Texas Football: Top 5 breakout candidates for 2017

Texas football enters the 2017 season with new leadership, but who will break out for Tom Herman’s squad.

Entering the 2017 season with a new direction, Texas football is hoping Tom Herman can guide it back to greatness. It’s been over a decade since the Longhorns were considered a top dog in the college football world, and that might change with a new head coach.

Although Charlie Strong was a player’s coach, he didn’t win enough to keep his job. That meant that the former Houston coach and Ohio State assistant would get a shot to lead Texas back to the top of the Big 12. Will it happen right away? It’s possible.

Let’s take a look at five breakout candidates who could lead the Longhorns out of the gutter.

Getting his first opportunity to start full-time at defensive end for Texas, Malcolm Roach enters his sophomore season with injury issues. He missed some time during fall camp with injuries, but he’s been back at practice since.

Roach is going to be a major contributor for this team and it’s only a matter of time before he cracks the All-Big 12 team. He’s a strong 6-foot-3, 270-pound behemoth with plenty of moves and potential through the roof. He came to Texas as a high three-star recruit, but no one expected him to contribute at such a high level right away.

In fact, he finished with 33 total tackles, eight for loss and three sacks as a backup in 2016, and he’s going to have an even larger impact in 2017.

Don’t be shocked if Roach finishes with nearly 50 total tackles, 10-plus tackles for loss and nearly 10 sacks. If he can stay healthy, the sky is the limit.