College Football: Top 25 breakout players for 2016

The Clemson defense was dominant last season. And on that defense, the Tigers had two outstanding defensive linemen in Shaq Lawson and Kevin Dodd. But both Lawson and Dodd are gone and off in the NFL, leaving two massive holes on Clemson’s defensive line.

One of the players who is expected to fill the voids that Lawson and Dodd left is second-year man Austin Bryant.

Bryant has a tremendous frame at 6-foot-4, 265 pounds and is the favorite to continue Clemson’s recent defensive end success.

In his first season as a Tiger, Bryant appeared in 13 games and recorded 35 tackles, two tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. His first breakout game in a Clemson uniform was against Appalachian State when he tallied nine tackles on 33 snaps. But Bryant’s true breakout game against the Oklahoma Sooners in the College Football Playoffs.

Against the Sooners, Bryant saw 63 snaps–due to Lawson getting hurt–and he recorded eight tackles and shared a tackle for loss.

Next: Preston Williams