College football 2019: Top 15 players poised for a breakout season

Justin Fields and college football’s 15 breakout players to watch in 2019

ANN ARBOR, MI - NOVEMBER 03: Donovan Peoples-Jones #9 of the Michigan Wolverines catches a second quarter touchdown pass during the game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Michigan Stadium on November 3, 2018 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images) /

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PHOENIX, AZ – DECEMBER 26: A TCU Horned Frogs helmet on the bench during the Cheez-It Bowl between the California Golden Bears and the TCU Horned Frogs on December 26, 2018 at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Kevin Abele/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Not many people know the name Ochaun Mathis but that will change very soon.

Those who reside in Fort Worth, Texas, know what Mathis is capable of after Gary Patterson talked the redshirt freshman defensive end up all spring. The Horned Frogs kept Mathis under wraps in 2018 for good reason with two NFL draft picks starting at each end spot and maintaining that extra year of eligibility.

Now that he’s been unleashed, the defense is starting to look scarier and the line, especially, is building around Mathis.

Mathis is a projected starter in 2019 and his size at 6-foot-5 and 235 pounds sets him apart. He has the look of a star defensive end and if he lives up to the lofty expectations the staff and his teammates have placed on him, he’s going to be a special talent right away.

TCU has already sent a couple of defensive linemen to the NFL in 2019 and Mathis had an opportunity to learn behind them while getting a few games of experience as a true freshman. Now is his time to prove he’s the next man up.