On3 coach survey: 18 lesser-known players set for breakout seasons

Preseason camps have started, which makes this a good time to start getting up to speed on some players set for breakout seasons in 2021.

So, who are some guys you should have on your radar entering the season? On3 sought feedback from coaches and team staffers across college football, and here are 18 lesser-known players who came up during those conversations (listed alphabetically):

Boston College sophomore LB Kam Arnold

Boston College lost its two leading tacklers from last season — Isaiah McDuffie and Max Richardson — and Arnold is being counted upon to help replace them. Arnold, a former three-star recruit from the Detroit area, has shifted to linebacker after making 15 tackles as a reserve defensive back last season; at 6 feet 1, he is up to 228 pounds from 215 last year. “He’s over 220 pounds and he can run and he can cover,” BC coach Jeff Hafley said during the spring. “He sees the game really well, so we added him to that linebacker competition, and that’s a compliment to him. Sometimes when you move a guy, it’s not always a positive thing. When you move a guy into a position to try and compete for a starting job, it’s a compliment. We like what we saw last year. He’s made of the right stuff.”

Minnesota redshirt sophomore DL DeAngelo Carter

At Minnesota’s early signing period news conference in December 2018, Golden Gophers coach P.J. Fleck spent a full minute raving about Carter despite recruiting rankings that were far from lofty for the Georgia native (he wasn’t even ranked among the nation’s top 900 in the 2019 class). “Everybody talks about some other guys,” Fleck said at the time. “This guy, we went down to the state championship game, watched it at Mercedes-Benz Stadium down in Georgia, and he was by far the best player on that football field. … His tenacity and his motor (are) unlike any I’ve seen in recruiting.” Minnesota coaches are expecting Carter, from Leesburg (Ga.) Lee County, to showcase those characteristics even more this season. He redshirted in 2019, then posted 16 tackles last season. “DeAngelo Carter has had a tremendous offseason,” Fleck said this week. “I’m so proud of his growth.”

North Carolina sophomore WR Josh Downs

A former national top-100 recruit from the Atlanta suburbs, Downs was one of the big wins for UNC in its 2020 recruiting class. This season, he’s set for a big jump in opportunities and production with the Tar Heels’ top two receivers from last season — Dyami Brown and Dazz Newsome — now in the NFL. While Downs had just seven catches last season, his Orange Bowl performance —four catches, 91 yards and two touchdowns vs. No. 5 Texas A&M — served as a potential preview for this season. North Carolina offensive coordinator Phil Longo has said Downs reminds him of a well-known receiver Longo coached when he was at Ole Miss — Elijah Moore, a 2020 All-American and 2021 second-round draft pick of the New York Jets.

Nebraska freshman RB Gabe Ervin

Production at running back has been a missing piece for the Huskers’ offense the past few years. Ervin could help change that. While Ervin was a middle-tier three-star recruit from the Atlanta area, he has impressed since arriving at Nebraska as an early enrollee. He rushed for 57 yards on 12 carries (4.8 yards per attempt) during the spring game.

Kentucky redshirt sophomore OL Jeremy Flax

LSU transfer Dare Rosenthal isn’t the only big new addition for Kentucky along the offensive line. Flax is another. Literally. He is 6-6 and 355 pounds, and has a fitting nickname: “Big Jerm.” The main question with Flax, a transfer from Independence (Kan.) CC, will be where he fits following Rosenthal’s addition. Flax worked at right tackle during the spring but now might be an option in the interior of the Wildcats’ line. “He will be one of the best five and will probably play guard,” a Kentucky staffer predicted.

Florida redshirt sophomore LB Ty’Ron Hopper

The Gators have a good track record with linebackers from Shelby, N.C., as Brandon Spikes became an All-American. Now, 12 years after Spikes played his last down for the Gators, the team will have another Shelby native contributing at linebacker. Hopper, a former top-100 recruit who went to high school at Roswell (Ga.) High, was a Spikes fan growing up, and he is in line to be more of a factor this fall after totaling just 17 tackles during his first two seasons in Gainesville.

Texas senior DL Jacoby Jones

Fellow Longhorns defensive lineman Keondre Coburn threw out some high praise for Jones at Big 12 Media Days. “That’s probably the breakout player that I feel like is probably going to be the best person on defense in my eyes,” Coburn said. It’s worth noting that Coburn isn’t the only one inside the program mentioning Jones. The staff is high on him, too. While Jones, a former JC transfers, has been a contributor for Texas as a backup and rotational piece (including 29 tackles last season), he seems to be on track for bigger things in 2021.

Oregon redshirt freshman DL Jayson Jones

It would have been easy to go with linebacker Justin Flowe, a former five-star recruit who was mentioned by an Oregon staffer during the feedback gathering process for this project. But we decided to go with someone a little less obvious. Jones is a former four-star recruit from Calera (Ala.) High (at one point, he was an Alabama commitment) who is “working his butt off” and in better shape after redshirting as a freshman in 2020. Jones could end up being a contributor this season and is someone to keep an eye on for moving forward. “He has the tools,” an Oregon staff member said. “He could and should be a force.”

Pitt redshirt senior TE Lucas Krull

Kyle Pitts wasn’t the only NFL-caliber tight end in that 2019 Florida tight end room. Soon, one of his former backups may be joining him in the NFL. Krull, who left the Gators for Pitt after that 2019 season, has bounced back from a season-ending injury last year and was a spring standout for the Panthers. Krull (6-6, 260), who played two seasons of junior college baseball before returning to football in 2018, had a 26-yard touchdown catch during the spring game. “Zach Ertz 2.0,” a Pitt coach said of him.

