College Football 2022: Ten Breakout Candidates
Let's examine the first ten of more than 50 college football breakout candidates we'll discuss before the end of June.
College football has a fanbase unlike any other in the American sports landscape. It’s a unique and enjoyable climate, especially in the offseason as analysts and fans examine recruiting classes and new potential starters. Today, we’ll begin transitioning to the 2022 college football season by examining ten breakout candidates from across the country.
Players like USC’s Caleb Williams and Washington State’s Cameron Ward don’t qualify for this list since they already authored great seasons. Ward is making a massive leap in competition, while Williams worked his way into the lineup throughout the 2021 season. However, they’re already nationally known brands. I’m aiming to highlight some less productive potential rising stars.
To be clear, these aren’t the top ten players who will have breakout seasons in 2022. I’m trying to cover the entire college football landscape, but that’s almost impossible in just ten spots. I’ve already put together 40 more profiles that I will release in the coming weeks. For now, consider this a list of ten players from a much larger group of breakout candidates.
I didn’t include true freshmen in this article, but you can read about 11 impact freshmen here. All high school stats are courtesy of MaxPreps. Recruiting rankings come from 247Sports. I used unofficial height and weight data from college programs.
10. Anthony Richardson, QB Florida
Dan Mullen’s staff recruited Richardson to Florida, but the dual-threat quarterback has a better chance of succeeding with Billy Napier’s new staff than he did under Mullen’s crumbling regime. Richardson committed to the Gators as a four-star and the No. 9 dual-threat quarterback recruit in 2020. He’s only thrown 66 passes at Florida, but fans have high hopes for the hometown hero.
Richardson is a 6'4", 237 lb. freak athlete. In seven appearances last year, he carried the ball 51 times for 501 yards (7.9 yards per attempt) and three touchdowns. He also completed 38 of 64 pass attempts for 529 yards, six touchdowns, and five interceptions. We’ve seen enough of Richardson’s mobility to know it’s special. His accuracy and ability as a passer remain up for debate.
While at Eastside High School in Gainesville, Florida, Richardson passed for over 1,200 yards in three separate seasons and ran for 924 yards and 16 touchdowns on just 95 carries as a junior.
9. Marvin Harrison Jr., WR Ohio State
Harrison is the son of Indianapolis Colts Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Marvin Harrison. The older Harrison was the 19th overall pick in the 1996 NFL Draft after an outstanding career at Syracuse. He played 13 seasons in the league while making eight consecutive Pro Bowls and All-Pro teams.
The younger Harrison was a highly valued recruit in the 2021 class. He was a four-star and the No. 97 recruit in the nation. The 6'3", 205 lb. son of football royalty committed to Ohio State over Florida, LSU, Michigan Notre Dame, Penn State, Syracuse, and Texas A&M.
Harrison only saw 16 targets as a freshman, but he made the most of them. The rising sophomore made 11 receptions for 139 yards and three touchdowns. Most of his production came in the Rose Bowl against Utah (when Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson opted out to prepare for their NFL careers). Harrison caught six passes for 71 yards and three scores.
While attending St. Joseph's Prep School in Philadelphia, Harrison amassed 144 receptions for 2,624 yards and 37 touchdowns.
8. Julian Fleming, WR Ohio State
Fleming has patiently waited his turn for the spotlight at Ohio State. The 6'2", 207 lb. receiver was a five-star prospect and the nation’s No. 3 recruit in the class of 2020. However, he only caught 19 passes for 160 yards and one touchdown over his first two seasons with the Buckeyes. I guess that happens when you commit to a program that in 2020 included Chris Olave, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Jameson Williams, and Garrett Wilson.
Fleming possesses some alignment versatility. He primarily takes snaps as an outside wide receiver but has experience in the slot. He projects as one of Ohio State’s three starting wide receivers in 2022, joining Harrison Jr. and Smith-Njigba.
During his four-year varsity career at Southern Columbia Area High School, Fleming hauled in 194 receptions for 4,171 yards and 57 touchdowns in 48 games. He generated 1,462 yards and 20 touchdowns as a sophomore.
7. Will Shipley, RB Clemson
Shipley was a rare five-star offensive recruit landed by the Clemson Tigers. A Matthews, North Carolina native, Shipley was the No. 2 running back (trailing Ohio State’s TreVeyon Henderson) and No. 34 overall recruit in the class of 2021. The Tigers have a crowded backfield with Phil Mafah and Kobe Pace competing for snaps, but Dabo Swinney’s program plans to prioritize Shipley.
Shipley impressed as a freshman, amassing 855 yards from scrimmage and 11 touchdowns. He battled through some minor injuries during the season that hopefully won’t plague him moving forward. I expect Shipley will see more targets out of the backfield in 2022 as the quarterback stability in Clemson becomes questionable.
As a star at Weddington High School, Shipley ran for 2,040 yards and 30 touchdowns during his junior year while hauling in 34 receptions for 582 yards and eight more scores.
