College Football: 25 breakout players to watch in 2016
By John Buhler
Admittedly, it is difficult to predict how big of an impact a true freshman will have at a Power 5 school. Much of his success on the gridiron will have to come about via scheme or the ability to get some early playing time.
That being said, if there is one true freshman that will have a substantial impact as a true freshman in 2016, it will be Michigan Wolverines defensive tackle Rashan Gary. Gary was the No. 1 player in the 2016 graduating class coming out of Paramus Catholic High School in Paramus, New Jersey. Interestingly, Gary has the same alma mater as fellow Wolverine safety Jabrill Peppers; more on him a bit later.
Gary is that dynamic defensive tackle Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh will need in these next three years to bring a National Championship to Ann Arbor. Dominating the line of scrimmage from the defensive side of the ball has been the most crucial element in the college game for the last decade. While most defensive line talent resides in the SEC, Gary is that caliber of a player in the Big Ten for Michigan.
At 6’4″, 287 pounds, Gary has both the size and the quickness to be an effective pass rusher/run stuffer as a true freshman at Michigan in 2016. At Paramus Catholic as a senior in 2015, Gary had 13.5 sacks and 29 tackles for a loss of yardage as a USA Today All-American and USA Today’s Defensive Player of the Year.
Harbaugh will have Michigan in the College Football Playoff at least once during Gary’s three to four years in the blue and maize. He compares favorably to the No. 1 player in the country in the 2013 high school class in former Ole Miss standout and current Arizona Cardinals defensive lineman Robert Nkemdiche. The future is blinding bright for Gary, Harbaugh, and the rest of Michigan football.
Next: 21. Soso Jamabo.