Stanford Football: Top 5 breakout candidates for 2017

Stanford football enters the 2017 season as a top Pac-12 contender with plenty of breakout candidates.

Following.a successful 10-3 season in 2016, David Shaw and Stanford football opens the 2017 campaign in Sydney, Australia, on Saturday as one of the first Power Five games of the year. This has been one of the most anticipated weekends since the offseason began, and football is finally back.

Although it’s not exactly a must-see matchup between Stanford and Rice Saturday, it’s one that could yield some excitement and it’s an early gauge for Cardinal fans regarding the strength of their team.

With some key players returning and others who are set to be stars at the NFL level — Christian McCaffrey and Solomon Thomas — the Cardinal are looking for new breakout candidates.

Let’s take a look at five guys who could break out this season for Stanford.

As a sophomore last season, inside linebacker Bobby Okereke had himself a decent season. The former top-200 recruit from Stanford’s 2014 recruiting class got his chance to start for the Cardinal and didn’t disappoint.

In fact, he finished eighth on the team in total tackles with 41 and added four for loss and three sacks. He proved to be a force against both the run and the pass and if he can develop that pass-rushing ability even more in 2017, he could be a stud for Stanford.

Okereke has waited his turn to start for the Cardinal and for the second straight year, he’s in line to see action in all 12 games as the No. 1 inside backer. Playing alongside a solid veteran like Kevin Palma on the inside will help him even more and you’ll see more growth and maturity from Okereke in 2017.

Could he lead the team in total tackles this season? It’s extremely possible.