With all the conferences back in action, we have seen more than 9,400 college football players log a snap in the 2020 season. Some have performed better than expectations, some have met expectations -- whether they were high or low -- and some have fallen short of expectations. Here, we are going to focus on the first bunch because who doesn't love to see unexpected breakouts?
Using PFF's advanced database and unique play-by-play grading, we ranked the top 20 breakout players of the 2020 season as we head into Week 11.
Note: This list was not formed based solely on difference in grade from 2019 to 2020. True freshmen were excluded.
1. QB Zach Wilson, BYU
2019 PFF grade: 76.2 (52nd of 140)
2020 PFF grade: 93.6 (third of 113)
It's clear that injuries hindered Wilson's success at the start of his collegiate career. He suffered an injury to his throwing shoulder in high school, which bothered him as a freshman in 2018 and resulted in surgery prior to his 2019 season. In 2019, Wilson injured his throwing hand a few weeks into the season, and that caused him to miss four games. In his nine starts, Wilson displayed requisite accuracy underneath center, but he couldn't get anything cooking downfield.
This year, however, has been a completely different story. Wilson has been pinpoint accurate to all levels of the field and has proven to be one of the best downfield passers in college football. He trails only Justin Fields and Trevor Lawrence in passing grade on throws of more than 10-plus air yards and ranks first in percentage of such throws resulting in a quarterback-fault incompletion. Wilson has firmly established himself as one of the premier quarterbacks in college football.
2. QB Mac Jones, Alabama
2019 PFF grade: 78.7 (41st of 140)
2020 PFF grade: 93.8 (T-first of 113)
Jones wasn't terrible in replacing Tua Tagovailoa following his gruesome hip injury in 2019, but he never came close to producing at the level of the 2020 No. 2 overall pick in the NFL draft. There were some concerns about his performance from a clean pocket last year, and it seemed highly unlikely that we would see Jones come close to the quarterback Tagovailoa was for the Crimson Tide. In 2020, however, Jones is playing better than Tagovailoa did as the Alabama starter.
Jones has had a great game each time he has taken the field this season -- he has earned a PFF grade north of 82.0 in each of his six starts. Sure, the offense he is in and the supporting cast he has are extremely favorable, but when looking at the things a quarterback can control, Jones is still at the top of the position. His negatively graded throw rate is the second best in the FBS, behind only that of Fields. At this point, there's an argument to be made that Jones is the front-runner for the 2020 Heisman.
3. CB Shemar Jean-Charles, App State
2019 PFF grade: 76.3 (T-70th of 458)
2020 PFF grade: 85.1 (second of 327)
Jean-Charles' teammate, Shaun Jolly, tied with Derek Stingley Jr. for the highest PFF grade at the position in 2019. This year, the App State phenom has taken the next step to form one of the best outside cornerback tandems in college football. His timing at the catch point is impeccable, and that timing has helped him rack up 13 forced incompletions -- three more than anyone else in the FBS. Jean-Charles has made a play on the ball in each game he has played this season, and he has allowed a 29.3 passer rating on passes thrown his way on the outside. Throwing the ball in the stands every play would net a quarterback a 39.6 passer rating. In other words, it's best the opposition avoids Jean-Charles at all costs.
4. WR Garrett Wilson, Ohio State
2019 PFF grade: 72.7 (T-105th of 362)
2020 PFF grade: 82.5 (17th of 272)
Wilson was perhaps the most unsurprising breakout of the 2020 season. The once highly coveted, top-20 recruit displayed impressive reps in his limited true freshman season in 2019, and he has been doing the same as a full-time starter in 2020. Wilson has been one of the most productive wide receivers in the country through three games, as he ranks third in the Power 5 in yards per route run, at 4.10. His teammate, Chris Olave, has been known as one of the best route runners in college football, and Wilson isn't too far behind him. The second-year receiver has generated separation on eight of his 11 targets against single coverage this season.
