Baylor Football, Post-Griffin - NYTimes.com WACO, Texas - From the time he emerging from the second string as a freshman to recording 10 wins last season, adding a bowl victory and the university's first Heisman Trophy, it is safe to say that Robert Griffin III put Baylor football back on the map. I love the people at this university. I love my coach for giving me the chance to be a quarterback and do the things that we've done," Griffin said at a news conference held earlier this month to announce that he was entering the N.F.L. draft and giving up a final year of eligibility. I don't know if I could point out one specific thing, but during the bowl game I broke down and started crying, and my gut was telling me it was time to go. Baylor Coach Art Briles said, "He's ready. It's time and he has all the blessings of our football team and our coaching staff. Now, the spotlight is on the 2012 season. With top receiver Kendall Wright and running back Terrance Ganaway also entering the draft, the Bears will have to prove their depth in 2012. The first position in question is quarterback, where the contenders are Nick Florence and Bryce Petty. "I think, right now, Nick would have to be the guy that would start," Briles said, referring to Florence. We've stayed pretty quarterback-light the last couple of years for a couple of reasons, so we have to catch up in the recruiting world on that, but we'll take care of business. They'll get in there and fight tooth and nail for the job because the expectations are there now. Florence burned his redshirt his freshman year when he stepped in for the injured Griffin in 2009, leading the Bears to 4-8 that season. He lost another year of eligibility this past season when he played in a rout over Texas Tech in Cowboys Stadium, throwing for 151 yards and two touchdowns in the second half of a 66-42 victory. Two other offensive players, center Philip Blake and right guard Robert T. Griffin, are also leaving Baylor. In place of Kendall Wright will most likely be redshirt freshman Levi Norwood, who had 87 receiving yards. Backfield duties will be juggled by Jared Salubi and sophomore Glasco Martin, who combined for 98 rushing yards. Into that mix will go redshirt freshman Lache Seastrunk, a transfer from Oregon. Offensively, the talent should be there and the defense should also be strong next season. Three players will be graduating: defensive tackle Tracy Robertson, nose guard Nicolas Jean-Baptiste and middle linebacker Elliot Coffey. Toward the end of the season, defensive coordinator Phil Bennett moved sophomore defensive end Terrance Lloyd to defensive tackle and sophomore Chris McAllister to the slot at end. At the nose guard position, junior Kaeron Johnson played in every game of the season. Some creative thinking may be required for the middle linebacker slot. The first option would be to move junior Rodney Chadwick from weak side to middle linebacker. For the trickier part: Junior Chance Casey missed the last part of the season because of an injury, and it seems likely that Casey will move to sophomore Sam Holl's position at safety. The hard-hitting Holl could be a solid option for weak side linebacker. "Coach Briles and the guys who have helped build this program are still here," Griffin said. They're going to come out next year and it's going to be a great team with a lot of talent. We've got a lot of great minds and that's going to put them in a great position to make plays and I don't feel like this team will drop off at all. "I think both quarterbacks, Nick and Bryce are great players in my mind and the guys they have around them, offensive line, receivers, running backs, they're going do a great job and it's only going to get better with Coach Bennett and his work with the defense," he said. I don't see a fall-off happening at all, but of course I'm not the guy publishing the rankings or saying who's good or who's not, but those guys in that locker-room determine how good they are going to be and I think they'll be good. Krista Pirtle is a sportswriter for The Lariat, the student newspaper at Baylor University.