The Stanford Cardinal narrowly missed out on a College Football Playoff berth last season, but they have every intention of earning their first berth in the playoff this year. For that to happen, they are going to need breakout seasons from these three players:
TE Dalton Schultz
Stanford has routinely had top-level tight ends of the last decade or so, and Schultz will step in and continue that proud tradition. The sophomore only had 10 catches while backing up Austin Hooper last year, but turned those catches into 121 yards and a touchdown. Now that the starting role is his, look for 6'6", 235-pounder to be one of Stanford's leading receivers - especially in the red zone.
DT Solomon Thomas
The Cardinal are losing a lot of defensive talent from last year's team, but that creates a lot of opportunities for Stanford's young, talented players. Thomas looks ready to step up and be one of the team's best players in 2016, recording 39 tackles with 10.5 TFL and 3.5 sacks in a reserve role. That's a good amount of production for any defensive tackle, let alone one that came off the bench. Look for him to be a huge factor for Stanford this year.
QB Keller Chryst
Chryst appears to have the slight advantage over Ryan Burns in the battle to replace Kevin Hogan, and assuming he holds onto the job, he's in for a big year. He has an extremely strong arm and drives the ball down the field with ease - which he'll have plenty of chances to do with defenses focused on running back Christian McCaffrey. Stanford will likely only rely on him to be a game manager, but Chryst also has the ability to make plays.
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