Every season we see new College Football stars emerge, replacing the old ones in the NFL and captivating our minds. We’re going to take a look at a few players in each conference that could break out, this one being in the Big 12.
Jalon Daniels – Kansas QB
I truly believe the nation was robbed of Kansas’ full potential last season after Daniels got hurt vs. TCU. He had the best QBR in all of football, led Kansas to a 5-0 record, and was hosting TCU for College Gameday. This was by far the most hype for football that Lawrence has had since the dream 2007 season. The game was close but then Daniels went down in the first half with a shoulder injury.
Kansas couldn’t overcome the injury and lost to the Horned Frogs by seven, but more importantly, Daniels ended up missing four of the last six regular season games. TCU ended up going undefeated in the regular season and made the CFP National Championship. Imagine if Daniels doesn’t get hurt… could that have been Kansas?
It’s highly doubtful, especially with that poor defense, but they could have been an even better 8-4 instead of 6-6. Daniels is this year’s preseason Big 12 player of the year, and rightfully so. It’s up to him to live up to the hype and really breakout onto the national scene.
Trey Sanders – TCU RB
The former #1 runningback in 2019 was at Alabama but has transferred to TCU for 2023. He is expected to replace Kendre Miller who had over 1,500 total yards and seventeen scores last fall. In addition to the effective scheme, as seen last season, Sanders benefits from the success most transfer runningbacks have.
Big 12 teams haven’t played against Sanders and aren’t used to his running style. More importantly, those defenses are just weaker than those from the SEC. No disrespect, but the SEC just has the bigger, stronger guys, especially in the trenches. I mean look what TCU could do during the regular season compared to against Georgia in last year’s CFP.
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The biggest knock against Sanders is that he has had trouble staying healthy. He has the talent to have a great year, but the best ability is availability and that hasn’t been seen from him. Still, I really like Sanders and expect a breakout season from him this fall.
AD Mitchell – Texas WR
Another injury-riddled transfer, AD Mitchell is now a Texas Longhorn. After going back to back with Georgia, Mitchell decided to transfer closer to home to be with his son. He makes Texas a lot scarier now and makes that WR room, alongside Xavier Worthy, and Isaiah Neyor one of the best in the country.
Mitchell was, in my opinion, the best receiver Georgia had besides Bowers. As mentioned earlier, he has had trouble staying on the field but has always been healthy during the playoffs. He caught some huge passes like the deep ball against Alabama for a TD in the 2021 national championship, and the go-ahead score in the semifinal against Ohio State last season. If Mitchell finally gets a full healthy season under his belt, he will be seen as one of the best wide receivers in the entire country.
