Ward will be a strong 1-2 punch in the passing game next season, but there are a ton of options that give this unit lots of depth, too. Ward caught 82 passes for 1,053 yards and 12 touchdowns and will be the Red Raiders' first returning 1,000-yard receiver since Michael Crabtree in 2007-08. Darrin Moore is gone, but Amaro wouldn't have been far from 1,000 yards if he'd avoided a rib injury suffered in the sixth game of the season when he racked up 156 receiving yards and a score in a blowout win over West Virginia. Jakeem Grant and Javon Bell offer two more solid options at receiver, and ESPN 150 recruits Reginald Davis and Dominique Wheeler may make an impact after redshirting in 2012. Bradley Marquez should find more responsibility this year as well. This unit is solid from top to bottom, with lots of possible contributors, lots of targets with varying strengths who can help Michael Brewer grow into his new role as starting quarterback. That's nothing new at Texas Tech, and watching his offense take shape in 2013 will look pretty familiar for new coach Kliff Kingsbury.

Weakest position: Safety

Replacing Cody Davis, a four-year starter and the leader of the defense, is an unbelievably difficult task. D.J. Johnson is gone, too, leaving the Red Raiders without their top two tacklers and a big hole at the back of the defense. We saw how poor Tech's defense can look when the safety play is weak like in 2010 and 2011, but the unit grew up a bit this past season, and Davis and Johnson were two big reasons why. New coordinator Matt Wallerstedt will have a lot of youth to deal with back there, and Kevin Curtis will coach the position with the most turnover for Tech in 2013. It's anyone's guess as to who fills Davis' and Johnson's void, and reserve Chris Yeakey is gone, too. Sophomore J.J. Gaines should get a shot, but I wouldn't rule out a position change from a more experienced corner.

Every year, there's lots of turnover and change for every college program. What do the Big 12 teams need to do before next fall? Let's continue our look with Texas Tech.

1. Get used to new faces, terminology and schemes. Texas Tech's offense hasn't changed much since Mike Leach's exit, and new coach Kliff Kingsbury will throw it around, too, just as offensive coordinator Neal Brown did in three seasons in Lubbock. Still, the Red Raiders are preparing for their fifth defensive coordinator in five years in Matt Wallerstedt, who came over with Kingsbury after coaching linebackers at Texas A&M. Tech won't look markedly different, but it's still going to be an adjustment for everybody involved. Different coaches do things different ways and use different terms and approaches. Getting those relationships off to the right start is imperative.

2. Develop Michael Brewer. There doesn't appear to be much competition at quarterback next season in Lubbock. Brewer looked solid in spot duty and his potential is sky-high. Still, in this offense, he needs to be great for Texas Tech to succeed. As a first-year starter, Brewer will be a redshirt sophomore in his third year in the program, but he'll have to weather that transition, and a new offense, too. The basic principles will be similar, but expect Brewer to get a lot of opportunities to use his impressive wheels, too.

3. Fill out the secondary. Tech's secondary finally figured it out last season and made some huge strides, but now it's back to being gutted. Safeties D.J. Johnson and Cody Davis, the team's leading tacklers in 2012, are gone. Cornelius Douglas and Eugene Neboh are gone, too. I'd expect Wallerstedt and secondary assistants Kevin Curtis (cornerbacks) and Trey Haverty (safeties) to go into spring with an open mind. If unheralded players are going to emerge, those 15 practices will be the time to do it. All bets are off with that group.

More offseason to-do lists:

• West Virginia

COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- When a team changes it's scheme on one side of the ball or the other, there is often a significant learning curve involved.

Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin compares it to the adjustment a true freshman has to make in his first year of college football.

"The 'What to do' stage that every freshmen goes through figuring out what to do, transferring the playbook to the field," Sumlin said. "And then there's the 'How to do' stage, which comes down the road instead of just running to where the line is in the playbook. Now there's an adjustment, 'Now what do I do? How do I do it?' And for every player there's that adjustment with a new scheme."

As the Aggies get acclimated to a 4-3 alignment under new defensive coordinator Mark Snyder after spending the last two seasons in the 3-4, senior linebacker Sean Porter appears to be adjusting better than most. The 6-foot-2, 230-pound Porter, who was a first-team All-Big 12 selection last season, has made it a point to spend more time studying his playbook and seek out extra time with coaches in order to understand the intricacies of the new scheme.

"I'm really getting used to the defense," Porter said. "I've been up there with Snyder a lot during the summertime and I sat in on a few coaches meetings with him and I really got to get in his head a little bit during the summertime. So it was good for me. I think I've got the defense down pretty well, me and J-Stew (senior linebacker Jonathan Stewart)."

He also appears to be developing into a leader. Sumlin wanted to see some guys become more vocal on defense and Porter is doing that. Linebackers coach Matt Wallerstedt sees the effort Porter is putting in not only to himself, but to his teammates.

"I know he wants to perform well against the best competition in the country in the SEC and get us jump-started in this league and win a bunch of ballgames and get us to a championship," Wallerstedt said. "Really for him, he's the one that's been driving the whole thing for the linebacking corps and pushing everybody not just on the field but with the film study and getting in there with those younger guys."

In order to do that, Porter has to have an increased attention to detail. Being a senior is not something that the preseason first-team All-SEC pick has taken lightly this fall.

