MWCConnection Roundtable: Who will be the offensive breakout player on every team?

As the weeks get closer to the start of fall camp, the roundtable continues. This week, the focus returns to individual teams. The question for this week is: who is the potential offensive breakout player for each of your teams?

Zach: The obvious choice for Boise State is wide receiver Stefan Cobbs. Cobbs is expected to be the number three or four wide receiver. He is an explosive playmaker that was underutilized by the previous staff. But the guy I am really keeping an eye on is Ben Dooley. Dooley is expected to start at right tackle and was one of the highest rated offensive line recruits Boise State has ever landed.

NittanyFalcon: In a recent interview on goairforcefalcons.com, Falcon offensive coordinator Mike Thiessen was talking about the effectiveness of the Air Force passing game in recent years and the contribution of excellent receivers like Jalen Robinnette and Geraud Sanders. He followed that up with the comment, “We’ve got another one coming up soon that people are going to know about.” He is referring to David Cormier, who is in his fourth year, but has not played yet for various reasons. As is usual for most Falcons, he didn’t play his freshman year as he was behind Marcus Bennett and Gearud Sanders on the depth chart. He was suspended from playing his sophomore year for a cadet infraction, and last year he opted for the turnback in order to keep two more years of eligibility. He certainly has the skill set of the aforementioned standouts, and I fully expect him to provide a dangerous deep threat when defenses creep up too close to the line of scrimmage.

Graham_Gibson: Jamie Nance comes in as a transfer wide receiver from Nebraska for Utah State and should provide depth to a group that has struggled the past two seasons. However, Utah State also brings in another transfer at receiver that will likely have an immediate impact. Brandon Bowling came over from Arkansas State with Logan Bonner and had some success during the 2020 season, grabbing 507 yards and seven touchdowns off of 39 receptions. Bowling displayed his ability to make explosive plays, averaging 13 yards per catch last season, and should fit into an offense that has struggled to create explosive plays.

Mike: This week I’ll go with Colorado State. For the Rams, I expect wide receiver Ty McCullouch to have a breakout season. He’s played sparingly over the past two seasons, with minimal numbers to the tune of 4 games, 4 receptions, and 62 yards. He was a highly rated recruit, there are holes to fill at the receiver position with the departures of Warren Jackson and Nate Craig-Myers, and Colorado State has a great track record of developing wide receivers. This seems like the year McCullouch puts it all together.

Alex: The Rebels have a lot of potential breakout stars on offense this season. Last year we saw freshman wide receiver Kyle Williams be named the conference freshman of the year after his stellar performance in 2020. I expect another UNLV receiver to have an immediate impact and be a breakout star for the Rebels this year. Jordan Jakes is a 6-foot-5 receiver who transferred from Indiana to UNLV, he was one of five Power 5 transfers UNLV landed. Jakes has the size and athleticism to be a big game threat for the Rebels on the outside. With roster attrition and COVID last year, the Rebels were thin at the receiver spot, which allowed Williams and others, like Zyell Griffin, to step up and earn playing time.

Another player who can be a breakout play on offense is whoever the starting quarterback will be, either Doug Brumfield or Justin Rogers. Neither have much experience playing in college and whoever starts for the Rebels this season needs to have a strong performance to help UNLV become a more dynamic offense and help the receivers. Jakes could become an all-conference caliber player and if he can establish a great connection with whoever the starting quarterback is will help him at UNLV.