5. CB Rodarius Williams, Oklahoma State
2019 PFF grade: 65.4 (T-253rd of 458)
2020 PFF grade: 80.8 (11th of 327)
Williams has been a starter for Oklahoma State since Week 1 of his redshirt freshman season in 2017, but it was up-and-down for the corner throughout his first three seasons -- just as one would expect from a Big 12 starting outside corner.
In 2020, Williams has broken that Big 12 stereotype, as he has been the stingiest corner in the country. The fifth-year senior has played 165 coverage snaps on the outside in six starts this season. He is allowing an astounding 0.18 yards per coverage snap, the best mark in the FBS. Quarterbacks are afraid to throw the ball his way, and when they do test him, Williams is more often than not breaking it up. He has had 14 targets when playing outside and has allowed just five catches while forcing seven incompletions.
6. LB Jon Rhattigan, Army
2019 PFF grade: N/A
2020 PFF grade: 89.2 (second of 309)
Rhattigan, a 2017 two-star recruit with only a handful of FBS offers, took a redshirt his first year with Army and subsequently played 21 snaps on the defensive side of the ball in 2018 and 2019. He earned a starting role this year and made a huge impact right away. In his first career start in Week 1 against Middle Tennessee, Rhattigan put up a 92.0 PFF grade, jumped a route for an interception and returned it for a touchdown. He has sustained that success throughout the season, shining in every facet of play. Rhattigan has posted grades above 70.0 against the run, as a tackler, when rushing the passer and when in coverage, which is something only nine other FBS linebackers have done so far this season.
The schedule Army has faced has been relatively painless, as it features three FCS teams in seven games, but the fact that Rhattigan has gone from the scout team to the second-highest-graded off-ball linebacker is impressive, regardless of competition.
7. CB Tykee Smith, West Virginia
2019 PFF grade: 71.9 (T-141st of 458)
2020 PFF grade: 83.8 (fourth of 327)
Slot corner is one of the most important positions on the field, and there hasn't been a better one in 2020 than Smith. The Mountaineer has the highest slot coverage grade in the FBS through Week 10, at 82.8, and he is just a true sophomore. Smith has allowed 20 yards or fewer in the slot in each of his seven games in 2020. He has a nose for the ball, too, racking up the most passing stops (i.e. tackles that constitute a loss for the offense) from the slot in the FBS this season, with nine.
8. CB Josh Jobe, Alabama
2019 PFF grade: 68.2 (T-202nd of 458)
2020 PFF grade: 78.9 (T-17th of 327)
Like Wilson, Jobe -- a highly sought after recruit in 2018 -- was a prime breakout candidate in 2020, and he has certainly been that. It's rare to see an SEC cornerback be as stingy as Jobe has been so far this season. He has allowed just 0.31 yards per coverage snap when at outside corner this season. Not only is that the third-best mark in the FBS, but that is also on pace to break the PFF College record for an SEC corner, which was set by DeAndre Baker in 2018, at 0.36. Keep in mind, Jobe is doing this against entirely SEC competition and not getting those one-off cupcake games against FCS or low-level FBS teams, like Baker got that season.
9. RB Khalil Herbert, Virginia Tech
2019 PFF grade: 87.2 (not enough snaps)
2020 PFF grade: 90.1 (fourth of 159)
Herbert gave us flashes of a possible breakout through his first four games with Kansas in 2019, but we didn't get to see that play out because the running back decided to take a redshirt and graduate transfer. He landed at Virginia Tech as a result and he has continued to dominate. Herbert has been a home run threat this season, totaling 12 runs that resulted in a 20-plus yard gain (five of which were touchdowns), the most in the FBS by three. It helps some when you have two of the 10 best run-blocking tackles in the Power 5, but Herbert has still had success in unfavorable situations. When contacted behind the line of scrimmage, Herbert has averaged the third-most yards per attempt in the FBS, at 3.6.
