College Football 2022: Ten Breakout Candidates Part Two
Today we'll discuss the second section of roughly 60 college football players identified as breakout candidates for 2022
We officially kicked off our 2022 college football coverage on Monday with a story covering ten breakout candidates for the upcoming season. I spent some time over the past two weeks putting together a list of more than 50 players who could take the next step toward becoming household names in 2022. We’ll cover the second group of ten in today’s article.
This early summer series focuses on college football players with limited to no high-level play at the college level. Athletes like USC’s Caleb Williams and Washington State’s Cameron Ward don’t qualify since they already put together impressive showings with their previous programs. The order these players appear in isn’t important. I included the numbers to make it easier for me to organize my thoughts on the master sheet and for readers to digest things in bite-sized sections.
I didn’t include true freshmen in this breakdown, 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 provided by college programs.
Feel free to leave any questions or feedback in the comments, or you can reach me on Twitter @Sam_Teets33. I do my best to respond to everyone, so don’t hesitate to reach out.
20. Kendall Milton, RB Georgia
Alabama and Georgia are constantly competing to one up each other when it comes to producing NFL running backs. Milton could be the next star in line for the Bulldogs now that James Cook and Zamir White are in the pros. The 6'1", 220 lb. running back was a four-star recruit in the class of 2020. He’s made a limited impact over the past two seasons, rushing for 457 yards and one touchdown.
Milton amassed 2,851 rushing yards and 50 touchdowns during his sophomore and junior seasons at Buchanan High School. He will compete with rising senior and fellow former four-star recruit Kenny McIntosh for snaps in 2022. Milton’s future remains bright, even if he must wait one more year.
19. Korey Foreman, EDGE USC
Foreman was the No. 2 recruit in the 2021 class, only trailing Ohio State’s Quinn Ewers. The former five-star is a rising sophomore looking to capitalize on the flashes he displayed last season. Even though Lincoln Riley didn’t recruit him, Foreman should get along well with his new head coach.
On under 120 snaps as a freshman, Foreman amassed 11 pressures and 2.5 sacks. The Trojans unofficially list him at 6'5", 245 lbs., but other websites claim he weighs up to 265 lbs. Early depth charts have Foreman listed as a backup rush linebacker with the potential to rotate along the defensive line.
18. Justin Flowe, LB Oregon
Landing Flowe as a commit was a massive success for the Ducks in 2020. The California native was the No. 6 recruit in the nation and the No. 1 linebacker. He had offers from Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M, UCLA, and USC. Oregon coming out on top was a huge win for the program.
Unfortunately, Flowe hasn’t been able to contribute much during his first two seasons. He’s played under 70 defensive snaps and only appeared in one game this past year. The 6'2", 235 lb. linebacker tore his meniscus and redshirted in 2020 before suffering a season-ending foot injury early in 2021.
Flowe tallied 14 tackles, one tackle for loss, and a forced fumble against Fresno State last year. Hopefully his athleticism and explosiveness have survived back-to-back major injuries.
Over his final three seasons at Upland High School in Upland, California, Flowe amassed 387 tackles, 48 tackles for loss, and 21 sacks.
17. Gemon Green, CB Michigan
Gemon and his brother German will play larger roles during the 2022 season as Michigan recuperates from losing three leaders in its secondary. Corner Vincent Gray, slot corner Daxton Hill, and safety Brad Hawkins all moved on to the NFL. That leaves DJ Turner and Green as the leading snap takers in the secondary returning for the 2022 season.
A former three-star recruit from the class of 2018, Green took his time adjusting to life in the Big Ten. He played under 20 defensive snaps in his first two years with the Wolverines before playing over 800 snaps in 2020 and 2021 combined. The 6'2", 181 lb. DeSoto, Texas native didn’t allow a touchdown in coverage this past year.
Green and Turner are Michigan’s projected starting corners for the upcoming season.
16. Jeremiah Trotter Jr., LB Clemson
Trotter is the son of an NFL legend who carried the same name. The older Trotter spent 11 seasons in the league, earning four Pro Bowl and two All-Pro selections. His son joined the Tigers as a four-star and the nation’s No. 37 recruit in the class of 2021. Trotter played under 100 snaps in his first season with Clemson, but he’s stepping into a starting role this year.
The Tigers have a proud tradition at linebacker. Ben Boulware (2013-2016) passed his title as an emotional leader on the defense to James Skalski (2016-2021), who ran out of eligibility after the 2021 season. Clemson needs someone to man the MIKE role in the center of their 4-3 defense. That’s where Trotter comes into play.
