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Stanford Football: Top 5 breakout candidates for 2017

By Connor Muldowney

DENVER, CO - NOVEMBER 7: Tight end Dalton Schultz #9 of the Stanford Cardinal celebrates a second quarter touchdown at Folsom Field on November 7, 2015 in Boulder, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - NOVEMBER 7: Tight end Dalton Schultz #9 of the Stanford Cardinal celebrates a second quarter touchdown at Folsom Field on November 7, 2015 in Boulder, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) /
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SOUTH BEND, IN – OCTOBER 15: Quenton Meeks #24 of the Stanford Cardinal celebrates following the game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Notre Dame Stadium on October 15, 2016 in South Bend, Indiana. Stanford defeated Notre Dame 17-10. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
SOUTH BEND, IN – OCTOBER 15: Quenton Meeks #24 of the Stanford Cardinal celebrates following the game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Notre Dame Stadium on October 15, 2016 in South Bend, Indiana. Stanford defeated Notre Dame 17-10. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

How could you not be a fan of what Quenton Meeks brings to the table? The 6-foot-2, 195-pound cornerback from San Diego, Calif., is a strong competitor who played in 11 games last season as a sophomore for the Cardinal. He finished with 22 tackles, two interceptions and six pass breakups. He even returned one of those picks for a touchdown.

Entering his junior year, he’s been named to the Jim Thorpe Award and Bronco Nagurski Trophy watch lists and he was even listed as a third-team preseason All-American by Athlon Sports. He is garnering attention and he hasn’t even played to his potential yet.

Related Story: Stanford Football: Game-by-game predictions for 2017

Meeks came to Stanford as a three-star defensive back and probably didn’t expect to become this vital of a member to the secondary after just a couple of years at Stanford. However, he’s exceeding expectations and he has the tools to be the next great Stanford defensive back.

With four juniors, including himself, projected to start in the defensive backfield this season, he could be the leader of the group. He and junior Justin Reid are the only two returning starters projected to see the field with the No. 1s and there’s a good chance both could be All-Pac-12 performers.

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