10. WR Elijah Moore, Ole Miss
2019 PFF grade: 76.3 (71st of 362)
2020 PFF grade: 89.4 (T-fourth of 272)
Moore is a little bit different from others on this list. He was by no means a bad or unproductive wide receiver in 2019 -- he ranked ninth in the SEC in receiving grade and tied for 11th in yards per route run, at 2.46. The key difference is that this year, his production is less schemed, and he has been thriving against single coverage. Moore is actually winning with his route running, and that has helped him earn the sixth-best receiving grade against single coverage in the Power 5 so far this season. He has also generated separation from his coverage defender on 78% of his targets against single coverage, the third-best rate in the Power 5.
11. T Larry Borom, Missouri
2019 PFF grade: 61.5 (195th of 308)
2020 PFF grade: 84.2 (17th of 238)
Borom played at least 65 snaps at every position on the line except center in 2019, and it didn't matter where he was positioned -- he struggled in both pass protection and as a run-blocker everywhere all season. It was his first year with significant playing time, and it ended with him giving up 20 pressures and picking up a lowly 54.5 run-block grade.
This year, Borom has stayed put at right tackle and drastically improved. Playing against stiff competition -- Alabama, Tennessee, LSU and Kentucky -- Borom has allowed zero pressures and put up the second-best pass-block grade by a Power 5 right tackle. He has hardly lost as a run-blocker, too. Negatively graded run-block rate is stable at the tackle position, and among that group, Borom comes in at No. 4 in the metric.
12. CB Derion Kendrick, Clemson
2019 PFF grade: 66.2 (T-231st of 458)
2020 PFF grade: 76.5 (30th of 327)
Considering that Kendrick was a wide receiver entering the 2019 offseason and flipped to the defensive side of the ball that spring, his first year starting at corner was not too bad. This year, however, Kendrick has been more than "not too bad." He has been arguably the best corner in the ACC. Kendrick has allowed just five catches on 18 targets in six games this season, leading to a conference-best 27.8% catch rate allowed. Of those five catches allowed, just three were first downs. Kendrick has two times as many plays on the ball than that, with seven.
13. WR Jaquarii Roberson, Wake Forest
2019 PFF grade: 55.9 (not enough snaps)
2020 PFF grade: 91.1 (second of 272)
Roberson came to Wake Forest as a three-star recruit in 2017, took a redshirt his first season and then hardly saw the field in 2018 and 2019. When he did, he was largely unproductive, as he picked up 1.12 yards per route run, caught just 65% of his catchable targets and earned a 58.8 receiving grade.
Nonetheless, surprised is an understatement, given how much Roberson has improved and broken out in 2020. No wide receiver in the FBS has recorded a higher receiving grade in the slot this year than Roberson. His hands have vastly improved, jumping up in catchable passes caught rate by nearly 30 percentage points, and he has become the most productive wide receiver in the Power 5, with 4.54 yards per route run.
14. T Luke Tenuta, Virginia Tech
2019 PFF grade: 62.4 (T-188th of 308)
2020 PFF grade: 87.4 (ninth of 238)
Tenuta had an uninspiring redshirt freshman campaign in 2019: He posted a 55.1 pass-block grade and 62.2 run-block grade, both of which failed to crack the 50th percentile among ACC tackles. In Year 2, though, we have seen the 6-foot-7, 315-pound tackle take a big step forward in each facet. Tenuta has allowed just four pressures in five starts at right tackle for the Hokies, and he has taken even larger strides as a run-blocker. His negatively graded run-block rate is third best among Power 5 right tackles and nearly three times less than the average in that group. With Tenuta's vast improvement, he and Christian Darrisaw, who is the highest-graded Power 5 tackle by a mile, at 95.8, the Hokies have the second-best tackle duo in the FBS, behind Notre Dame's Liam Eichenberg and Robert Hainsey.
