Kenneth Walker III went from back-to-back 579-yard seasons at Wake Forest to finishing second in FBS in rushing with Michigan State.
Kenny Pickett threw more touchdowns in 2021 (42) than he had in four previous years combined (39).
Aidan Hutchinson tallied 4.5 sacks in his first three years, then exploded for 14 sacks as a senior for Michigan.
Those three players are among college football’s breakout stars in the 2021 season. All of them now find themselves among Todd McShay’s top 60 NFL draft prospects.
Who will be this year’s Kenny Pickett? What other transfers and newcomers will burst onto the scene? And will there be another player like Will Anderson Jr.? Our writers break down which players can break out.
Which quarterback will break out in 2022?
David Hale: Apologies to those who think Phil Jurkovec has already broken out after a strong 2020 campaign, but when injuries upended his 2021 season, he fell off the national radar a bit. Given the talent Boston College returns at the skill positions — receiver Zay Flowers and running back Pat Garwo III, among others — there’s every reason to think a healthy Jurkovec blossoms into one of the top passers in the country, and he could easily garner some buzz as a potential first-round NFL draft pick.
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As a recruit, Jurkovec was expected to be the next big thing when he signed with Notre Dame. It’s taken longer than he might’ve expected to break through, but 2022 has all the makings of a big year.
Alex Scarborough: My pick of Myles Brennan got a lot more complicated on Sunday when we learned that Jayden Daniels would be transferring to LSU from Arizona State. But I’m undeterred. If Brennan can return from back-to-back season-ending injuries, he can beat Daniels out for the starting job. Remember, he already was the starter back in 2021. In the three games before he was injured, he threw 11 touchdowns and three interceptions.
And wouldn’t you know it, some LSU fans were disappointed with that. LSU scored more than 40…
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