Week two: College football breakout stars
Week two 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
RELATED: Week one breakout stars
The skinny: Coming off a somewhat disappointing effort against Appalachian State, Tennessee needed to respond in a big way against Virginia Tech. They did just that, partially due to the play of Abernathy, who finished three fumble recoveries, which set a Vols team record during a 45-24 victory. Abernathy committed to Tennessee in October of his senior year a few days after his official visit to Knoxville. He had also taken an official visit to Oregon in September and seriously considered Georgia before making his final decision. He did see minimal playing time as a true freshman but has already totaled more tackles in two games this season than he did in all of 2015.
Farrell’s take: Could this be the start of something special for Abernathy? He was an Under Armour All-American that we didn’t rate as highly as some others, mainly because he didn’t have a lot of experience as a cornerback, the position many projected him to be a star at. As a mid-range three-star, we expected him to take some time to develop and felt it was hit or miss whether he’d be a big-time impact guy, so time will tell. But he showed this past weekend a knack for being around the football, something that is always important for a defensive back.
The skinny: Physically imposing as a recruit, Ballage arrived at Arizona State with a great deal of hype, but up to this point had yet to really reach his potential. That may have all changed on Saturday night when Ballage tied an NCAA record with eight touchdowns during a wild 68-55 victory over Texas Tech. More amazingly, his eight touchdowns came on only 15 touches. Ballage arrived at Arizona State after also taking official visits to UCLA, Washington, Nebraska and Colorado. The Sun Devils had to wait until the day after National Signing Day for his signature, but they beat out UCLA at the end for Ballage.
Farrell’s Take: Ballage was in that category with guys like James Wilder Jr. and Melvin Gordon as huge, physically imposing running backs that we felt might do better on the defensive side of the ball. While Wilder’s career was up and down and Gordon’s was amazing, time will tell with Ballage. One thing is clear, though. He wanted to be a running back despite many telling him otherwise, and it’s starting to work out. I remember inviting him to our Five-Star Challenge as a linebacker one year and he insisted on working out with the running backs upon his arrival. I thought he was perhaps missing a chance to be great at a more natural position, but his performance Saturday night was off the charts.
The skinny: Lattimore battled through hamstring injuries during his first two seasons at Ohio State. He burst onto the scene on Saturday with two interceptions, including one that was returned for a touchdown during a 48-3 victory over Tulsa. His recruiting process led to official visits to Columbus, Alabama and Georgia Tech, but at the end it came down to the Buckeyes and Crimson Tide. Lattimore committed to Ohio State on national television at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.
Farrell’s Take: We had Lattimore as an athlete coming out of high school because we felt he could play offense or defense in college, but he struggled a bit down the stretch against top competition at the U.S. Army Bowl and was surpassed by teammate and fellow defensive back Erick Smith in the state rankings. Now Lattimore is starting to come into his own and this breakout game could be the biggest step toward the initial stardom many projected for him.
