Five Breakout Players for Arizona Football in 2018

TUCSON, AZ - NOVEMBER 11: Offensive lineman Layth Friekh #58 of the Arizona Wildcats prepares to take the field with teammates before the college football game against the Oregon State Beavers at Arizona Stadium on November 11, 2017 in Tucson, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

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Nathan Tilford stiff arms teammate Xavier Bell in the Spring Scrimmage. Tucson, AZ. /

Sophomore Running Back- Nathan Tilford

This seems like the most obvious and logical choice for a number of reasons. Gone is Nick Wilson and Zach Green. J.J. Taylor returns, but at 5-feet-6-inches and 180 pounds, there is still some concerns regarding his durability and being able to last the entire Pac-12 season while getting the majority of the carries. For that reason I don’t see Taylor getting all the work from the backfield in 2018.

That’s where Nathan Tilford comes in. He was highly regarded coming out of high school, but due to Arizona’s deep backfield last season, he was unable to crack the rotation. Expect that to change immensely this season.

He’s got great size, and I think he is a perfect one-two punch in the backfield along with Taylor. Tilford looked very good in the spring game, and had 91 yards on 17 carries with two touchdowns, if he can find similar success this season, look for Tilford to break out and in a major way!

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That’s our list! What are your thoughts? Who else do you think could break out in 2018? Let us know on Facebook or on Twitter! Bear Down, Arizona!

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