Around the Pac 12 South: 2nd Year Players who will Breakthrough in 2020

Every year new recruits arrive on campuses around the country with high hopes and dreams of stardom. Fans are ready for them to take college football by storm and the recruits are ready to be the next superstar. Truth is not many true freshmen become impact players in their first season, and need time in the weight room and experience to have an impact. The next year new recruits arrive and last years class is no longer on fans minds. This feature will focus on recruits from the 2019 recruiting class who will breakthrough and make their mark in 2020. Note: All recruiting rankings are referencing the 247 Sports composite.

Arizona

Grant Gunnell was ranked the #15 pro style QB recruit in the country in 2019. He saw time as a true freshman in relief of Khalil Tate and showed some promise completing 65% of his passes for 1,239 yards and a 9 to 1 TD to INT ratio. Gunnell has excellent size for the position at 6’6″ 225 lbs allowing him to scan the field with ease. He has a good arm and is an accurate passer as evidenced by his 65% completion percentage and his 8 yards per attempt. For a player who is so tall Gunnell has good feet but needs to continue to be consistent with his footwork to get the most out of his talent. He showed all the tools to be a successful QB and has a promising future at the collegiate level.

Khalil Tate is gone and although he was a tantalizing athlete he was never actually a good QB. Gunnell is the heir apparent and got a good amount of playing time in 2019. He will be looked at to lead the Wildcats going forward. He has the traits of a good QB and has shown he can run the offense well in his limited playing time. Now he needs to take the next step and lead his team, but we are confident in Gunnell’s ability to establish himself as the leader of the Wildcats in 2020.

Arizona State

We won’t pick Jayden Daniels because he already arrived, ranking 11th in or QB rankings. Instead we chose Amiri Johnson who was a three star recruit in the 2019 class. Johnson redshirted last season as he arrived on campus at 6’6″ 225 lbs and needed time to bulk up before being a contributor on the defensive line. Johnson has had time time to grow into his frame and refine his technique. He is long and has solid athleticism and speed. He needs to continue to get stronger and refine his technique on the defensive line. Johnson has good tools but is still raw as a player, but the year of development will serve him well this coming season. We expect him to be more filled out, stronger and a more complete player who can rush the passer and play the run as well.

The Sun Devils were a solid defensive team in 2019 but there was a glaring weakness on defense. The Sun Devils only averaged 2 sacks per game, and are in need of an improved pass rush. They lose George Lea and Roe Wilkins who were second and third among the defensive lineman in sacks. Opportunity is knocking for a young defensive lineman to step in, preferably one who can rush the passer. Johnson fits the bill, he has the tools to be a good pass rusher and has had the time to add good weight to his frame. A good season from Johnson will help answer one of the Sun Devils biggest questions for 2020.

Colorado

Mark Perry was a three star recruit from California but saw the field as a true freshman last season. He played as a hybrid S/OLB in nickel packages accumulating 16 tackles, 4 TFL and 1 PBU in 2019. Perry is a 6’0″ 200 lb athlete who is a very athletic safety who runs well but is not afraid to deliver a hit. He reads the play well and is aggressive in run support. Perry is a big hitter and is always ready to deliver the hit with impact. He does not have the change of directions skills to be good in man to man situations, but he has the speed and instincts to play safety at a high level. Now with a year of experience expect Perry to take the next step and be ready to be a major contributor in the secondary.

Mikial Onu was the starter at one safety spot and Davion Taylor started at the hybrid nickel position but both have graduated. New Head Coach Karl Dorrell may change the defensive schemes and personnel in Boulder this coming season but Perry has proven he has the skills to be a quality player at Colorado. With his experience ad ability he should be able to earn a starting spot in the new defense. There are enough open spots at positions Perry can play that it wouldn’t make sense to leave him out of the lineup. He brings an attitude to the defense that other players will gravitate to, and now has some experience to his credit as well. Look for Perry to breakthrough in the Buffaloes secondary in 2020.

UCLA

Mike Martinez was a three star recruit in UCLA’s 2019 recruiting class. He played as a reserve for the Bruins this past season recording 3 catches for 39 yards. Martinez is a big bodied TE at 6’5″ and 266 lbs. He is a good blocker for such a young player but needs to continue to work on keeping has pads low and driving through the defender. As a receiver he is a bit of a long strider who moves well for his size, but needs to get quicker in and out of his breaks. He is a big target who makes his QB’s job easier, he has the size to shield off defenders and make contested plays look easy. There is a lot to like about Martinez and he is a complete prospect at TE.

Devin Asiasi was a star at TE for UCLA in 2019 but has now moved on to the NFL. The three remaining TE’s with experience combined for a total of 18 catches in 2019. With no one emerging as the clear favorite to be Asiasi’s replacement the talented Martinez will have a good chance to win the job this fall. He is a good athlete with good size for the position. He has a very high ceiling and needs to play to begin to tap into that potential. With no one separating themselves look for Martinez to win the job in 2020. He is a talented prospect who just needs game experience to become a weapon for the Bruins.

USC

Chris Steele was a top 50 prospect who committed to Florida in the 2019 class. Steele then transferred from Florida to USC where he played quite a bit as a true freshman. The 6’1″ 190 lb corner accounted for 35 tackles and 5 PBU as a freshman but did not record an interception. Steele is a long physical corner who excels in press man coverage. He has good footwork and speed to matchup with talented wide receivers on the outside. Steele is a good tackler who will not shy away from contact in the run game. He has all the tools to be a star at the collegiate level and potentially a high draft pick as well. Steele needs to continue to work on his technique and flexibility so he can stick with smaller quicker players. He got thrown into the deep end in 2019 but proved he can swim, look for Steele to breakthrough as a sophomore.

Steele played quite a bit in the secondary for the Trojans last year. Even if he is unable to hold a position at corner, which is unlikely, he could also play at safety where the Trojans are not very deep. Steele is not the type of player who remains on the sidelines, he has too much ability to not find a spot for him. As he learns from his experiences of 2019 and progresses as a player he could become a shutdown type corner for USC. There are talented players in the secondary and new CB coach Donte Williams will be looking to establish his own pecking order and strengthen the defensive backfield, we believe Steele will be a major part of that.

Utah

Jatravis Broughton was a three star recruit and the top corner in Utah’s 2019 class. He played in a limited role as a true freshman finishing with 8 tackles and 1 INT in a crowded Utah secondary. The 6’0″ 190 lb Broughton displays good speed and quickness allowing him to stay with receivers in coverage. He is a willing tackler who will assist in run support. Broughton’s footwork and technique can be cleaned up some, but is not a weakness by any stretch. Broughton does not have elite length or speed but he is a well rounded player who is good in many areas. He has had time to develop and will be a complete corner for the Utes. Look for a breakthrough second season from Broughton in 2020.

Utah lost a total of five contributors from last season and will need to find replacements in a hurry. Some help is on the way in the person of Clark Phillips, who was the subject of our freshman spotlight, but more help is needed. Broughton played this past season and has a leg up to win one of the starting jobs in 2020. He has the physical ability and the experience to become a key piece of the Utah secondary. The Utes have a strong tradition of defensive back play which Broughton should help continue in 2020.

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Herm Edwards image taken by Gage Skidomore is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.