6. Arik Gilbert, TE Georgia
Gilbert was the No. 5 recruit and No. 1. tight end in the class of 2020. The five-star committed to LSU, where he produced 35 receptions for 368 yards and two touchdowns as a freshman. However, Gilbert entered the transfer portal and committed to Florida last spring. He flipped to Georgia before the season and then sat out a year for personal reasons.
After a year out of football, Gilbert sounds ready to return to action and star alongside fellow Bulldog tight ends Brock Bowers and Darnell Washington. Gilbert, who Georgia lists at 6'5", 248 lbs., won’t jump Bowers on the depth chart, but he’ll still see plenty of looks as Stetson Bennett scans for open targets.
Gilbert amassed 193 receptions for 3,070 yards and 29 touchdowns during his final two years at Marietta High School in Georgia.
5. Noah Daniels, CB TCU
A member of The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman’s Freaks List in 2021, Daniels is a super athlete. According to Feldman, the 6'0", 194 lb. corner can bench press 405 lbs., hang clean 400 lbs., and run a 4.27 40-yard dash. Those are all elite numbers for a cornerback, and Daniels has several flashes on his highlight reel to get scouts excited.
Unfortunately, the former three-star recruit from the class of 2017 is never healthy. Despite an extended stay at TCU, he’s never played more than 210 snaps in a single season and hasn’t intercepted a pass. Daniels missed all of 2019 with a shoulder injury and most of 2020 with a torn ACL. This past year was more of the same as he only made three starts in six appearances.
4. Zion Tupuola-Fetui, EDGE Washington
Tupuola-Fetui was one of college football’s most promising edge rushers heading into the 2021 offseason. He’d wrapped up a year with 20 pressures and seven sacks in under 250 total snaps. Unfortunately, a torn Achilles prevented Tupuola-Fetui from participating in several games this past season. He clearly wasn’t himself for most of the year, and an injury suffered against Arizona State ended his 2021 campaign.
Tupuola-Fetui already had a standout season, but he’s yet to play more than 230 snaps in a year. Analysts and fans hope 2022 is the season the 2018 three-star recruit finally puts everything together and stays on the field.
3. Dallas Turner, EDGE Alabama
Turner was the No. 1 edge recruit in 2021 and the No. 9 recruit overall. The five-star committed to Alabama over other top programs like Auburn, Clemson, Georgia, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State, LSU, Michigan, and Texas A&M. It took about half a season for Turner to catch on, but he quickly became a terrific running mate for Will Anderson Jr.
Turner finished his true freshman season with 35 pressures, 8.5 sacks, and ten tackles for loss on roughly 370 snaps. He still needs physical and technical development, but that’s as strong of a start as anyone could’ve asked for from the Florida native. The 6'4", 240 lb. sack artist is part of a dominant returning defensive front that includes Anderson, DJ Dale, Tim Smith, and Byron Young.
During his final year at St. Thomas Aquinas High School, Turner totaled 34 solo tackles, 41 total tackles, and 13 sacks in nine games.
2. Quinn Ewers, QB Texas
Ewers reclassified to skip his final fall season in high school and enroll at Ohio State early in 2021. He didn’t attempt a pass for the Buckeyes as C.J. Stroud emerged as a Heisman candidate. Ewers transferred to Texas this spring, where he’ll battle with Hudson Card for the starting job.
What makes Ewers so special? He was the top recruit in his class according to 247Sports and received a higher grade than Justin Fields or Trevor Lawrence. Expectations are insanely high for the redshirt freshman who some analysts referred to as the top quarterback recruit in the past 20 years.
I’ll provide some context for Ewers’ potential. As a sophomore at Southlake Carroll High School, he threw for 4,003 yards, 45 touchdowns, and three interceptions in 14 games. In comparison, your hometown high school quarterback likely threw for well under 1,000 yards in his last high school season.
1. Jahmyr Gibbs, RB Alabama
Gibbs was a four-star recruit in 2020 who turned offers from Alabama, Florida State, Texas, and USC to enroll at Georgia Tech. The Georgia native reversed course after two seasons with the struggling Yellow Jackets. Gibbs transferred to Alabama this spring, stepping into the void created by Brian Robinson Jr.’s departure for the NFL.
Unlike Ewers, Gibbs is a proven college commodity. He produced 763 yards from scrimmage as a freshman and 1,211 as a sophomore. Of those 1,974 yards from scrimmage, 768 came as a pass catcher. Gibbs’ ability as a pass catcher means he can stay on the field for third down and threaten defenses from a vast variety of alignments.
However, Gibbs was never a true star at Georgia Tech, at least not the kind he has the potential to be at Alabama.
Gibbs offers rare versatility for an Alabama running back. The school’s prototype over the past decade has generally attracted physical bruisers, capable of taking over 200 carries up the middle. Gibbs (5'11", 200 lbs.) won’t continue that trend, and that’s probably for the best. The Crimson Tide won’t have the same caliber of offensive line this season as in years past. The offense needs to adjust accordingly.
During his final year at Dalton High School, Gibbs carried the ball 233 times for 2,554 yards (11 yards per attempt) and 49 touchdowns in 11 games.