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College Football: Top 25 breakout players for 2016

By Garrett Kroeger

Apr 16, 2016; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide running back Bo Scarbrough (9) carries the ball during the annual A-day game at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 16, 2016; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide running back Bo Scarbrough (9) carries the ball during the annual A-day game at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 17, 2015; South Bend, IN, USA; Southern California Trojans tailback Ronald Jones II (25) carries the ball on a 65-yard gain against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 17, 2015; South Bend, IN, USA; Southern California Trojans tailback Ronald Jones II (25) carries the ball on a 65-yard gain against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

New USC head coach Clay Helton wants to build the Trojan’s offense through the running game. And USC is returning two running backs that both topped 900 yards rushing last year.

But out of those two running backs, one of them has to prove he wasn’t just a ‘flash in the pan’ player last season: that being Ronald Jones. As a freshman last year, Jones ran the ball 153 times for 987 yards and eight touchdowns, all team highs.

Early on, Jones was underutilized by the Trojans as he tallied under 10 carries in each of USC’s first three games. But then as the season progressed, so did Jones.

As previously mentioned, Jones wasn’t the only running back for the Trojans who topped 900 yards in 2015. Justin Davis rushed for 902 yards last year for USC.

While Davis will see plenty of opportunities this year for the Trojans, Jones should become the focal point of this rebuilding USC team–as USC is starting a brand new quarterback in 2016. And with that, that means Jones should see a lot of carries and with one of the nation’s best offensive line units, he could emerge as one of the Pac-12’s best running backs as a sophomore.

Next: Josh Sweat

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