"I have to make sure I get in the film room and that I relay all the little things that I pick up on the field to the younger guys," Porter said. "I think that senior leadership is going to be a big deal this year. As seniors we can see things that maybe a younger player can't see because we've been out there a couple more times. I think it's just stuff like that: senior leadership, film room, putting in extra reps in the weight room, extra runs after practice, things like that that will make us a little bit better and that'll get us a few more wins."

Last season, he led the Aggies with 9.5 sacks, but Porter -- who will play the strongside linebacker position this season -- said he's not concerned with his sack total this year, only with wins.

His grasp of what the Aggies are doing defensively should help that pursuit.

"We're at the point where we've got more and more guys doing that across the board," Sumlin said. "Sean understood it quicker and I think he's been able to become a leader quicker because he just understands things and he's able to communicate with our coaches.

"We're going to need his leadership to get through camp and not only get through camp but through this season. He's doing everything we've asked him to do."

Schedule: Texas A&M opens spring practice on Saturday and will play its Maroon & White spring game on April 28 at 2 p.m. ET. The Aggies will give fans a couple of chance to see open scrimmages prior to the spring game. Fans are invited to the April 14 scrimmage at 11 a.m. and the April 20 scrimmage at 8 p.m.

What’s new: Really, just about everything. The Aggies will begin play in the SEC in 2012, and Kevin Sumlin takes over as head coach after spending the last four seasons as Houston’s head coach. Sumlin worked under R.C. Slocum at Texas A&M in 2001 and 2002 and called the Aggies’ plays for most of the 2002 season. Sumlin’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach will be Kliff Kingsbury, a record-setting quarterback during his time at Texas Tech. Clarence McKinney will coach the running backs and serve as recruiting coordinator, and B.J. Anderson will coach the offensive line. Kingsbury, McKinney and Anderson were all with Sumlin last season at Houston. David Beaty will coach receivers after serving as Kansas’ co-offensive coordinator last season. Brian Polian, who was previously at Stanford, will coach tight ends and oversee special teams. Former Marshall head coach Mark Snyder will be the Aggies’ defensive coordinator. Snyder was the defensive coordinator at South Florida the past two seasons and also served under Jim Tressel at Ohio State. Marcel Yates will be the co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach after spending the last nine seasons coaching defensive backs at Boise State. Former Texas A&M player Terry Price will coach the defensive line. He was previously on the Ole Miss staff. Matt Wallerstedt will coach the Texas A&M linebackers after serving as associate head coach, defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Air Force the past two seasons.

On the mend: Senior running back Christine Michael, who tore his left ACL toward the end of last season, is ahead of schedule in his recovery, but the Aggies won’t chance it with any contact this spring.

On the move: Junior Damontre Moore, who had 17.5 tackles for loss as the “joker” linebacker in the Aggies’ 3-4 scheme last season, is moving to defensive end in their new 4-3 defense. Also, the Aggies won’t have running back Brandon Williams, who transferred from Oklahoma. Williams is a former five-star recruit, but his appeal to the NCAA to be eligible in 2012 was denied, and he’ll have to sit out the season.

Key battle: With Ryan Tannehill taking his talents to the NFL, the Aggies hope to settle on a new quarterback this spring. It could take longer, as nobody has any real experience. Third-year sophomore Jameill Showers played in four games last season and threw all of five passes in mop-up duty. He’s the “veteran” of the group. Redshirt freshman Johnny Manziel might be the most dynamic athlete of the bunch, and Kingsbury also likes the way midterm enrollee Matt Davis can move around and make plays. Sophomore Matt Joeckel is more of a pocket passer. Kingsbury said all four have their strengths and do different things well, which should make for a close race.

New faces: Being on campus early and going through spring practice will give Davis a legitimate chance to win the starting quarterback job as a freshman. Defensive back Kenneth Marshall of South Houston, Texas, also graduated high school early and will go through the spring. Derel Walker of Trinity Valley Community College was rated among the top junior-college receivers nationally. Cornerback Tremaine Jacobs is another junior-college newcomer who’s enrolled and will go through the spring. Jacobs is from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.

Breaking out: Even with Moore moving to defensive end, the Aggies have a chance to make a big splash at linebacker. There’s already a buzz surrounding senior Jonathan Stewart and his move to middle linebacker. He led the Aggies with 98 total tackles last season, including 55 solo stops. He’s had a terrific offseason, and by all accounts, is poised for a big senior season. It only helps that he’ll have fellow senior Sean Porter playing alongside him at outside linebacker. Porter led the Aggies with 9.5 sacks last season and racked up 17 tackles for loss.

Don’t forget about: One of Sumlin’s biggest coups this offseason was convincing star receiver Ryan Swope to return for his senior season. Sumlin got a big assist from Kingsbury, who painted an enticing picture of what Swope’s role would be in this new offense. Swope was third in the Big 12 last season in both receptions (89) and receiving yards (1,207). He also caught 11 touchdown passes and will be key player in keeping opposing defenses from loading up against the Aggies’ running game.

All eyes on: What will the offense look like? Chances are that it won’t be quite as much of an “Air Raid” attack it was in Houston. Sumlin is always going to utilize the passing game, but the strength of this team will be the offensive line. Tackles Luke Joeckel and Jake Matthews are future pros, and senior Patrick Lewis also proved to be a devastating blocker at center after moving over from right guard. The Aggies will lean heavily on their offensive line, which has a chance to be one of the top units in the SEC.