Week 12: College football breakout stars
Week 12 of the college football season is in the books, and with it came many standout performances. Here are three players who had what could be breakout weeks as they take the next step in their progression.
Mark Pszonak contributed to this report
BREAKOUT 2016 STARS WEEK BY WEEK: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11
The skinny: Kelly committed to Tennessee during his official visit to Rocky Top. He logged just 40 carries as a true freshman but has seen his role on the team expand this fall. This has been especially true during the last two games following the departure of Jalen Hurd. In the Vols' 63-37 victory over Missouri, Kelly rushed for 101 yards and one touchdown on 18 carries.
Farrell’s take: Kelly was a standout running back and safety in high school, which is why we had him rated as an athlete. He was set to be Tennessee's inside running replacement after Hurd left at the end of the season. With Hurd quitting midseason, Kelly got his chance early and has taken advantage of it. He was a physical runner in high school, ran with good leverage and flashed good ball skills on the camp circuit and in games. Kelly's balance and body lean was natural for an inside runner.
The skinny: Cleveland, who originally committed to Houston, took official visits to Oklahoma, TCU, Arkansas, Arizona State and finally Florida in late January. The visit to Gainesville is what put the Gators over the top as he flipped to Florida on National Signing Day. Cleveland has not had the true freshman season many envisioned for him this fall, entering Saturday's game against LSU with only eight receptions for 139 yards and one touchdown. Against the Tigers, Cleveland exploded with three receptions for 124 yards and a huge 98-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter which gave the Gators their first lead of the game en route to a 16-10 win.
Farrell’s take: There were many reasons why Cleveland was in the discussion for a fifth star at one point in the process, especially after dominating at the Under Armour All-America practices. He was an excellent route runner, very shifty in the open field and could work outside or from the slot. But a lack of consistency, especially catching the ball, ultimately landed him at No. 73 in the 2016 Rivals100. That inconsistency has been on display so far at Florida and he has yet to get things rolling. Cleveland made perhaps the biggest play of the Gators' season against a very good LSU defense and this could be a springboard to bigger and better things.
The skinny: Hollins, who took his only official visit to Oregon, trimmed his list down to the Ducks, Oklahoma and Missouri before making his commitment nearly two months after returning home from Eugene. Hollins saw the majority of his playing time in 2014 as a true freshman on special teams and then missed the entire 2015 season due to an injury. On Saturday he enjoyed the best overall game of his Ducks’ career during a 30-28 victory over No. 12 Utah with nine tackles, 2.5 tackles for a loss and a sack.
Farrell’s take: A low three-star prospect in 2014, Hollins was long and fast but also super skinny and not very strong. He relied on his quickness and speed to make plays at the high school level but struggled at times getting off blocks from bigger players and against the run. A superb athlete and former track star, Hollins is starting to make an impact with that speed at the college level and this could be a jumping off point.
