College football 2018: Top 30 breakout players to watch

The 2017 Texas Longhorns struggled tremendously on offense as they went 7-6 in Tom Herman’s first season. Freshman Sam Ehlinger and sophomore Shane Buechele split time at quarterback and both had moments that impressed while also both struggling with consistency and mistakes.

One thing that hurts even more when breaking in a new quarterback is a lack of running game. The Longhorns were no more stable at running back than at quarterback and in fact, no single player even rushed for 400 yards last year. Herman’s offense is a high-powered passing attack but in the Big 12, not being able to establish the run to keep the chains moving and give some kind of balance is a death sentence.

One of Herman’s biggest signings this year was 6-foot-1, 190 pound, running back Keaontay Ingram. He was one of the top running back prospects in the state of Texas and the nation and looks like the kind of player who could immediately see time and make an impact. Ingram is a powerful runner with outstanding speed.

He was not only a major factor as a receiver out of the backfield but even lined up in the slot and on the outside as a high school player. With solid hands and route-running ability, he could not only seriously bolster the Texas running game but take pressure off of Texas’s quarterbacks by making big plays in the passing game.