Fall Camp Preview: Breakout Players

College football writer Matt Brown from Sports on Earth recently put out his All-Breakout team for 2017. It's definitely good news that both Brandon Wimbush and Daelin Hayes were included, but at the same time, it would almost be surprising if they weren't on the list.

Those two, along with tight end Alize Mack, are expected to become breakout stars for the Irish this season. Not just in a team context, but in a national context. They were all former blue chip recruits who now appear ready to stand out with the spotlight directly on them. If the Irish want to be a double digit win program this season, then all three will need to be as good as they've been advertised to be.

When thinking about writing something on breakout players before fall camp, it's clear that these three would be obvious choices. But since every Notre Dame fan already pretty much shares the opinion that these guys will be stars, it would make for a boring article. I decided to go in a different direction with this.

I chose three players that may not necessarily be breakout stars from a national perspective in college football this season, but I think have a good chance to breakout from obscurity to become critical members of the team this season. We'll see in time if I'm proven correct or not, but I think these three could have people buzzing about what they can do this season during fall camp.

Running back Tony Jones Jr.

Okay, I'm not exactly going out on a limb here with the first one. I promise to be more bold with the next two. But just because Jones Jr. is an obvious choice after a phenomenal spring doesn't mean he is too obvious to include. I'd almost be crazy not to mention him.

I'm not predicting him to become a star in his first season on the field because Josh Adams and Dexter Williams are also there to share the load at running back. I do think Jones Jr. will continue to impress in fall camp by again making a ton of plays and that will carry over into the season.

The national buzz may come in a year or two. For now, he'll get Notre Dame fans talking with at least a couple of games this season where the Chip Long ends up making him the workhorse where he can be Mariano Rivera. I think he'll close some games in the fourth quarter and will have fans clamoring to see more carries from him by November.

Wide receiver Cameron Smith

Not many know much about the graduate transfer from Arizona State and I doubt they will know more about him personally throughout the season. He is known for not talking much to the media and generally just putting his head down to get to work.

That's not a bad thing at all and could end up being a positive influence on a still young wide receiver group, but I doubt leading by example will get people talking about him. I'm thinking more about his speed and his big play ability on the field. He showed plenty of it at Arizona State before a knee injury put his career on pause and if he is healthy, it sounds like he is, then I think we're going to see some of that with him in blue and gold.

The offense came out at times in the spring with Equanimeous St. Brown, Chase Claypool, and Miles Boykin on the field at the same time. That lineup of giants could be a fun match-up nightmare for opposing defenses, but also might be a bit one note if that is base personnel.

Enter Smith and the re-emergence of Kevin Stepherson and suddenly the passing offense gets a lot more versatile. Smith can get deep and we'll see and hear about some big plays from him in camp. Then we'll see some of that on Saturdays too and the trust that his former and now current coach Del Alexander has in him could play a big part in receiving opportunities that he can take advantage of this season.

Defensive end Khalid Kareem

What a difference a year makes. When Kareem came in as an early enrollee in 2016, he looked like he was a bit overwhelmed that first spring. Enough that it was almost surprising that he played instead of redshirted during last season. In hindsight, he probably should have done the latter.

Regardless of that, he looked like a much improved player this spring. He wasn't competing with Jay Hayes to start at strong side end, but everything appeared to be on the right path for him to be in the rotation this fall.

The arrow is pointing up for the 4 star recruit out of Michigan and he should presumably make another leap this fall camp. Maybe he won't knock Hayes out of that starting spot, but perhaps he makes the coaching staff feel a bit more comfortable about kicking Hayes inside on occasion with Kareem filling in at end.

There are more than enough candidates to play Drop for the Irish and not enough true ends. Kareem is a true end that could emerge as an interior pass rusher as well. I think we'll start to hear more about that this camp and this season with him taking a step forward to be a big part of the defensive line in 2017.