Transfers Who Could Have A Kenneth Walker-type Breakout In 2022

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With over 2,000 players that entered the transfer portal for the 2022 cycle, there will surely be some under-the-radar names that have breakout seasons like Kenneth Walker did last year.

The challenging part is predicting those breakout players coming ahead of time.

In Walker’s case, he rushed for just over 500 yards in each of his two seasons at Wake Forest but averaged an impressive 5.9 yards per carry in 2019 and 4.9 yards in 2020. Walker put up 13 touchdowns in 2020 but over those two seasons at Wake Forest he didn’t get a ton of carries, which made us scratch our head. Walker certainly flashed some ability with a 96-yard long run in 2019 and a 75-yarder in 2020, but he weren’t quite ready to rank him as a four-star transfer prospect with some of the question marks that loomed.

Then of course Walker absolutely dominated at Michigan State in 2021, rushing for 1,636 yards and 18 touchdowns with a whopping 6.2 yards per carry. This past weekend at the 20222 NFL Scouting Combine, he ran a blazing 4.38 at weighed in bigger than expected at 211 pounds. Walker surely helped his draft status and some say he could sneak into the first round.

Here's our best effort at predicting the next Walker-type breakout performance, with the warning that the thing that made Walker's 2021 season so awesome was that it was mostly impossible to see coming.

Ty'Ron Hopper: LB, Missouri (from Florida)

Ty'Ron Hopper is ranked as a four-star (90 overall grade) in the portal ratings so he's not necessarily under-the-radar but he’s a player we contemplated going higher because of how he flashed towards the end of the season for Florida.Hopper is still raw and has a high ceiling when you consider his untapped potential from a technical standpoint, but he’s displayed great athleticism in space and explosiveness getting to the football. In 2021, Hopper had 62 total tackles, 2.5 sacks, eight tackles for a loss, and 2.5 sacks. He had a Pro Football Focus grade of 60 on the year. Hopper transferred to Missouri where he could have a breakout campaign in his fourth season.

Jarek Broussard: RB, Michigan State (from Colorado)

Hoping to follow the exact KW3 model, Jarek Broussard transferred from Colorado to Michigan State to reunite with Mel Tucker and maybe even be his next star running back.

Though Broussard doesn't have the long-speed of Walker, there are some promising numbers in small sample sizes.

• 895 rushing yards in 2020 and 661 yards in 2021, with seven total touchdowns.
• A 5.7 per-carry average in 2020 and 4.7 in 2021.
• Big-time games like a 301-yard showing in a game against Arizona in 2020 and 151 yards against Oregon State in 2021.

Overall, Broussard's numbers overall aren’t exactly eye-popping, but when you put on the film Broussard has outstanding twitch, strength, and short area quickness for his 5-foot-9, 185-pound frame. He’s very tough to get on the ground and shows excellent vision and lateral movement.

Casey Thompson: QB, Nebraska (from Texas)

Casey Thompson spent three seasons at Texas and put together some outstanding games. Overall he’s thrown 30 touchdowns compared to nine interceptions in those three seasons. As a part-time starter in 2021, he threw 24 touchdowns and nine picks, while completing 63.2 percent of his passes. Thompson threw five or more touchdowns in three games last season and looked very good when he came in against Colorado in the Alamo Bowl in 2020.

That said, Thompson has looked shaky at times. He doesn’t have a very powerful arm, lacks great size and his mechanics get loose at times from the pocket, which led to some bad interceptions last year. And he got beat out in fall camp by redshirt freshman Hudson Card. Some would say that Thompson didn’t get a fair shake at Texas, but he’s an interesting study because of the outstanding football he’s flashed at times and his ability to get through reads and throw with anticipation and timing. He also gritted through a really bad thumb injury in from October and on in 2021.

There’s a lot of pressure on Thompson to win at Nebraska — Scott Frost needs to save his job — and he could be a great fit in that spread offense. It wouldn’t surprise us to see Thompson have a big year.

Mark Perry: DB, TCU (from Colorado)

Mark Perry transfers to TCU after three seasons at Colorado. He had two seasons as a reserve/special teams player for the Buffaloes and then had a nice year in 2021, with 42 solo tackles, two for a loss, three interceptions and three pass breakups. Perry is a dynamic defender that can play the nickel and make an impact near the line scrimmage or drop into the deep half and play in space. Perry does an outstanding job reading and reacting to plays and has the instinctive qualities you look for at the position. According to Pro Football Focus, Perry was below average overall as a run defender but had higher grades in pass coverage. Perry, who came to Colorado in the 2019 class from the state of California, could really flourish at TCU and is a name to have on your radar.

Johnny Wilson: WR, Florida State (from Arizona State)

A sought-after recruit in the 2020 class, Johnny Wilson is a massive receiver listed at 6-foot-7, 230-pounds. In two seasons with the Sun Devils, Wilson has 18 catches for 243 yards and a touchdown. It’s very evident that Wilson has a unique skill set with the ability to become a power forward in the passing game and use his body to overwhelm defenders, but has a lot of work to do in terms of polishing the details of the position. He can be used in different alignments at Florida State to create matchup problems with his size and dominate in the red zone. He should be a great security blanket for Florida State’s quarterbacks thanks to his catch radius and profiles as an elite blocker among wide receivers, too.

Early reports from Florida State spring practice are very positive in regards to Wilson.

Ramon Jefferson: RB, Colorado (from Sam Houston State)

Colorado lost Jarek Broussard but gained Ramon Jefferson, one of the most productive running backs in the FCS last year. Jefferson, a native of New York, started his career at the University of Maine before one season at Garden City Community College. In 2020 he transferred to Sam Houston State. In his first year with the Bearkats, Jefferson amassed 752 yards and seven touchdowns and then 1,155 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2021. Jefferson is a smaller back with great quickness and a tough downhill mentality when he needs it. He has nice acceleration through creases and can make defenders miss in tight spaces. Jefferson will have a great shot to come in early and be an impact player for Colorado.

Kyren Lacey: WR, LSU (from Louisiana)

Former Louisiana wideout Kyren Lacy will make the jump to the SEC and play at LSU this coming year. Lacy has size (6-3, 212), skills, and strength that pop out at the receiver position. He's shown some very impressive catches, particularly in the red zone for the Ragin' Cajuns over the past two seasons. Lacy had four touchdown grabs in 2020 and six in 2021.

As far as his overall stats, Lacy had 28 catches in 2020 and 22 catches in 2021, with 364 yards and 304 yards respectively. Lacy still hasn't had a 100-yard receiving game but we believe that best is yet to come at LSU, as he will have more one-on-one match ups across Kayshon Boutte. Lacy might not be the fastest receiver but he can impact the position in so many different ways.

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