Spring practice starts next week at Rutgers, and Greg Schiano will have a press conference Friday to preview the spring. 

I'm in Albany covering the MAAC basketball tournament (plenty of coverage at the Trentonian College Hoops Blog), but The Trentonian's Eleazer Gorenstein will be at Rutgers Stadium to cover the presser. 

With the Scarlet Knights getting back on the field, here are a few questions on my mind that I'm sure Schiano would like to have some answers to by the end of the spring: 

• How will the offense look (even in a very informal setting) without Ray Rice? Kordell Young is still rehabbing from a season-ending knee injury he suffered during the third game of the season against Norfolk State, so he won't be able to go full throttle, but Mason Robinson will in the backfield. Jourdan Brooks will probably continue to get some reps at tailback, and Jack Corcoran and Andres Morales are in more important roles at fullback now that Ray isn't there to carry most of the load in the backfield. 
• Is offensive lineman Art Forst good enough to start next year as a true freshman? Forst is one of three players (along with Ewing's Steve Shimko, a quarterback, and Keith Stroud, a wide receiver) who enrolled early and will practice in the spring. The Knights have three spots to fill on the offensive line, with one almost certainly going to Kevin Haslam, who began the year last year as the starting right guard before moving aside in favor of Anthony Davis. Ryan Blaszczyk is back at center and Davis is likely to move to the left tackle spot being vacated by Pedro Sosa. If Haslam slides into the starting role at right guard, that leaves a number of players, possibly including Forst, to battle for the jobs at left guard and right tackle. 
• How will the beginning of the competition for playing time at linebacker play out? The Knights lost Brandon Renkart to graduation, and don't have anyone who's a shoo-in at middle linebacker since Damaso Munoz and Ryan D'Imperio split time there last year. The leaves Kevin Malast at weak side is the only starter who has a spot virtually locked up. The competition for the strong side spot being vacated by Renkart is likely wide open, with as many as five players conceivably getting a look.