Week nine 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
The skinny: Jones originally committed to Penn State, but re-opened his recruitment during the summer. After trimming his list to the Nittany Lions, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, Louisville and North Carolina, Jones committed to the Fighting Irish in late August. Jones showed potential in South Bend during the 2014 season, but injuries had derailed his progress since that point. Saturday, during an important victory over Miami, Jones had the best game of his collegiate career with seven tackles, six tackles for a loss, one sack and one pass break-up. The Fighting Irish and their beleaguered defense will need that level of play if they hope to make a run at the postseason.
Farrell’s take: I saw Jones quite often during his recruitment and he never struck me as a five-star prospect. His ranking dropped a bit throughout the process, including a drop of 40 spots after an average showing at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Jones was a big boom-or-bust prospect. In fact, we thought he’d be a better offensive tackle in college than defensive tackle because he wasn’t that physical and he struggled playing with leverage. It has taken some time, but Jones is starting to put it together and play more physical. Jones was outstanding on Saturday.
The skinny: King originally committed to Auburn, but re-opened his recruitment in September and took official visits to South Carolina, Arkansas and Baylor. He committed to the Gamecocks shortly after taking an official visit to Columbia in December. King was already enjoying a productive first season in South Carolina, but stepped his game up on Saturday night against Tennessee with five tackles and two interceptions. His first interception set up a first quarter touchdown, while his second one ended a fourth quarter drive by Tennessee. The victory moved the Gamecocks to 4-4 and makes a bowl appearance much more likely.
Farrell’s take: We ranked King as the No. 7 JUCO prospect in the country last year, so it was clear that we liked him for many reasons. First and foremost, King had good size and length. He’s technically sound, a quiet leader who works as hard as anyone and he has pushed through many tough spots to get to where he is. King is a coachable kid that doesn't ever think his good is good enough. It's already showing in college.
The skinny: Herbert, a local Eugene product, always hoped to earn a scholarship from the Ducks. For the bulk of his recruitment, Herbert's only FBS option was Nevada to go along with several FCS offers. Suddenly, in early October, the Ducks finally pulled the trigger on an offer and Herbert quickly gave his commitment. While the 2016 season has been disappointing for the Ducks, Herbert’s performance on Saturday during a victory over Arizona State definitely gives the program and its fans a reason to be excited. Herbert passed for 489 yards and rushed for 23 yards, giving him 512 total yards, which is a new Oregon single-game record for total offense, and keeps the Ducks' bowl hopes alive.
Farrell’s take: Herbert missed most of his junior year and the following spring and summer camp tours due to a leg injury, so he had to prove his worth to the Oregon staff during his senior season. As a mid-range three-star playing against average competition, we liked his ability to move around, his frame and his smarts. Herbert had a lot of question marks as well, and was more of a boom-or-bust prospect, but this performance could be the start of some great things to come.