15. WR Jaelon Darden, North Texas
2019 PFF grade: 78.0 (57th of 362)
2020 PFF grade: 89.6 (third of 272)
Darden went from a good Group of 5 wide receiver in 2019 to the best one in 2020. Whether it's by going one-on-one against single coverage or finding a hole in zone coverage, the 5-foot-9, 174-pound receiver constantly gets open. He has 30 targets in five games in which he had open separation (i.e. more than a couple of steps) beyond the line of scrimmage, second most in the FBS. Altogether, Darden has eight receiving touchdowns in which he had open separation -- three more than that of any other FBS receiver. Plus, he is a shifty receiver in an open field, with 10 broken tackles on 46 catches.
16. WR Romeo Doubs, Nevada
2019 PFF grade: 67.7 (179th of 362)
2020 PFF grade: 89.0 (sixth of 272)
Doubs wasn't anything special as a true freshman and sophomore in 2018 and 2019, posting PFF grades of 67.1 and 67.7 in those seasons. This year has been a different story, as Doubs ranks behind only DeVonta Smith in receiving grade since Nevada kicked off its 2020 season three weeks ago. He has been a huge vertical threat for the Wolf Pack, racking up 258 yards and four touchdowns on vertical routes, both of which lead the FBS since Week 8.
17. Edge Brenton Cox Jr., Florida
2019 PFF grade: N/A
2020 PFF grade: 83.0 (14th of 352)
Cox was once a prized recruit of the Georgia Bulldogs. He was a five-star recruit in the 2018 class, with offers from all the powerhouses. Cox played 277 snaps as a rotational piece in his true freshman season with Georgia, but he was dismissed from the team after that season. He then transferred to Florida, sat out 2019 because of transfer restrictions and is now in the midst of a breakout that many Georgia fans expected Cox would have with the Bulldogs.
Through Week 10, Cox is one of two Power 5 edge defenders to earn a grade above 80.0 as both a pass-rusher and a run-defender. He has won on 21% of his pass-rush snaps -- third-highest rate in the SEC -- and he recorded the second-most pressures in the conference, with 24.
18. Edge Nik Bonitto, Oklahoma
2019 PFF grade: 78.9 (T-65th of 411)
2020 PFF grade: 88.6 (T-fifth of 323)
After starting just half of 2019 and being in a true hybrid role with 131 pass rushes and 117 coverage snaps, Bonitto has rushed the passer far more in 2020 (118 rushes to 53 coverage snaps) and has massively improved in that area. He has raised his pass-rush grade more than 20 grading points from 72.9 to 93.6, the best in the FBS. In his seven starts this year, Bonitto has put up a double-digit pressure rate in each one, forming a season-long pressure rate of 27.4%, the highest at his position by nearly five percentage points.
19. WR Jahan Dotson, Penn State
2019 PFF grade: 60.1 (T-302nd of 362)
2020 PFF grade: 78.1 (30th of 272)
Entering the season, Penn State desperately needed someone to step up in its lowly wide receiver core, and through three games, it's clear that the Nittany Lions have found their guy. Dotson has seen more than 30% of Penn State's targets this year, a rate higher than that of star tight end Pat Freiermuth. A big reason Dotson lands on this list is because of his performance against Ohio State's Shaun Wade, who has been heralded by many as a possible first-round NFL draft pick in April. Dotson burned Wade to the tune of six catches, 119 yards and two touchdowns, with the other four catches being first downs. Most of that production came in single coverage, and it has helped give Dotson the fifth-best receiving grade on such plays this season.
20. TE Austin Stogner, Oklahoma
2019 PFF grade: 65.1 (not enough snaps)
2020 PFF grade: 86.1 (third of 58)
Stogner saw minimal work as a receiver in his true freshman campaign in 2019. He ran just 51 routes and had hardly any production on those, with 1.29 yards per route run. Stogner has more than doubled that mark in 2020, at 2.72, fifth best among FBS tight ends. The Oklahoma H-back's 86.9 receiving grade is also a top-five mark at the position. Stogner has been nearly impossible to beat in contested scenarios, with his 6-foot-6, 262-pound frame that has helped him pull in the third-most contested grabs of any tight end in the FBS, with seven.