Oregon Football: 5 Ducks Who Will Break Out in 2012

By (Correspondent) on August 21, 2012

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Steve Dykes/Getty Images

Last year it was De'Anthony Thomas.

The year before, Darron Thomas.

Before that it was LaMichael James.

Ever since Chip Kelly has become the head coach at the University of Oregon, at least one player on the roster has stolen the show and become one of the Pac-12's most exciting players.

In case you didn't want the thrill of watching a player come out of nowhere, here are five Duck football standouts you should keep your eye on this season.

Colt Lyerla

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Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images

Although he is now infamous for missing the first week of camp, Colt Lyerla should have a breakout season this year.

The Ducks' offense does a great job at incorporating tight ends into the game plan and has allowed Ed Dickson and David Paulson to have solid seasons in the past.

In backup duty last year, Lyerla only managed seven receptions for 147 yards. However, five of those receptions were worth six points.

If he is in shape and understands the offense after his brief hiatus, Lyerla is going to be the top receiver for the Ducks this season.

Bralon Addison

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This do-it-all true freshman has already been receiving raves during camp.

Addison was a 4-star prospect coming out of Texas where he played quarterback for his final two seasons of high school football after starting at receiver his sophomore season.

Addison has been receiving comparison to De'Anthony Thomas as someone who can score from anywhere on the field which is going to be a perfect blend with Chip Kelly's high-tempo spread offense.

Look for Addison to possible get some playing time at quarterback in some different play-calling involving the Wildcat formation.

Arik Armstead

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Armstead, an early enrollee, has the chance to do something very rare this season.

Start on a defensive line of a Top Five team as a freshmen.

Standing at 6'7" and tipping the scale at 280 pounds, Armstead is going to be a big body that can fill up the hole and get after the quarterback.

He has already shown he can adjust to the college game after recording a tackle and a forced fumble in the Ducks' annual spring game.

Armstead is also going to play basketball for Oregon this season.

Anthony Wallace

EUGENE, OR - NOVEMBER 19: Running back Marc Tyler #26 of the USC Trojans breaks into the open as linebacker Anthony Wallace #35 of the Oregon Ducks closes in during the third quarter at Autzen Stadium on November 19, 2011 in Eugene, Oregon. USC won the ga
Steve Dykes/Getty Images

Wallace appeared in six games for the Ducks last season and should receive more playing time with the graduation of Josh Kadduu.

With the defense having to play so many downs because of the quick pace of the offense, Kelly is forced to cycle in more players which will increase the amount of downs he plays even if he is not starting.

Look for Wallace to be making plays at the middle linebacker position alongside Michael Clay and Kiko Alonso.

Byron Marshall

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Marshall is another true freshman who has been receiving a lot of praise for his efforts in fall camp.

After the transfer of Tra Carson, there was much debate about the depth of running back at Oregon in case Thomas or Kenjon Barner were ever lost.

Marshall is letting the Ducks coaches rest easy knowing that he can step in and fill the shoes of either Barner or Thomas.

The speedster out of San Jose, CA gives Oregon another back to run on the perimeter and score.

Look to see Marshall late in the game when the Ducks have a big lead.

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