Leading up to what promises to be an exciting 2019 college football season, we are picking a breakout player from every power-five team. Additionally, a series of breakout players will be determined from the group of five programs. Some of these players have already shown promise while others have hardly seen the field. Either way, this group should become household names this season. Let’s continue with the Pac-12!
A breakout player from every Pac-12 team
Arizona – Jalen Harris – Defensive End – Sophomore
Jalen Harris emerged as a starter over the final four games of 2018 at the STUD position for Arizona. Harris appeared in all 12 games while putting up 27 tackles, four tackles for loss, three sacks as well as a forced fumble. Harris is a great athlete who possesses true pass rushing skills. In fact, he owns the all-time sack record at Desert Ridge High School in Mesa, Arizona with 30 during his career. Look for Harris to become the Wildcats breakout player in 2019.
Arizona State – Jermayne Lole – Defensive End – Sophomore
The Sun Devils need a premier pass rusher to step up for Herman Edwards in 2019. Clearly, the explosive, high motor Jermayne Lole is the guy to become a breakout player this year. Lole is a versatile player who will prove to be a difficult matchup for opposing lineman. As a freshman, the Long Beach Poly product produced 27 tackles along with five tackles for loss and three sacks. Additionally, he deflected four passes while forcing a fumble. Expect production to escalate from Lole this season.
California – Cameron Goode – Linebacker – Junior
Cameron Goode is certainly anxious to become Cal’s breakout player in 2019. Goode has started 10 games over the last two years for the Golden Bears. Unfortunately, each of those seasons was cut short due to injuries. In nine games as a freshman and one as a sophomore, Goode accumulated 46 tackles along with 5.5 tackles for loss. He also picked up 1.5 sacks as well as two interceptions, three pass breakups, and a forced fumble. Interestingly, Goode returned both of those interceptions for touchdowns. Look for Goode to stay healthy this year and push for All Pac-12 honors.
Colorado – Alex Fontenot – Running Back – Sophomore
Houston area native Alex Fontenot is ready to take over the tailback duties for Colorado this year. Fontenot is the son of 10-year NFL veteran, Albert Fontenot, so clearly he has good bloodlines. He possesses tremendous athleticism and is a winner, as evidenced by his high school career. In fact, he rushed for three touchdowns in a 56-0 state title victory in 2015. Additionally, he averaged 7.1 yards per carry his senior year at George Ranch High School. Fontenot also averaged 8.9 yards per carry during his junior campaign. Look for Alex Fontenot to become Colorado’s breakout player.
Oregon – Kayvon Thibodeaux – Defensive End – Freshman
Kayvon Thibodeaux is Oregon’s obvious choice for a breakout player. He comes in as the nation’s number one recruit while ranking as Oregon’s highest-rated signee in school history. During his high school career, Thibodeaux accumulated 54 total sacks. He collected 38 of those sacks over the last two seasons at Oaks Christian High School in California. Additionally, he tallied 153 total tackles during those two years. The six foot five inch 240 pound Thibodeaux is going to be an absolute star for the Ducks.
Oregon State – Isaiah Tufaga – Linebacker – Sophomore
Isaiah Tufaga (pronounced Two-fong-uh) made an impact as a freshman in 2018. Tufaga produced 36 tackles along with 3.5 tackles for loss and a quarterback hurry in nine games. The Hawaii native certainly has a great opportunity to become a breakout player, not only for Oregon State but also the Pac-12 conference. Expect big numbers for Tufaga in 2019.
Southern Cal – Amon-Ra St. Brown – Wide Receiver – Sophomore
Amon-Ra St. Brown will most definitely be one of the more exciting players in college football this year. Catching passes from fellow freshman J.T Daniels last year, St. Brown hauled in 60 receptions for 750 yards and three touchdowns. So one certainly could say he already became a breakout player, however, there is way more to come. Although those numbers were strong, they were overshadowed by USC’s plethora of issues which led to a 5-7 record. Expect his production to increase mightily this year as he continues to be the top target for USC.
Stanford – Colby Parkinson – Tight End – Junior
A tight end as a breakout player here? Well, this is Stanford, a team that utilizes tight ends heavily. Additionally, Parkinson put up solid numbers last season as a second option at the position. In fact, he caught 29 balls for 485 yards along with seven touchdowns. Side note, he also caught four touchdowns as a freshman. Expect Parkinson to be relied upon even more in 2019, thus increasing his production. That should vault him into being a potentially high NFL draft pick, especially with his six-foot-seven-inch frame.
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UCLA – Quentin Lake – Safety – Junior
Quentin Lake had a solid 2018 season that was overshadowed greatly by UCLA’s lack of success as they stumbled to a 3-9 record. In fact, he started all 12 games while posting 67 tackles. Lake is the son of former UCLA great Carnell Lake, who also went on to earn All-Pro honors in the NFL. With the highly productive Adarius Pickett now departed, expect Lake to become a breakout player at safety for the Bruins this season.
Utah – Jaylen Dixon – Wide Receiver – Sophomore
The explosive Jaylen Dixon stepped onto the scene as a freshman for Utah and certainly made an impression. In fact, he caught 32 balls for 589 yards while averaging 18.4 yards per catch. He caught touchdowns against Colorado and Northwestern as well. At Lone Star High School in Texas, Dixon put up 1,239 receiving yards along with 15 touchdowns as a senior. Additionally, he accumulated 1,178 yards and 16 touchdowns during his junior year. Expect Jaylen Dixon’s production to increase, thus becoming the Ute’s breakout player in 2019.
Washington – Jacob Eason – Quarterback – Junior
Sure, picking Georgia transfer Jacob Eason to become Washington’s breakout player might seem like an easy pick. That is because it is. Eason will take over for Jake Browning after sitting out last season due to NCAA transfer rules. He was a prolific high school quarterback, earning Gatorade National Player of the Year honors in 2015 at Lake Stevens High School in Washington. Then, Eason went on to Georgia, where he passed for 2,430 yards along with 16 touchdowns as a freshman. After getting injured and losing his job to Jake Fromm, Eason left for his home state school. Expect the six foot six, 228-pound signal caller to put up huge numbers for the Huskies this year.
Washington State – Lamonte McDougle – Defensive Tackle – Sophomore
Florida native and West Virginia transfer Lamonte McDougle is ready for big things at Washington State in 2019. Certainly, McDougle comes from great bloodlines. In fact, his father, Stockar, played offensive line at Oklahoma. Additionally, his uncle, Jerome McDougle, played at Miami (FL) before an NFL career with the Philadelphia Eagles. As a freshman at WVU, he recorded 23 tackles including four tackles for loss and two sacks. Also, he forced a fumble while recovering one. McDougle is set up to become a force for the Cougars this season as he becomes their breakout player.
There you have it, a breakout player from every Pac-12 program for the 2019 season. Keep checking back for more college football content as the season edges closer.
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– David Creekmur covers College Football and College Women’s Sports for Full Press Coverage. Like and follow on Twitter Follow @dmcreek Follow @FPC_College
