Week 8 of the college football season is in the books, and with it came many standout performances. Here are three guys who had what could be breakout weeks for them as they take the next step in their development.
Mark Pszonak contributed to this report
MORE: Week 7's breakout stars | Week 6 | Week 5
The skinny: Anderson originally committed to Texas A&M during the summer prior to his junior season, but after re-opening his process Oklahoma immediately became a serious player. A three-day visit during an Oklahoma summer camp sealed the deal for Anderson and resulted in his early June commitment. Anderson received minimal playing time as a true freshman and then missed the 2016 season after sustaining a neck injury during summer camp. Coming into the Kansas State game, Anderson had only rushed for 82 yards and two touchdowns over the last few seasons while sharing time with Trey Sermon and Abdul Adams. However, against the Wildcats he enjoyed his best collegiate game to date with a five-yard touchdown reception, 147 yards on the ground on 19 carries and the game-winning 22-yard touchdown run with only seven seconds remaining.
Farrell’s Take: Anderson was a 4-star prospect and well thought of coming out of high school. He had a very good senior season and was a leader on a winning team, although we questioned his quickness and burst, which led to a drop late in the rankings. We liked the way he could catch the ball and he had good vision and was elusive, but that lack of speed kept him out of our Rivals100. After overcoming a few different injuries, he broke out this weekend despite a crowded backfield.
The skinny: Herndon was somewhat of an unknown commodity when Miami decided to offer him after seeing him in action during a spring practice. A trip with his family to Coral Gables quickly resulted in his commitment to the Canes. Herndon redshirted in 2014, but has been a steady contributor since he hit the field. Currently enjoying his best collegiate season, Herndon produced his best game on Saturday during the Canes' victory over Syracuse with 10 receptions for 96 yards and one touchdown.
Farrell’s Take: Herndon moved from athlete to tight end at the end of our rankings cycle as he showed much improvement on offense after being a bit raw before that. He played wide receiver in high school but could have been an H-back, tight end and was an excellent blocker and an excellent senior season pushed him up to the top 20 at his position. A true late bloomer, Herndon is a very good athlete and is catching the eye of NFL scouts after being overshadowed by David Njoku last year.
The skinny: Hall kept his recruiting process relatively quiet, but Pittsburgh, West Virginia and Michigan State were always thought to be near the top. When L.J. Scott committed to the Spartans, the Panthers jumped into the lead and picked up Hall's commitment a couple of weeks before the start of his senior season. Hall showed flashes during his first two seasons in Pittsburgh, but only totaled 417 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. This fall his somewhat lackluster play continued with only 108 yards and one rushing touchdown through seven games, so what happened on Saturday during Pittsburgh’s victory over Duke was a surprise. Leading his team to victory, Hall rushed for 254 yards and three touchdowns on 24 carries, easily enjoying his best game as a Panther. It will be interesting to see if he can carry over this high level of play in the coming weeks.
Farrell’s Take: Hall was a huge pickup for Pitt in the 2015 class, a Rivals250 prospect coveted by many because of his combination of elusiveness and power. He held firm in his commitment despite the departure of head coach Paul Chryst and the hiring of defensive coach Pat Narduzzi. Hall missed most of his senior season, but showed us enough to remain highly ranked because he was a tough runner with sneaky speed. Perhaps the torn MCL his senior season slowed him down entering college and he’s just starting to emerge? Time will tell.
