Athlons: Big Ten Football Breakout Players for 2015 (Minn: Hank Ekpe & Jeff Jones)

[BleedGopher]

Athlons: Big Ten Football Breakout Players for 2015 (Minn: Hank Ekpe & Jeff Jones)

per Athlons:

Hank Ekpe, DE, Minnesota

The Golden Gophers may not have a household name up front this season, but this unit is quietly in the top half of the Big Ten’s best defensive lines. Ekpe has played in 23 career games and registered three tackles for a loss and 1.5 sacks last season. Contributing to the low stat totals was trouble with a severe sinus infection, but all signs point to a big year from Ekpe in 2015. With an All-Big Ten candidate on the other side (Theiren Cockran), Ekpe should see plenty of one-on-one opportunities to get to the quarterback.

Jeff Jones, WR, Minnesota

Jones was a touted recruit at running back, but the redshirt freshman shifted to receiver this offseason. There’s an immediate need for playmakers at receiver, which should allow Jones to make an instant impact in 2015. There will be some ups and downs as Jones learns the nuances of the position, but he’s too talented to sit on the bench for a team that needs playmakers.

http://athlonsports.com/college-football/big-ten-football-breakout-players-2015

Go Gophers!!

 

[Ironman247]

Pretty solid choices, it seems that lots of writers are picking these two. I think on offense you could go with pretty much any WR or RB as a potential breakout player, since there are no incumbent stars that will automatically get loads of touches. If any of the young players steps up in the nonconference games, they could easily be in a position to the go-to weapon for the offense. And Ekpe has been talked about as much as any lineman by the coaching staff, so he's the natural pick on defense.