College football: Top 25 breakout players who will be household names in 2021

2. Zach Harrison, DE, Ohio State

Over the past decade, give or take, Ohio State has consistently produced elite defensive end talent. From the Bosa brothers to Chase Young to a few others, the Buckeyes have churned out high-end prospects from the position. Zach Harrison figures to be the next in that line for the program.

Harrison only has 5.5 sacks over 17 games along with 10.0 tackles for loss but he’s also been used relatively sparingly overall to this point. Now set to be the starter opposite veteran Tyreke Smith, the rising junior has displayed and flashed the tools to be a consistently disruptive presence for opposing backfield and should see his star shine far brighter than it has before after this season.

1. Bijan Robinson, RB, Texas

There’s arguably no player with higher expectations on my end for 2021 than Texas running back Bijan Robinson. He should’ve been a breakout freshman last season but Tom Herman neglected to give him a bigger workload for whatever reason. Steve Sarkisian is now the head coach in Austin and the Longhorns are also working to find a new starter at quarterback. And that seems like a recipe for the 5-star ball-carrier to get to work.

Playing in only nine games as a freshman, Robinson had only 86 carries but averaged 8.2 yards per tote as he rushed for 703 yards with four rushing touchdowns and two receiving touchdowns. He’s a versatile threat who can burn defenders with his speed but also mow them over with a rocked-up frame. Robinson is the total package and will be a superstar if he gets the work he deserves.

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