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

12. Payton Wilson, LB, NC State

It almost feels like cheating to include Payton Wilson as a breakout candidate for the 2021 season because, well, if you were paying attention to NC State last year, you already know that the redshirt junior is a stud. Therein lies the problem, however; there simply weren’t a ton of people watching the Wolfpack in 2020, which means that Wilson has an opportunity to become a nationally recognized name this season.

Wilson checks in at 6-foot-4, 240 pounds and is a dynamic playmaker in the middle of the field. In the 2020 campaign, the linebacker racked up 108 total tackles with an impressive 11.5 tackles for loss along with two interceptions. His combination of size, speed and instinctive play make him one of the premier players at his position in the country and he should start to become a more widely recognized star this year.

11. Daxton Hill, S, Michigan

There has never been a shortage of defensive talent in Ann Arbor since Jim Harbaugh arrived as Michigan has produced an array of standout players on that side of the ball. And Daxton Hill, a 5-star recruit in the top safety in the 2019 recruiting class, appeared well on track to being the next player in that regard after his freshman campaign. However, as the Wolverines defense fell apart amid the chaos of 2020, Hill somewhat faded into the background.

With a change at defensive coordinator and an almost-normal offseason now, Hill could get his career back on the path to stardom for Michigan in the 2021 season. Hill already has two interceptions and seven pass defenses over 18 games in his college career but checks all the physical boxes to be much more. We should see him emerge as one of the Big Ten’s top defensive playmakers.