Breakout Candidates: 2 offensive players from each Pac-12 team that will be household names in 2023
As we enter the month of June and inch closer to the start of the college football season, it’s going to become more common to see some preview articles start to pop up around the media landscape.
While the offseason has been dominated by recruiting and the transfer portal, now it’s becoming time to start looking at the rosters that will take the field this fall and go head to head in an insanely loaded Pac-12 conference, working toward a potential College Football Playoff berth.
We know who the star players will be, whether it’s any number of Heisman-worthy quarterbacks or the top-notch wide receivers that they are throwing to. We even have an idea of who some of the top defenders will be in the conference, many of whom found a new home via the transfer portal this offseason.
Those are not the names that we are interested in for this exercise. Rather, I want to take a look at some of the players who you may not be familiar with at the moment, but will likely become household names in the conference by the time December rolls around, starting on the offensive side of the ball.
This is not an article for the Bo Nixs or the Troy Franklins of the world, but instead for someone like Dante Dowdell or Kenyon Sadiq.
So who are the offensive players on each Pac-12 team that will have a breakout in 2023? Here are my predictions:
Arizona Wildcats — WR Tetairoa McMillan
Ivan Pierre Aguirre-USA TODAY Sports
Collegiate Stats
12 Games | 39 catches, 702 yards, 8 TD
Former Recruiting Rating: 4-star (97)
National Ranking: No. 37
Analysis: McMillan had a strong freshman season with Arizona. Now that Dorian Singer has transferred out of Tucson, there is more of an opportunity for T-Mac to make a name for himself.
Arizona Wildcats — TE Tanner McLachlan
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Collegiate Stats
12 Games | 34 catches, 456 yards, 2 TD
Former Recruiting Rating: Unrated
National Ranking: Unrated
Analysis: McLachlan was unrated coming out of high school, but he showed some of his abilities as a freshman last year in Arizona. There’s a good chance that he can find a solid role in the passing game in the 2023 season.
Arizona State Sun Devils — WR Jordyn Tyson
(Photo by Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)
Collegiate Stats
9 Games | 22 catches, 470 yards, 4 TD
Former Recruiting Rating: 3-star (84)
National Ranking: No. 919
Analysis: Jordyn Tyson was undoubtedly the best player on Colorado’s offense last season, but nobody took much notice since the Buffaloes were so bad. That should change this year playing in Kenny Dillingham’s scheme.
Arizona State Sun Devils — RB Cameron Skattebo
Collegiate Stats
21 Games | 252 carries, 1,892 yards, 13 TD
Former Recruiting Rating: 3-star (88)
National Ranking: No. 340
Analysis: Coming from Sacramento State, there’s a chance that Cameron Skattebo can have a huge impact for ASU this year and become one of the best backs in the conference. His stats from previous years show it’s possible, he will just have to adapt to this level of play first.
California Golden Bears — RB Jaydn Ott
John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports
Collegiate Stats
12 Games | 170 carries, 897 yards, 8 TD
Former Recruiting Rating: 4-star (91)
National Ranking: No. 274
Analysis: Anyone who closely followed Pac-12 football last year is well aware of who Jaydn Ott is, but for the casual fan, there might be some surprise and intrigue when the sophomore shows that he can do in Berkely this season.
California Golden Bears — WR Jeremiah Hunter
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Collegiate Stats
19 Games | 81 catches, 1,353 yards, 6 TD
Former Recruiting Rating: 3-star (88)
National Ranking: No. 550
Analysis: There is an open WR1 spot in Cal after J. Michael Sturdivant transferred to UCLA, and it feels like Jeremiah Hunter is in the perfect position to take over as the leading target man on that Golden Bear offense.
Colorado Buffaloes — RB Alton McCaskill IV
Matt Pendleton-USA TODAY Sports
Collegiate Stats
14 Games | 189 carries, 961 yards, 16 TD
Former Recruiting Rating: 3-star (89)
National Ranking: No. 406
Analysis: McCaskill had a great year as a freshman in Houston, and now he comes to Colorado as the feature back under Deion Sanders. We will see if the Buffs are successful enough to stick with the ground game and let McCaskill go to work. It wouldn’t surprise me to see him as one of the conference’s leading rushers by the time the season comes to an end.
Colorado Buffaloes — WR Xavier Weaver
Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports
Collegiate Stats
33 Games | 116 catches, 1,735 yards, 8 TD
Former Recruiting Rating: 3-star (82)
National Ranking: No. 1,902
Analysis: After a long and successful career at USF, Weaver now comes to a mixed-and-matched Colorado team that could use some veteran playmakers to help lead the way. I think Weaver will be among those leaders.
Oregon Ducks — WR Tez Johnson
Collegiate Stats
36 Games | 141 catches, 1,809 yards, 8 TD
Former Recruiting Rating: 3-star (81)
National Ranking: No. 1,565
Analysis: Oregon fans learned who Tez Johnson was during the annual spring game, and it feels like the rest of the conference will quickly find out what he is capable of this year.
Oregon Ducks — RB Jordan James
Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
Collegiate Stats
10 Games | 46 carries, 189 yards, 5 TD
Former Recruiting Rating: 4-star (93)
National Ranking: No. 164
Analysis: While Bucky Irving and Noah Whittington will get most of the attention, I think that Jordan James will carve out a nice role for himself this season and be a big-time contributor in the running game.
