Predicting the 25 Breakout College Football Stars of 2012

Before we know it Jan. 9 will come and go and the much awaited/dreaded SEC rematch National Championship will be but a memory.

Yes, not unlike the bare chicken wing bones in your trash cans, the 2011 college football season will have been picked clean, and as they say in intellectual circles…done.

And when that happens, we’ll be left to looking longingly backwards at what shall pass into “last season” and then eagerly forwards to what will become “this season.”

In the spirit of onward thinking, the following slideshow identifies a mere 25 athletes who will have every opportunity to be the breakout stars of the 2012 campaign of college football.

Some of the names we’ve already heard of, while others are a little less well known on a national level.

Regardless, here are the guys who will rise up to be the play-makers, the game changers and perhaps even the Heisman finalists sitting in the front row of in New York next December.

Logan Thomas, QB, Virginia Tech

As a sophomore, Thomas did unbelievably well in leading the Hokies to another BCS appearance by going 215/363 for 2,799 yards, 19 TDs and throwing only nine picks. 

It’s fairly logical to think Thomas will only improve as he and his teammates mature, and if Virginia Tech can continue to win, he will be one the top players in the nation in 2012.

Marcus Coker, RB, Iowa

Marcus Coker ran for 1,384 yards and 15 scores in 2011 as a sophomore and is promising enough to storm to the top of the RB charts if the Hawkeyes can build their bridge back to BCS isle in 2012.

Iowa’s 7-5 record in 2011 somewhat shielded the national audience from their top performers, and we all know that lots of wins equals exposure, which aids the breaking out process.

Giovani Bernard, RB, North Carolina

As a freshman, Giovani Bernard rushed for 1,222 yards and 13 scores on 226 carries, making him the Tar Heel team leader on the ground for 2011.

Bernard has garnered freshman All-American honors and should only gain momentum next season under first year head man Larry Fedora, whose 2011 Southern Miss team ranked No. 23 nationally in rushing yards.

Kiehl Frazier, QB, Auburn

Frazier has all the components necessary to make a stunning charge out of the gates in 2012. 

It is unknown how Auburn OC Gus Malzhan’s departure (to Arkansas State) will affect the offensive fortunes of Auburn and Frazier, but if the Tigers are back in the SEC mix next season, the very talented and oh so young QB will be a candidate for the land of magazine cover-dom.

Blake Bell, QB, Oklahoma

Blake Bell is the heir apparent to the Sooner QB fortune, and if Landry Jones opts to go pro, then look for Bell to be the next best thing since Josh Heupel. 

Bell’s a double threat beast who, if he stays healthy, will be sitting in the front row in New York within the next three years.

Tyler Lockett, WR, Kansas State

Tyler Lockett caught 18 balls for 246 yards and three touchdowns in his freshman season at K-State, but what’s promising about the Tulsa, Oklahoma, native is his ability as a kick returner.

Lockett led the country in average yards per kickoff return in 2011 (remember, he’s a freshman) with a whopping 35.19 yards per return.

In all, Lockett racked up 563 yards and two TDs on 16 returns—and did it all in only nine games.

Fitzgerald Toussaint, RB, Michigan

As a RB, it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle when your QB is your squad’s leading rusher. The youthful Toussaint was Michigan’s No. 2 back in 2011 as a sophomore with 1,011 yards and nine TDs. 

If the Wolverines continue to storm to the top of the charts, then the young man from Youngstown, Ohio, may become one of the most lauded backs in the nation as a junior in 2012.

James Vandenberg, QB, Iowa

Vandenberg is another 2012 senior who might be a long shot for “breakout” status, but remember that this is a guy who didn’t receive a lot of national love despite throwing for 2,806 yards, 23 TDs and only six picks in 2011. 

If Iowa can put itself back in to position to eclipse the 10-win mark in 2012, look for Vandenberg to be more than just the toast of Iowa City.

Marqise Lee, WR, USC

Marqise Lee and Robert Woods lit it up at USC in 2011 to become the best receiver duo in the Pac-12.

As a freshman, Lee caught 73 passes for 1,143 yards and 11 scores, and as the Trojans fortunes continue to improve, look for Lee to be the next best thing in Troy since that giant wooden horse.

Stedman Bailey, WR, West Virginia

Stedman Bailey reeled in 67 passes for 1,197 yards and 11 TDs as a sophomore in 2011, and with his junior season falling during coach Dana Holgorsen’s second season in command in Morgantown, Bailey could have a breakout junior season like that of Justin Blackmon from Oklahoma State.

If West Virginia’s offense explodes in 2012, someone will crash through the gates of greatness in the receiver capacity, and Bailey has all the right stuff to be that guy.

De’Anthony Thomas, RB, Oregon

De’Anthony Thomas looks to carry the mantle of the next jack of all trades on a speedy, winning Oregon football team. 

Thomas is explosive on the ground, on returns and as a receiver; if he can stay healthy, he may be the first Duck to ever win the Heisman.

Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville

Louisville’s 2011 offensive production was nothing to gawk at, but QB Teddy Bridgewater managed to do well enough in his rookie season to earn a place at the freshman All-American table.

Bridgewater is a 6’3”, 205-pound product of Miami, FL, who was 167/253 for 1,855 yards, 12 TDs and nine picks, which is a lot more impressive when you throw in the fact that the very young Cardinals went 7-5 this year and finished tied for first place in the Big East.

If Louisville can continue to rebuild and improve under Charlie Strong, Teddy Bridgewater could be the best QB product from the Kentucky school since the legendary Johnny Unitas.

