After gathering input from every Power 5 head coach over the past month, Insider is ready to project -- and count down -- the top 50 breakout players in college football for the 2016 season.
We continue today with Nos. 40-31, a group that includes the top juco quarterback prospect in 2016, FSU’s long-awaited deep threat(s) and a pair of imposing Pac-12 pass-rushers.
40. Jerod Evans, QB, Virginia Tech
It's possible Evans has higher boom-or-bust potential than others in these rankings, but there’s something about him that has made us feel as if new Hokies coach Justin Fuente is underselling one of the op junior college QB prospects from the 2016 class.
“All I can tell you is how bad the coaches here wanted him,” said an SEC assistant. “We thought he was the real deal.”
Evans threw 38 touchdowns (and just three interceptions) at the JC level. At 6-foot-5 and with an above-average hand size, there’s no questioning Evans’ physical makeup. Whether he breaks out depends on his adjustment to a new program with a new offensive system.
“He’s done a good job of it so far, in his own way,” Fuente told us. “He’s being welcomed in. It’s always a process, going to a different school. He’s figuring it out, they’re figuring him out.”
39. Hercules Mata'afa, DE, Washington State
2015: 32 tackles (11 for a loss, seven sacks), one forced fumble, one fumble recovery
The Cougars showed incremental gains under first-year coordinator Alex Grinch, moving up 17 spots (from No. 103) in yards per play on defense. The emergence of young, talented players such as Mata’afa is vital in continuing progress.
“I want to make all the plays,” Mata'afa told ESPN.com in the spring.
With 22 percent of his tackles as a freshman coming in the form of sacks, there’s no doubting he’s a playmaker. The challenge for the 6-foot-2, 255-pound redshirt sophomore is to prove that he can be an every-down lineman, and not just a rush specialist, as he replaces fifth-year end Darryl Paulo.
38. JoJo Wicker, DE, Arizona State
2015: 21 tackles (7.5 for a loss, four sacks)
Sun Devils coach Todd Graham said the 6-foot-3, 275-pound Wicker, just a sophomore, has the size and strength to win one-on-one battles. That had been lacking in the defense, despite some successful ASU pass-rushers.
“Since 2013, we haven’t had that type of impact,” Graham said. “He’s a Freshman All-American and he had a great freshman year, but I’d like for him to jump to having three senior years, back-to-back-to-back. He’s a guy that I think we’ll look to as a playmaker up front for us.”
37. Jalen McCleskey, WR, Oklahoma State
2015: 253 receiving yards, three touchdowns; one punt return for touchdown
It’s a crowded position, and James Washington is the clear lead target, but Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy has made note during camp that he has to find ways to get McCleskey the ball.
The jitterbug slot receiver is more equipped as a sophomore because of the 20-plus pounds he has added to his 5-foot-10, 170-pound frame. (He has come a long way: A newspaper feature noted McCleskey weighed less than 100 pounds in high school!)
An injury to veteran Marcell Ateman, which will sideline him during the first part of the season, makes McCleskey only more valuable to quarterback Mason Rudolph and the Cowboys' offense.
36. Jeremy Sprinkle, TE, Arkansas
2015: 389 receiving yards, six touchdowns
Hunter Henry was the Razorbacks’ lead tight end in 2015, but Sprinkle outscored him with six touchdowns to Henry’s four. That leads Hogs coach Bret Bielema to believe that Sprinkle will become even more productive now that Henry is a San Diego Charger.
Bielema also suspects that the 6-foot-6, 256-pound senior Sprinkle will become something of a security blanket for first-year quarterback Austin Allen, who is replacing his brother, Brandon. Even with quality receiver depth, expect Sprinkle, who had 27 receptions a year ago, to exceed 50 catches in 2016.
35. Rashaan Gaulden, DB, Tennessee
When the Tennessee coaching staff learned last summer that Gaulden would miss the 2015 season with a foot injury, one of the defensive assistants threw a chair across the room. He was expected to have that sort of impact as the team’s starting nickelback.
Now, new defensive coordinator Bob Shoop said that Gaulden has a relatively tame demeanor off the field and flicks a switch once he’s at practice.
“He goes hard,” Shoop said of Gaulden, who is back to full strength.
Linebacker Darrin Kirkland Jr. might have been a safer pick here, but we thought his freshman season (66 tackles) was a little too prodigious to consider him a true breakout candidate. Still, he’s someone to watch as he trends toward All-American status.
“By the end of the year, he’s the guy people are going to watch and say, ‘He’s f---ing good,’” one Tennessee staffer said of Kirkland. A teammate compared Kirkland to Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner in terms of “playing style, movement and speed.”
34. Caleb Brantley, DT, Florida
2015: 29 tackles (6.5 for a loss, three sacks)
Despite losing five defensive players to the NFL draft, coordinator Geoff Collins has plenty of returning firepower, especially up front. Brantley and Cece Jefferson, who can play end and tackle, are front seven anchors with outstanding potential, to go along with All-American-level corner Teez Tabor in the backfield.
Those close to the program say it’s Collins’ belief that Brantley can be the best defensive lineman in the country ... “if he wants to be.”
“He’s working on bringing explosiveness every play,” the Florida staffer said. “He just has to bring the best effort he has on every play.”
33. Auden Tate, WR, Florida State
Coaches noticed last season that Florida State’s offense sorely missed a big target downfield -- the “next Kelvin Benjamin.” It allowed defenses to key on running back Dalvin Cook and routes closer to the line of scrimmage, those coaches said.
Sophomores Tate (6-foot-5) and George Campbell (6-4) would seem to scratch the vertical itch, especially with a new starting quarterback, regardless of who it is.
Those close to the program think Tate, who had a 100-yard day in the team’s spring game, is closer to making a big impact. And Campbell, the No. 7 overall prospect in the 2015 class, will eventually get there.
Jimbo Fisher told us this summer that the offense, as usual, will feature distribution to a lot of receivers. Benjamin, he reminded us, had only 54 catches in his big breakout year in 2013.
32. Shaquille Quarterman, LB, Miami
Miami had the 103rd-ranked run defense a year ago, so that’s clearly an area coach Mark Richt wants to improve. Quarterman, the No. 3-rated inside linebacker prospect in the 2016 class, figures to play a large part in the run-stopping project.
“I’d be shocked if Shaq didn’t have a very good rookie true freshman season,” Richt said. “We were just decimated there. He came in already physically built, in good shape, and he’s gained 15 to 20 pounds since the first semester. So he’s one of three young guys that will make an impact [at linebacker].”
31. Jaylen Samuels, TE, NC State
2015: 597 receiving yards, seven touchdowns; 368 rushing yards, nine touchdowns
If you’re in a savvy college fantasy league, Samuels might have come off the board quite early.
“Shoot, I would have picked him,” Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren said. “The guy scores a touchdown every 10 touches. He can play three positions, our H-back, receiver and running back. He can handle [all that comes with those positions], both physically and mentally. You think about all the stuff he’s asked to do, and it’s impressive.”