Revisiting Farrell's 10 breakout players for the 2017 season
MORE FARRELL: Grading the first-year coaches
Back at the beginning of the season, I identified 10 players who I thought would have breakout seasons. No surprise: I hit on some and whiffed badly on others. Here's a full review.
Mark Pszonak contributed to this report.
As a recruit: Love took a fall official visit to Virginia and then January visits to Stanford and North Carolina before committing to the Cardinal a few days before National Signing Day.
What he did this season: Love showed flashes of excellence while playing in the shadows of Christian McCaffrey for two seasons. With McCaffrey moving onto the NFL, the job was finally all Love’s and he responded amazingly. Rushing for 1,973 yards and 17 touchdowns, while averaging 8.3 yards per carry, Love quickly became one of the elite backs in the country this season.
Farrell’s take: I hit a home run here. Love topped the list because he showed serious flashes of talent last season filling in for McCaffrey at times and he’s now a Heisman finalist. Love was a four-star out of high school known for his ability in space as well as his receiving ability, so he fit in well as a replacement for McCaffrey. He couldn’t match the numbers, no one could, but to say he had a breakout year is an understatement.
As a recruit: Michigan State and Purdue were considered the leaders for Evans, until a visit to Ann Arbor quickly put Michigan in the lead. Only a couple of weeks later he committed to the Wolverines in June.
What he did this season: While Michigan lost a majority of its skill offensive players from the 2016 team, Evans returned as its leading rusher. As he did last season, Evans showed flashes this fall, rushing for 661 yards and adding 146 yards receiving, but it was actually Karan Higdon who became the lead back for the Wolverines as the season progressed.
Farrell’s take: This one didn’t go as well and surprises me as I didn’t see Higdon being the bell cow. Evans was a three-star athlete out of high school because he could do so many things and potentially play running back, wide receiver or defensive back. He’s done well in the Michigan offense and had a solid year but didn’t break out.
As a recruit: Duvernay had an interesting recruiting process as he initially signed with Baylor, before the sexual assault scandal surrounding the Bears’ program caused him to look for different options. After trimming his list to Texas and TCU, he committed to the Longhorns during the summer.
What he did this season: Duvernay grabbed 20 receptions for 412 yards and three touchdowns as a true freshman, so with new coach Tom Herman’s more open-offense coming to town, it seemed likely that his production would increase. However, that never materialized as Duvernay has struggled with only nine receptions for 124 yards in eight games this fall.
Farrell’s take: Ugh. This was an awful pick as I should have chosen his teammate Collin Johnson. Speed, speed and more speed was what impressed about Duvernay at the high school level, especially in game situations but when I saw him in camps he never really dominated as he could have with his jets and sometimes blended into the crowd. Sound familiar, Texas fans? With his speed and the new offense there is no excuse for having a down season aside from just not playing up to his potential.
As a recruit: Wimbush initially committed to Penn State, where he was thought to be the heir apparent to Christian Hackenberg. However, a visit to Notre Dame quickly changed everything as he flipped to the Irish.
What he did this season: After getting minimal playing time during his first two years in South Bend, despite showing potential, Wimbush inherited the starting job after DeShone Kiser’s move to the NFL and Malik Zaire’s graduate-transfer to Florida. Throughout the season, Wimbush showed his potential and leadership qualities while passing for 1,818 yards and 16 touchdowns, and rushing for 766 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Farrell’s take: Wimbush showed signs of breaking out but never truly did despite having a solid season. He developed from a young high school kid with a cannon arm but little accuracy to a polished player by his senior season. He isn’t tall by quarterback standards, but he is thick and powerful as a runner, and his character and leadership have always stood out. He improved as a passer as the season progressed. Will he be on my list again next year?
As a recruit: Lamar trimmed his list to Clemson, Alabama and Auburn, before a July visit to Death Valley put the Tigers over the top.
What he did this season: With the departure of Ben Boulware, it was actually Dorian O’Daniel who had the biggest season out of the linebackers. However, Lamar still finished with 50 tackles, five tackles for a loss, four sacks and one fumble recovery, as he became a reliable part of the Tigers’ defense in 2017.
Farrell’s take: I expected Lamar to have a bigger role this season, but he was still an integral part of the impressive Clemson defense. Lamar was a five-star out of high school because he was big, powerful but also rangy and solid in coverage. To add quickness at the college level, he actually gained weight and power to add to his explosion. He’s one of the better linebackers in the ACC.