Oregon State Beavers — RB Damien Martinez
Collegiate Stats
13 Games | 161 carries, 982 yards, 7 TD
Former Recruiting Rating: 3-star (89)
National Ranking: No. 600
Analysis: It feels like Damien Martinez might have already had a bit of a breakout in his freshman year, but I think it will continue to a higher level going forward as he establishes himself as one of the best RBs in the conference.
Oregon State Beavers — QB Aiden Chiles
Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports
Collegiate Stats
None
Former Recruiting Rating: 4-star (96)
National Ranking: No. 58
Analysis: This may be a bold breakout candidate, considering that D.J. Uiagalelei is set to be the starting QB in Corvallis. However, should Chiles ever get a chance to play, he’s shown before that he is an elite passer and could be transcendent at the next level.
Stanford Cardinal — RB Ryan Butler
Collegiate Stats
10 Games | 128 carries, 484 yards, 11 TD
Former Recruiting Rating: Unrated
National Ranking: Unrated
Analysis: There isn’t a ton of talent on the Stanford roster, but Ryan Butler comes over from Princeton where he had a strong freshman season and ended up in the endzone a lot. There’s a world in which he is among the Cardinal’s best players this season.
Stanford Cardinal — RB Sedrick Irvin Jr.
James Snook-USA TODAY Sports
Collegiate Stats
None
Former Recruiting Rating: 3-star (89)
National Ranking: No. 518
Analysis: As I said, Stanford doesn’t have a ton of talent, but they were able to get this former Notre Dame commit on the roster. Irvin could be a really solid player going forward, and if he gets a chance to produce this season, we could be impressed with what we see.
UCLA Bruins — RB Carson Steele
Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Collegiate Stats
25 Games | 481 carries, 2,447 yards, 20 TD
Former Recruiting Rating: 2-star (75)
National Ranking: Unrated
Analysis: Fans who stay up to date with the transfer portal are already very familiar with who Carson Steele is, but again, your average fan will likely learn quickly how good of a player he is. Ranked as our No. 1 RB in the Pac-12, there’s a chance that Steele bursts onto the national stage this year.
UCLA Bruins — QB Dante Moore
Collegiate Stats
None
Former Recruiting Rating: 5-star (100)
National Ranking: No. 4
Analysis: This may be the “cheapest” breakout candidate, seeing as there aren’t many people in the conference who don’t already know who Dante Moore is. However, as a 5-star passer who was rated as the No. 4 overall player in the 2023 class, there’s a chance that Moore takes over the Pac-12 and Big Ten over the next few seasons.
USC Trojans — RB MarShawn Lloyd
Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports
Collegiate Stats
20 Games | 175 rushes, 801 yards, 10 TD
Former Recruiting Rating: 4-star (95)
National Ranking: No. 88
Analysis: SEC fans definitely knew who MarShawn Lloyd was over the past couple of years at South Carolina, but it feels like Pac-12 fans are about to learn as well. The Trojans’ dynamic offense got even stronger again this offseason.
USC Trojans — WR Zachariah Branch
Steven Erler-USA TODAY NETWORK
Collegiate Stats
None
Former Recruiting Rating: 5-star (99)
National Ranking: No. 7
Analysis: Like Dante Moore, it could be incredibly impressive to see the type of impact that 5-star WR Zachariah Branch is able to have this year. He could quickly burst onto fans’ radars if all goes as expected.
Utah Utes — RB Jaylon Glover
Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Collegiate Stats
9 Games | 78 carries, 360 yards, 4 TD
Former Recruiting Rating: 3-star (87)
National Ranking: No. 350
Analysis: With Tavion Thomas off to the NFL, there is a void to fill in the Utah backfield, and Jaylon Glover is among the top candidates to step up and be one of the top offensive weapons for the Utes.
Utah Utes — WR Mikey Matthews
Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports
Collegiate Stats
None
Former Recruiting Rating: 3-star (89)
National Ranking: No. 279
Analysis: He may not be among the top-rated recruits in the conference, but Mikey Matthews has impressed a ton over the past year, and could easily step up and be an impact player this season.
Washington Huskies — WR Germie Bernard
Collegiate Stats
12 Games | 7 catches, 128 yards, 2 TD
Former Recruiting Rating: 4-star (91)
National Ranking: No. 239
Analysis: Though he didn’t do a ton at Michigan State, Germie Bernard comes to Washington as an incredibly talented WR who will have his work cut out for him when it comes to getting a share of the targets when dealing when the incredibly talented group of WRs in Seattle.
Washington Huskies — RB Dillon Johnson
Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
Collegiate Stats
34 Games | 229 carries, 1,198 yards, 11 TD
Former Recruiting Rating: 3-star (89)
National Ranking: No. 440
Analysis: Dillon Johnson had a long and successful career at Mississippi State, and he now looks to close it out with a final run in a potent Washington offense.
Washington State Cougars — WR Kyle Williams
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Collegiate Stats
25 Games | 117 catches, 1,568 yards, 9 TD
Former Recruiting Rating: 3-star (84)
National Ranking: Unrated
Analysis: The Cougars lost an elite WR in DeZhaun Stribling, but they got a pair of solid transfer portal WRs. Kyle Williams is one of them, and he could absolutely step up and become one of Cameron Ward’s favorite targets.
Washington State Cougars — WR Josh Kelly
Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Collegiate Stats
27 Games | 87 catches, 1,305 yards, 4 TD
Former Recruiting Rating: 3-star (81)
National Ranking: No. 2,153
Analysis: Josh Kelly is another transfer portal WR that comes to Washington State and looks to become a top target for Cameron Ward. After putting up solid numbers at Fresno State, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him find more success as a Cougar.