Michael Dyer, RB, Auburn

Though reports currently indicate that Dyer’s indefinite suspension will prevent him from playing at least in the short term, if he can get out and then stay out of trouble, he has all the right stuff to make a breakout run and perhaps more.

In 2011, Dyer tacked on 1,243 yards and 10 scores to his 1,093-yard, five TD performance in 2010, which makes you believe that if he can find his way back to the field he will only get better, especially as Auburn matures once again.

EJ Manuel, QB, Florida State

EJ Manuel’s junior season was somewhat marred with injuries and an offense that struggled running the ball against its stiffest competition.

If Florida State can fulfill the promise it showed coming into the 2011 season in 2012, then look for Manuel to have the breakout season as a senior that he was expected to have as a junior.

Austin Seferian Jenkins, TE, Washington

At 6’6”, 258 pounds Austin Seferian Jenkins is the beastly future of Huskie football from a TE perspective.

On his way to earning freshman All-American honors, Jenkins caught 36 balls for 479 yards and six TDs and showed the type of promise that should have Washington fans giddy.

Silas Redd, RB, Penn State

Regardless of the ultimate direction of Penn State football, Redd led the Nittany Lions in rushing in 2011 as a sophomore, and his 1,188 yards and seven scores were the highlight of an otherwise lackluster offensive attack.

If PSU can continue to play high-caliber football, then look for Redd to be a candidate for a slew of awards and a long shot for a Heisman.

A.J. Johnson, LB, Tennessee

The 6’3”, 245-pound product of Gainesville, Georgia freshman A.J. Johnson played in every one of Tennessee’s 2011 games.

Johnson registered 80 tackles (37 solo) and forced one fumble in 12 games including double digit tackles in three consecutive games against LSU, Alabama and South Carolina (11, 13 and 12 respectively).

Johnson earned a nod from the folks selecting freshman All-Americans and should be a name we’ll hear a lot more of in 2012 and beyond.

Rex Burkhead, RB, Nebraska

Burkhead was Nebraska’s leading rusher in 2011 as a junior (1,268 yards and 15 TDs on 261 carries).

It’s difficult to consider a senior as a “breakout” player, but if Burkhead opts to stay for his senior season and the Cornhuskers can vie for a Big Ten title, then the rumbling Burkhead could be one of the elite backs in college football next season.

And, if this meteoric rise does occur, then nothing says “breakout” like a Heisman candidacy.

Dion Bailey, LB, USC

Dion Bailey was named the Pac-12’s freshman Defensive Player of the Year, and he’s just the type of guy to help the Trojans get back into the championship mix in 2012.

Bailey racked up 80 tackles (47 solo), two sacks, one forced fumble and two interceptions in his impressive opening campaign at Troy.

This guy is a beast who should give opposing offenses something to worry about for as long as he calls USC home.

Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia

Geno Smith is another 2012 senior who hardly seems like a breakout candidate, but as the Mountaineers continue to adapt to head coach Dana Holgorsen’s offense in 2012, anything is in the cards.

Smith threw for 3,978 yards, 25 TDs and only seven picks in his first year in the high flying offense, and given another year to air it out he is one of the most realistic hopefuls on our list.

Bonus points go to Smith if West Virginia is forced to stick around for another season in the Big East.

If this scenario plays out, look for Smith’s fortunes to be improved with a bag full of wins, a plausible conference championship and the exposure that only an impending trip to the BCS can bring.

Ryan Shazier, LB, Ohio State

Yet another fabulous freshman in 2011 with breakout potential, LB Ryan Shazier racked up 46 tackles and three sacks in just nine games.

Shazier finished the season on a very high note by virtue of registering seven, 15 and eight tackles in the Buckeyes final three games against Purdue, Penn State and Michigan.

Shazier hails from Plantation, FL, and at 6’2”, 212 lbs he has lots of room to grow in both size and maturity.

James White RB, Wisconsin

The second half of the dynamic Badger rushing duo of Montee Ball and James White, White ran for over 1,000 yards in his freshman season and racked up over 600 yards in 2011. 

If Wisconsin can continue its dominance in the Big Ten and White gets handed the pill a few more times in 2012, then look for him to charge to the top of national consciousness.

Blake Countess, DB, Michigan

A month into the 2011 season Blake Countess became a starter at Michigan as a freshman, and before the dust settled, he was named to the Sporting News freshman All-American team.

The Countess of Ann Arbor has all the right stuff to be the next great DB from Michigan and in 2012 could be over the top from a breakout perspective.

Braxton Miller, QB, Ohio State

The real question about Braxton Miller in terms of “breakout” status is did he already crash through the gates as a freshman in 2011?

My answer to that question is a firm “no” based on the Buckeye’s 6-6 record, Miller’s age induced struggles and the fact that 2012 brings Urban Meyer to the Horseshoe.

Young Miller and Coach Meyer might wind up being one of the most perfect coach/QB combinations in history. Yes, combine the athletic ability and shades of brilliance of Miller, the experience and offensive approach of Meyer and a heap of Buckeye victories and you’ve got a breakout/Heisman cocktail.

Marcus Roberson, CB, Florida

What’s a little lost in Florida’s 6-6 debacle in 2011 is the fact that the Gator defense played well.

Florida ranked No. 25 nationally in points against in 2011, No. 10 in passing defense and No. 39 in rush defense.

Freshman phenomenon CB Marcus Roberson had a lot to do with the relative success, and his 22 tackles and one pick should have Gator fans sleeping better at night when they count defensive backs.