Football season is roughly two months away, and Austin-area teams are coming off a spring in which they faced important questions. We answer some of the biggest questions surrounding local squads:

Who will be Manor's next great running back?

Given the number of extraordinary runners who have gone though the Mustangs' program, it's a fair question. After all, Quinten Joyner is expected to be the next great tailback at USC, and Texas Tech's Tahj Brooks will be taken in the 2025 NFL draft. And just last year, Titus Petteway rushed for 1,620 yards and 22 touchdowns.

After spring workouts, head coach James Keller said he's not certain who'll emerge from the pack to be the next big thing.

"We will have a running back by committee this year," Keller said. "We have several prospects, but we will not name a starter until after our scrimmages."

While Keller might be holding his cards close to his vest, the Mustangs should benefit from one multidimensional player who transferred in from Fort Worth Brewer. Jordan Clark, who'll be a senior, passed for 1,177 yards and rushed for 1,108 yards last season. He'll play quarterback and receiver at Manor and will be used on kickoff and punt returns.

Who will throw to Anderson receiver Ed Small?

Small, a former Texas Longhorns baseball pledge who changed his mind and committed to play football for TCU, established himself as one of the state's top receivers over the past two years. Pairing with quarterback Brady Gephart last fall, Small was sensational: 77 catches for 1,112 yards and 20 touchdowns in 10 games.

Gephart has graduated, but the Trojans should be in good hands with Max Gerlich, who looked sharp this spring after coming off knee surgery that sidelined him after the third game last year.

Anderson coach Donald Hatcher describes Gerlich as a "great leader" who "strives to be the hardest working on the field." He has college offers from UTSA, Stephen F. Austin, Sam Houston State, Navy and Yale.

Which coach had the toughest job this spring?

Without question, Vandegrift's Drew Sanders. He spent most of the spring plugging holes left by outstanding players who graduated last month.

The Vipers will regroup offensively after losing three players who will line up for college teams this year — quarterback Deuce Adams (Louisville), receiver Miles Coleman (North Texas) and offensive tackle Blake Frazier (Michigan). Sanders has to replace his entire offensive line.

"They will need to grow up quick, but we have talent at all positions," he said.

So where will the leadership come from?

This spring, one player who popped up as a sure-fire leader is defensive lineman Daeshon Morgan, Sanders said. He has nearly 20 scholarship offers, including from Arizona State, Colorado State, North Texas, California and Arkansas State. And Miles Teodecki, a rising junior, will be the quarterback.

The last junior to start at quarterback for the Vipers was Brayden Buchanan, who led Vandegrift to the state championship his senior year. Junior Brock Chilton replaces Coleman, who was the 2022 Central Texas player of the year, at receiver. George Farley showed promise last year as a speed receiver and sophomore wideout Gavin Koester has potential to be a breakout star.

How is Westwood changing without Demani Stewart?

It won't be easy replace Stewart, who earned first-team All-Central Texas honors at running back after averaging a school-record 180 rushing yards a game. The Army-bound back scored 23 of the team's 27 rushing touchdowns.

Warriors coach Anthony Wood, entering his 20th season, believes his team will be just as explosive as the group that averaged 31.3 points last fall, and that Westwood fans will soon learn about shifty running back Xavion Sutton, who's replacing the hard-charging Stewart.

"If Demani was Earl Campbell, Xavier is Barry Sanders," Wood said. "He is quick, has great vision and is a threat as a wide receiver, too."

The strength of the team, though, will be in the trenches. The front line is the "strength of the offense," Wood said. It all starts with 285-pound center Taylor Wofford, who started at left guard last year. Wood said right guard Jase Francis (330 pounds) and left guard Devin Rupert (270) have "great skill for outside screens and pin-and-pull schemes."

How will Hutto move ahead without two Hippos legends?

Despite losing quarterback Will Hammond and receiver Alex Green to graduation, the Hippos have plenty of reasons to be hopeful. Yes, it will be hard to replace Hammond, the future Texas Tech quarterback who led the state in passing yards last year. It also will be hard to replace Green, the Tulsa-bound wideout who ranked No. 1 in the state in total receiving yards.

Like any good chess player, Hutto coach Will Compton has some moves he hasn't yet revealed. But when the fall rolls around, he'll introduce his new quarterback, Kaden Stefek, a 6-foot-4 junior with "a great arm and the ability to run when he wants," he said.

Compton said he expects a "breakout year" from his new No. 1 receiver, Breaton Anderson, who accounted for more than 700 all-purpose yards. The Hippos also will utilize Keilan Chavis, a running back who accounted for 1,128 total yards and 12 touchdowns.

While the offense has potential to light up the scoreboard, Compton's main responsibility this spring was to improve a defense that allowed 48 points a game last year.

How is Regents moving on without Quinn Murphy?

In a move that has certainly changed Regents, the Knights will enter the season without star quarterback Quinn Murphy, who transferred to Argyle Liberty Christian after last season. Murphy finished the season with an average of 303 yards passing per game while throwing for 52 touchdowns.

Perhaps ironically, he did not play in the TAPPS Division II state championship game, a 52-10 loss to Liberty Christian, a team coached by former Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten.

Coach Tim Phillips has given the keys to the offense to Jack Devine, who started the state championship game as a freshman. While Murphy dazzled with his arm, Devine is a dual-threat quarterback. At 6-2 and 185 pounds, he can break tackles with his size and speed, Phillips said.

On a positive note, Regents returns three of its starting receivers: Kade Millington, Blake Smith and Roman Patson.

How will Liberty Hill replace its offensive backfield?