Oklahoma sophomore DB Key Lawrence

Lawrence may be the least-talked-about of the three Tennessee transfers who joined Oklahoma this offseason. Nevertheless, he’s worth having on your radar. Will he be a starter at the beginning of the season? Maybe not. But Sooners coaches think he has the most upside among Oklahoma’s defensive back group and that he’ll make an impact this fall. One of the standouts of the Sooners’ summer workout testing, Lawrence (6-2, 210) posted a 4.44 time in the 40-yard dash and a 41-inch vertical jump. Defensive linemen Josh Ellison and Jordan Kelley, who had good springs, also were mentioned as non-big-name guys expected to take a step forward and make an impact this season.

Florida State freshman WR Malik McClain

It’s expected that two newcomers will be among FSU’s top playmakers at receiver. Kansas transfer Andrew Parchment is one, and McClain (6-4, 195) is the other. McClain, a four-star recruit from Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy who enrolled in January, had three catches for 84 yards during FSU’s spring game, including an early 44-yard touchdown catch and a diving 27-yard grab later in the first quarter. “He’s just a stud,” FSU quarterback McKenzie Milton said after the game. “He’s years ahead of his age. And I think him coming in the spring is big. He’ll be playing a lot for us and make a lot of plays for us this year. He’s only 18, so I’m not going to put a ceiling on him because he’s so young. But he’s extremely special. I think he’ll be playing on Sundays for sure.” Running back Treshaun Ward, a former walk-on who recently was put on scholarship, is another lesser-known guy poised to be a contributor this season. 

Georgia freshman WR Adonai Mitchell

It’s not uncommon for Georgia to land special talents who flash big-time ability immediately upon arriving on campus. What is uncommon, though, is for an unheralded three-star recruit from the Nashville area to be one of the guys who falls in that category. That’s been the case with Mitchell (6-4, 195), who generated buzz during the spring and has continued to do so during the summer. One particular summer workout session was brought up as an example. During that session, the Bulldogs’ first-team offense had several long passing touchdowns and Mitchell was on the receiving end of a couple of them. Touted four-star tight end Brock Bowers is another Georgia freshman who has made a big-time early impression. Bowers is from Napa, Calif.

Tennessee sophomore RB Jabari Small

Tennessee’s staff is expecting Small to be the starting running back. Small, a former three-star recruit from Memphis, ran for 48 yards and two touchdowns in the spring game, and the feedback is that Small (5-11, 206) had a great offseason. “We left spring saying Jabari is definitely a guy that we can count on, that we can trust,” Tennessee offensive coordinator Alex Golesh said. “Still young. Still hasn’t had a whole lot of time. But he really proved that he understood what we were trying to do. Not a complete finished product but understood what we were trying to do. And attitude, effort, toughness — all those things embody what Jabari is.”

Michigan junior DL Mazi Smith

After limited production in his first two seasons at Michigan (zero starts and just three total tackles), this former top-100 recruit from Grand Rapids, Mich., seems ready to help the Wolverines this season. Teammate Josh Ross talked him up at Big Ten Media Days. Jim Harbaugh noted that Smith “really asserted himself through spring ball and this summer cycle.” In addition, Smith, a 330-pounder, was the first player mentioned by a Michigan staffer while sharing feedback with On3 for this project. Junior linebacker David Ojabo was another player who was mentioned.

Ole Miss senior DB Jake Springer

Let’s play a game. Name a player who transferred from one of the nation’s service academies to a Power 5 school and became a significant contributor. Struggling? Me, too. That’s what Springer could accomplish. Two years ago, he was a starter at Navy. Now, he’s eligible at Ole Miss after sitting out last season, and it looks as if he will be a starting safety. It goes beyond that, though. People around the program view Springer (6-0, 205) as one of the team’s top defensive playmakers and as someone who could end up being one of the better safeties in the SEC this season. In 2019 at Navy, Springer had 69 tackles, 16 tackles for loss and eight sacks. The TFL figure ranked 25^th nationally.

Penn State redshirt sophomore TE Brenton Strange

Pat Freiermuth, who went in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft, was the latest in a long line of top-flight Penn State tight ends. Strange (6-3, 255), who has put on more than 40 pounds since arriving at Penn State in 2019, appears primed to be the team’s next standout at the position. Strange, a former four-star recruit from Parkersburg, W.Va., stepped into a bigger role last year after Freiermuth was lost to a season-ending injury; he finished with 17 catches, and now has Nittany Lions staffers expecting a big 2021.

LSU junior DB Jay Ward

Entering the spring, Ed Orgeron was concerned about safety being a potential weakness for LSU. It’s not a concern anymore, and Ward is part of the reason. After starting three games at cornerback last season, Ward (6-1, 175) moved to safety and was one of the spring stars for the Tigers. He should be LSU’s starting free safety.

Mississippi State redshirt junior DL Cameron Young

Young contributed some as a backup for Mississippi State last season (13 tackles in eight games) and has — based on feedback shared with On3 — developed into one of the Bulldogs’ team leaders entering this season. In addition to the leadership, one staffer touted Young (6-3, 310) as being one of the strongest players on the roster. “Strong as an ox” was the description.

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(Top photo of Josh Downs: Mark Brown/Getty Images)