5 players seeking a bounce-back 2016

The short timetable of college football can be exceedingly cruel. There are only 12 games in the regular season, four years to make a mark, and one national championship game that can carry a lifetime of glory or regret.

For five notable names from Atlanta to Los Angeles, however, 2016 offers a chance to reverse the frustration of the previous season caused by poor play or injury. Capable of deciding everything from the title chase to a coach's future, here are five players looking to bounce back in 2016:

Mike Williams, WR, Clemson

The best argument for Clemson's national-title aspirations and Deshaun Watson's Heisman Trophy candidacy might be a wide receiver who caught just two passes last season.

It's easy to forget that the Tigers stormed through the regular season and Orange Bowl before giving Alabama all it could handle in the College Football Playoff championship game without Mike Williams. The 6-foot-4 burner was hurt on the opening drive of the 2015 season, suffering a frightening neck fracture after colliding with the goal post. That injury deprived Clemson of its most productive returning receiver and best deep threat, as Williams had a team-high 1,030 yards receiving to earn third-team All-ACC recognition in 2014.

Williams would have drawn the opposition's best cover corner, creating space for Artavis Scott, and opening up lanes for running back Wayne Gallman. Watson would have benefited from another reliable target as he eased back into game action barely 10 months removed from a torn ACL. Deon Cain wouldn't have been thrust into the spotlight so early (the freshman receiver was suspended for the Orange Bowl and title game after averaging 17.1 yards per catch).

Now, adding Williams to an offense with a mature and healthy Watson, the steady Gallman, and five receivers with at least 29 grabs last season gives Clemson the most electrifying collection of returning skill players seen in college football dating back to 2005 USC. Even with some uncertainty on the offensive line, if Williams comes anywhere close to matching his staggering average of 18.1 yards per reception in 2014, there won't be a defense playing on Saturdays capable of containing all that weaponry.

Clemson scored 38.5 points per game and Watson threw 35 touchdowns with Williams making nothing more than a cameo last season. With him around full time, the possibilities for Watson and the Tigers could be historic.

Anu Solomon, QB, Arizona

Ask the casual fan, and he'll probably tell you Solomon had a solid redshirt sophomore season. Look at the statistics - notably a 20:5 touchdown-to-interceptions ratio - and they'll probably tell you he had a solid season. But ask Wildcats coach Rich Rodriguez about Solomon, and he'll quickly emphasize that there is a real quarterback competition in Tucson this month, not just lip service.

Solomon's production declined in 2015, along with Arizona's win total, but it's hard to assign him a significant share of the blame. He was knocked out of two games because of concussions and missed two others as a result. Solomon's completion percentage, yards per completion, and yards per attempt all improved. Yet Rodriguez prefers a dual-threat quarterback and Solomon has never looked like a willing and totally committed runner, prompting a surprising QB rotation late last year.

Assuming Solomon edges out redshirt sophomore Brandon Dawkins in training camp, he doesn't need to turn into Vince Young, Tim Tebow, or Tommie Frazier. If he becomes more decisive when he can keep the ball, that should be more than enough to satisfy Rodriguez and make the Arizona offense harder to defend.

Deon Hollins, DE, UCLA

If an undersized edge-rusher goes from nine sacks on a defense loaded with future NFL draft picks to 2.5 sacks the following season on a defense gutted by injuries, it would be easy to write him off as the beneficiary of that supporting cast, right? That's the notion Hollins must dispel as a senior.

With UCLA now featuring a base 4-3 defense, if the 230-pound Hollins can't rediscover his explosive first step and pressure the quarterback, he won't be of much use this season. Coach Jim Mora has stressed toughness and physicality on defense, after the Bruins were bulldozed by USC and Nebraska in the final two games of 2015. He won't hesitate to turn to another player if opposing offensive tackles bully Hollins to create running lanes.

Austin Golson, OL, Auburn

"Gus Malzahn, offensive genius" was reduced to a Wile E. Coyote-level genius in 2015. Malzahn's offenses have always been a testament to old-school punishing football in a new-spread look, but Auburn was held to a paltry 27.5 points per game last year. (That was 75th-best in the FBS, but enough to rank eighth in the SEC. Remember that the next time someone flaunts conference supremacy).

Peyton Barber barely crossed the 1,000-yard rushing mark, but became the first leading rusher to average less than 5 yards per carry in Malzahn's stints with the Tigers as offensive coordinator or head coach. If Golson and Auburn's other returning starters up front, left guard Alex Kozan and right guard Braden Smith, can't get the ground game back in gear, Malzahn's meteoric and memorable time on the Plains will come to an end.

Justin Thomas, QB, Georgia Tech

Thomas was basically in the same situation as Solomon last season, minus the injuries and quick hook. The Yellow Jackets busted out in 2014, winning 11 games, including the Orange Bowl, but Thomas was unable to carry an inexperienced supporting cast, and they regressed as a result.

Assuming Thomas can cut down on his shockingly high percentage of negative or no-gain runs to keep the offense on schedule and hit the play-action long ball when available, Georgia Tech should be back in the mix for the ACC Coastal title.