15. Corey Kiner, RB Cincinnati
Kiner was a four-star recruit and the nation’s No. 10 running back in the class of 2021. He committed to LSU but decided to take over Jerome Ford’s old stomping grounds after a productive freshman campaign. In his one year with the Tigers, Kiner carried the ball 79 times for 324 yards and two touchdowns. He wasn’t really involved in the passing game.
Ford leaving Cincinnati for the NFL opens 215 carries for Kiner. He’ll compete with seniors Ryan Montgomery and Charles McClelland for touches.
Kiner dominated during his final season at Roger Bacon High School in Cincinnati, Ohio. The 5'9", 217 lb. back carried the ball 171 times for 1,876 yards and 35 touchdowns. Once again, he wasn’t a factor in the passing game (three receptions for 71 yards and one touchdown).
14. J.T. Tuimoloau, EDGE Ohio State
There’s no shortage of Buckeyes among the players with breakout potential for 2022. However, no one among the immense group of former four and five-stars walking into starting roles at Ohio State for the first time received as much praise coming out of high school as Tuimoloau. The Washington native was the No. 4 recruit in 2021 and is one of 247Sports’ 30 highest-graded recruits since 2000.
Ohio State unofficially lists Tuimoloau at 6'4", 272 lbs., and he’s one of their projected starting defensive linemen. Tuimoloau qualifies as an edge rusher considering he lined up outside or even with the tackle on nearly all 290 of his defensive snaps last year. The rising sophomore finished his first campaign with 17 tackles, 12 pressures, and 3.5 sacks.
Tuimoloau should benefit from Ohio State’s arsenal of pass rushers, including NFL hopeful Zach Harrison and Jack Sawyer, a fellow 2021 top-five national recruit.
13. Bradyn Swinson, EDGE Oregon
Swinson is one of Oregon’s defenders charged with replacing Kayvon Thibodeaux’s production, which included 49 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, and seven sacks in 2021. Surrounded by other great defensive talent, Swinson has a chance to take the Pac-12 by surprise.
Swinson was a three-star recruit in the class of 2020 who chose the Ducks over Florida State and Michigan State. Oregon listed Swinson at 6'5", 269 lbs. when he arrived at the program as a redshirt freshman, but he dropped down to 6'4", 234 lbs. in 2021’s measurements.
Last year was the Georgia native’s first time seeing significant game action. He totaled 24 tackles, 11 pressures, and three sacks on slightly over 330 defensive snaps.
Over the final three years of his career at Chapel Hill High School in Douglasville, Georgia, Swinson recorded 186 tackles, 47 tackles for loss, and 19 sacks.
12. Ja'Corey Brooks, WR Alabama
Brooks joined the Crimson Tide in 2021 as a five-star freshman who was the No. 27 recruit in the nation and the No. 2 wide receiver, only trailing Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka. As a freshman, Brooks caught 15 passes for 192 yards and two touchdowns. His best performance came in the College Football Playoff semifinal against Cincinnati. He made four receptions for 66 yards and a touchdown.
Brooks spent roughly 80% of his snaps last season out wide and 20% in the slot. The 6'2", 196 lb. IMG Academy product projects as a high-volume outside wide receiver this year. Fans can expect big things from the rising sophomore, considering how well John Metchie and Jameson Williams performed statistically with Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young at the helm.
11. Byron Cardwell, RB Oregon
The Ducks had one of the nation’s best backfields in 2021. Travis Dye ran for over 1,200 yards, and CJ Verdell averaged a little over 80 yards per game before suffering a season-ending injury. Cardwell was a freshman at the time, and the 2021 four-star recruit saw his workload increase dramatically after Verdell’s injury.
Cardwell finished his freshman season with 61 carries for 417 yards (6.8 yards per attempt) and three touchdowns. He ran for 127 yards and a touchdown against Colorado and carried the ball nine times for 98 yards and two scores against Washington State.
Cardwell is now Oregon’s lead running back since Verdell departed for the NFL and Dye transferred to USC. The 6'0", 210 lb. rising sophomore should see his production explode this coming season, barring injuries or a surprise outcome in the running back competition.
Cardwell played his high school ball at St. Augustine High School in San Diego, California. During his sophomore and junior years, Cardwell amassed 1,968 rushing yards and 34 touchdowns.