As a recruit: Brown took official visits to Auburn, Tennessee, Mississippi State, Georgia and Alabama before committing to the Tigers on National Signing Day.
What he did this season: With a strong finish to his true freshman season in 2016, and with plenty of holes in the Auburn defensive line, the potential was there for Brown to excel this season. And that is what he did, as he quickly established himself in the interior with 50 tackles, nine tackles for a loss, three sacks and two forced fumbles for the Tigers.
Farrell’s take: Brown has become one of the best defensive tackles in the country and has clearly broken out this season, so this one was a hit. With Montravius Adams gone and Brown moving inside full-time, he blossomed. In high school evaluations he was always a bit up and down. He was inconsistent, but his ceiling was too high to keep him from that fifth star and he’s playing up to it now.
As a recruit: Gary took official visits to Michigan, Clemson, Auburn, Ole Miss and USC, but with his ex-high school coach, Chris Partridge, hired at Michigan, the Wolverines were seen as the heavy favorite. To nobody’s surprise, he committed to Michigan on National Signing Day.
What he did this season: After showing flashes of brilliance in 2016 and then a dominating off-season, Gary looked primed for a breakout in 2017. He proved his status as the No. 1 recruit in the 2015 class with 53 tackles, 10.5 tackles for a loss, 4.5 sacks and one forced fumbles, as he positions himself for an even bigger season in 2018.
Farrell’s take: Well, maybe it wasn’t the breakout season we expected, but it wasn’t too shabby. With Taco Charlton and Chris Wormley gone, Gary got to show his talents full time as a sophomore. He is arguably the most athletic player in the country for his size and pushed to our No. 1 overall spot out of high school based on his ability to play end or tackle with ease and dominate at both. He has No. 1 overall pick potential; he’s that freaky. I remember his improvement in high school from a kid who was very upright and raw to a terror by his senior year.
As a recruit: Kelly committed to Oklahoma over Alabama, Notre Dame, USC, Oregon and Texas on National Signing Day to keep the California-to-Oklahoma movement going.
What he did this season: After finishing his true freshman season with 36 tackles, three tackles for a loss and one sack in only seven games, Kelly sparked a great deal of excitement among Sooner fans leading up to 2017. While he has totaled 52 tackles, 3.5 tackles for a loss, one sack, one interception and one forced fumble this fall, Kelly still has more gas in the tank for an even bigger performance next season.
Farrell’s take: This was a good year for Kelly but not quite a breakout year. Kelly is big, he’s long and he can cover a ton of ground and his upside is impressive. At the high school level, he was also adept at getting the proper depth in his drops and disrupting passing lanes, something crucial for Big 12 play. Kelly did his best work downhill and was very good in space for a bigger linebacker.
As a recruit: There was no drama in Campbell’s recruiting process as he committed to Ohio State a week after the class of 2013 National Signing Day.
What he did this season: Trying to replace the versatility of Curtis Samuel was never going to be easy, but Campbell did his part in trying to ease the loss this fall. With 576 yards and three touchdowns through the air, 90 yards on the ground and a 36.6 yard average on kickoff returns, he has brought a spark to the Buckeyes throughout the season
Farrell’s take: Did I expect Samuel numbers? No. Did I expect a bit more of a breakout season? Yes. Campbell has athleticism, we all know that, and while he was raw out of high school, his versatility was impressive. He played running back for the most part in high school, so the transition to receiver was a tough one as his route running was weak. However, he was a burner and you could see it would take time for him to develop and eventually he would get it.
As a recruit: Shaw took his official visit to Wisconsin in September but waited until late January to commit to the Badgers. He also considered Vanderbilt, Minnesota, South Carolina and Nebraska at the time of his decision.
What he did this season: What initially seemed to be a battle between Shaw, Chris James and Taiwan Deal for carries this season turned into the Jonathan Taylor show in Madison. Shaw is second on the team with 365 yards and four rushing touchdowns, but was completely overshadowed by Taylor, who became one of the elite running backs in the country as a true freshman. He also missed the Big Ten Conference Championship game and the upcoming bowl game due to a leg injury.
Farrell’s take: You can’t go wrong picking a Wisconsin running back, right? I just picked the wrong one. A Rivals250 prospect with the perfect skillset and build for Wisconsin, Shaw was a downhill runner but had good feet and vision. In Wisconsin’s run-heavy offense, he was a great fit to wear down defenses and could have been the workhorse they covet, but Taylor was just too good too soon.