Panthers coach Kent Walker went through spring football without the three explosive running backs who accounted for 4,640 rushing yards and 55 touchdowns in 2023. Noah Long (Valparaiso), Ben Carter (McNeese State) and Joe Pitchford (TCU) laid the groundwork for a team that went 10-5.

But when it comes to running backs at Liberty Hill, there always seem to be a few capable backups waiting for their turn to shine. This fall will showcase newcomers such as fullback Bryce Muchaw (401 yards, four touchdowns) and running backs DJ Seaborn (429 yards, five touchdowns) and Jack Pitchford (440 yards, five touchdowns).

With three players returning to the offensive line — Jett Harrison, Kolton New and Aidan Merchant — Liberty Hill just might match its 2023 average of 43.5 points a game. A defense that was shaky at times last season has six starters returning.

Who from Lake Travis will earn star status in 2024?

It's a given that the Cavaliers will be solid again this fall, but there are some new players on the horizon.

You might want to remember one of the defense's brightest players, junior safety Braylen Griffin. He's the son of former Longhorns star and longtime NFL defensive back Michael Griffin. And he'll be joined on defense by another familiar face: Cooper Webb, a standout pitcher on the baseball team this spring.

Veteran coach Hank Carter said he concentrated on every position during spring football because the competition is tough across the board. With four players returning on offense and five on defense, it's good to have Chaston Ditta back at quarterback.

Ditta will have several capable weapons to utilize: running backs Vann Hopping and Kenauri Armstrong and wide receivers Dylan Cullers and Lark Sidle.

"We don’t necessarily focus on any one area more than another," Carter said. "It’s a new collection of kids due to graduating seniors, so it’s a fresh start in many ways."

What’s the wideout situation at Dripping Springs?

Kyle Koch is off to North Texas with his 80 catches for 1,314 yards and 15 touchdowns, but the Tigers’ receiving room is far from bare. Dripping Springs coach Galen Zimmerman is high on several players who got experience last fall and will play bigger roles this season.

“We’ve got some guys who are hungry for their opportunity,” Zimmerman said. “Anytime you lose a Division I player and great kid like Kyle, you’re going to feel the hit. … But we’ve got four kids coming back who have at least started a game. There’s some ability there to get some things done that could be really good.”

Juniors Cooper Reid, Merrik Bloomgren and Max Krippel and seniors Jakob Rivas and Tristan Felder all have varsity experience and figure to have some role in the receiving corps. Reid might be the new top target after starting 13 games and making 36 catches for 636 yards and seven touchdowns a year ago.

The return of standout running back Jack Tyndall and quarterback Maddox Maher, who threw for 1,713 yards and 22 touchdowns in 13 games, will only help the Tigers receivers.

“It’s always a positive when you have a quarterback returning with experience,” Zimmerman said. “But I like our receiver room. They’ve had good springs, and we expect them to have good summers.”

How will Weiss' defense replace two Division I players?

First-team All-Central Texas selections defensive back Peyton Morgan (Texas Tech) and defensive lineman Chad Otutu (UTSA) are with big-time college programs now. Losing players of that caliber would greatly affect most Class 5A programs — and they’ll definitely leave holes — but Weiss is still in very solid shape on that side of the ball.

The secondary is loaded with four starters back, including lockdown corner Jason Stokes, who just received an offer from LSU. Josiah Wells, Jorian Guinn and Dhaylee Bradfield also return in the defensive backfield, with Jacory Gary-Alexander leading a solid linebacking corps.

“The second and third level of the defense, we really feel good about,” said Weiss coach Vernon Hughes, whose program will drop 6A to 5A Division I.

Bigger questions might be on the defensive line, though there’s plenty of talent, paced by Tyler Gottschalk and Luke Poerner.

“The bodies are there; we just don’t have a lot of experience,” Hughes said. “But we feel good about it. They all play hard, fast and physical, and they’ll be able to do everything we ask.”

With turnover, what’s next for Georgetown?

Eagles coach Chuck Griffin lost both of his coordinators to head coaching positions at Legacy Ranch and Salado, with four other coaches joining them in some capacity, and running back Andrew Petter and quarterback Noah Booras are off to college and taking a lot of production from the past two seasons with them.

All of that might cause panic in some programs, but Griffin noted it’s just part of the business.

“It was a good promotion for all of the coaches,” he said.

But the Eagles will definitely have a different look. The defense, which returns seven significant contributors, will have a new scheme under a new coordinator.

“We feel good about that side of the ball” even with the change, he said.

On offense, fall competitions will determine successors to Petter and Booras, with Griffin noting that the wideouts and linemen looked good in the spring. Junior wide receiver Xavier Warren has already received multiple Division I offers, and Griffin thinks senior Davyn Sedwick is poised for a breakout year.

Is there another player like Fatu Mukuba in the pipeline for LBJ?

Mukuba, who will play at Sam Houston State this fall, was a jack of all trades for the Jaguars, shining at wide receiver, at safety and on kick returns while helping lead them to the District 12-5A Division II title and a playoff win. LBJ, which drops to Class 4A Division I this year, was young last fall, and Jaguars coach Joe Rauls is high on the skill and versatility of the players he has back.

“Talentwise, we have some guys that have a lot of potential,” Rauls said. “The spring gave us an opportunity to develop the younger talent and to put them in situations and see how they were going to respond — and they really stepped up.”

Seniors Tre'Awn Young-Henderson and KJ Houston will lead the secondary, but both can also play wideout and return kicks.

Juniors Yaheim Riley and Tre Riley also possess the ability to play multiple positions, and with quarterback Ali Scott and running back Caleb Crenshaw back, Rauls pointed to patience as something that might be needed.

“Our problem is we only have one ball to play with,” he said.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin-area football teams spent their spring workouts replacing stars