Week 6: College football breakout stars
Week six 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 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5
The skinny: Heading into his decision on National Signing Day, Nnadi trimmed his list down to Florida State, Virginia Tech and Virginia. While the Hokies were seen as the favorite by some people, Nnadi committed to the Seminoles in the end. In Tallahassee, Nnadi showed flashes of stardom last fall, but started off his junior season somewhat slowly. However, after a performance against Miami on Saturday that saw him lead the team with seven tackles plus add 2.5 tackles for a loss and one sack, Florida State fans are hoping that Nnadi will finish the season strongly.
Farrell’s take: Nnadi was always a ball of energy, a bit sawed off for a defensive tackle but a very active player who could shoot the gap and run plays down. I saw him in camps and games and he always brought boundless enthusiasm and aggression to the point where he had to calmed down at times. As a Rivals100 prospect, we expected big things from him and he reminded me of a poor man’s Warren Sapp who could easily get under your pads and beat you with leverage but also had the speed to beat you off the snap.
The skinny: Location was the main factor for Motuapuaka’s decision to commit to Virginia Tech. The ability to play in front of family and friends won out over offers from Stanford, Utah and Wake Forest and led to his commitment during the Hokies’ spring game. After redshirting in 2013, Motuapuaka has had a productive playing career in Blacksburg. However, after finishing with 73 tackles last season, his production this fall has been more inconsistent. That was not the case on Saturday against North Carolina, when he finished with 12 tackles, one interception and half a sack during the impressive 34-3 victory.
Farrell’s take: Motuapuaka, like Nnadi, was a bit sawed off for his position but always had very good instincts and was solid in coverage. As a high three-star, we expected a solid career in college and that he’d be a reliable tackler who did his best work downhill. He hasn’t been as productive when it comes to the sheer number of tackles we expected, but he can dominate games at times as we saw this past weekend.
The skinny: Wilson committed to Boise State over Virginia Tech and enrolled for the spring semester. After totaling 14 receptions for 265 yards and two touchdowns through the Broncos first five games, Wilson exploded on Friday night during an easy 49-21 victory over New Mexico, finishing with nine receptions for 167 yards and three touchdowns. The Broncos hope Wilson can become a consistent receiving threat to go along with Thomas Sperbeck, who is one of the more productive pass catchers in the country.
Farrell’s take: We had Wilson as an athlete out of JUCO after he played quarterback in high school, but he garnered little to no interest despite leading his team to a state title. The son of Cedrick Wilson Sr., who played seven seasons in the NFL, perhaps we should have seen that the bloodlines would pan out after a bit. He had 66 catches for over 1,000 yards during his sophomore season in JUCO and had good size as well as the ability to play different positions if needed, so it looks like we whiffed on this one last year.