Star quarterback Baker Mayfield led Oklahoma to a Big 12 championship and the conference’s first appearance in the College Football Playoff in 2015. Mayfield delivered on his immense potential and exceeded all expectations in the process. The Heisman Trophy candidate will return looking to lead the Sooners to another Big 12 title this season, but he won’t be the only ultra talented player that will command the spotlight in the conference this season. He was one of the big breakout players in the Big 12 last season, but can make the type of impact he had this season? We took a look at the most likely potential breakout players in the coming season.
WR: Geno Lewis, Oklahoma Sooners
Oklahoma went from 8-5 in 2014 to 12-2 in 2015 with a Big 12 title and College Football Playoff berth thanks in big part to Mayfield. In order to repeat, they will need more weapons to step up and help maximize the potential of the offense. One of those players is Lewis, the Penn State graduate transfer that is looking for the opportunity to reach his potential with the Sooners this season. With Mayfield throwing him the football, there is a very good chance Lewis will put up big numbers for Oklahoma this season.
RB: Barry Sanders Jr., Oklahoma State Cowboys
That name along oozes with potential. The Cowboys’ offense is loaded with a strong quarterback in Mason Rudolph and an impressive cast of weapons around him. That includes the Stanford transfer and running back Sanders Jr., who opted to leave the Cardinal after being buried behind Heisman Trophy candidate Christian McCaffrey over the years. Sanders averaged 6.2 yards per carry on 51 touches at Stanford last season and will have every opportunity to put up big numbers as the No. 1 running back at Oklahoma State this season. The son of 1989 Heisman trophy winner Barry Sanders has elite potential and he could be one of the best running backs in the Big 12 in 2016. It makes sense why he opted to go to Stanford originally as they have been a running back factory over the last decade or so. They typically have a big offensive line and they pound the ball on the ground. But that didn’t work out for him as McCaffrey stole the spotlight. The Cowboys offer a very different environment but one in which Sanders Jr. should pile up the stats. The Cowboys play in high-scoring games, unlike the Cardinal. That could lead to Sanders Jr. being one of the key breakout players in the Big 12 this season.
QB: Kenny Hill, TCU Horned Frogs
It wasn’t long ago that Hill was one of the hottest players in college football. Remember, he even gave himself the nickname Kenny Trill? But after things fell apart for him at Texas A&M, he transferred to TCU with the hopes of finally reaching his potential with the Aggies. Hill could be the perfect fit following Trevone Boykin’s graduation as TCU will return some considerable talent at the skill positions even without top receiver Josh Doctson in the mix. This is one of the softest landing spots a quarterback could ask for and if he blows this, he won’t have much of an NFL futures. However, Hill has all of the tools to be an effective quarterback in the Big 12 and be one of the conference’s breakout players. The potential is there for him to put up some big numbers in the Horned Frogs’ offense this season.
RB: Rushel Shell, West Virginia Mountaineers
The Mountaineers have the reputation of a pass-first team but that narrative could be adjusted somewhat this season with Shell taking over as the No. 1 running back at West Virginia. Shell led the Mountaineers in rushing yards in 2014 and then ran for 708 yards and eight touchdowns last fall while playing behind Wendell Smallwood but the latter’s early leave has opened the door for more touches at the position. West Virginia needs Shell to step up and play at a high level in order to take some of the pressure off of the passing attack this season and it wouldn’t be a surprise if Shell delivered as a breakout player to watch in 2016.
