Former Oregon football coach Mario Cristobal left for Miami in early December, but his impact can still be seen within the program.

Cristobal changed the recruiting game for the Ducks, finishing with the best class in the Pac-12 three times. Some of those players, like Kayvon Thibodeaux and Mykael Wright have already moved on.

But much of the talent Cristobal brought to Oregon will remain in green and yellow in 2022. Combined with the new Dan Lanning-era recruits and transfers, there’s are a number of potential breakout candidates this season.

Here are our top 10 ...

A long line of running back greats flood Oregon’s history and Cardwell looks to add his name to the list.

Cardwell was a true freshman in 2021 but the Ducks didn’t utilize his redshirt. Instead, the former four-star recruit was the team’s third-leading rusher while learning from CJ Verdell and Travis Dye.

Those two departed the program in the offseason -- Verdell to the NFL, Dye a surprising transfer move to USC -- as No. 6 and No. 5 in career rushing yards, respectfully.

To fill that void, Cardwell will be expected to take on a much larger workload. Cardwell served as the backup running back for most of 2021 because of a Week 5 injury to Verdell and put up 417 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

His top competitors for the starting position include Sean Dollars, Seven McGee and incoming freshman Jordan James.

This will be Kenny Dillingham’s first season as offensive coordinator. He’s also Oregon’s quarterbacks coach and emphasizes the passing game, yet has always had elite rushing attacks. Dillingham coached four future NFL running backs in his season as Memphis’ offensive coordinator and his offenses have averaged just over 214 yards during his four years as OC at Memphis, Auburn and Florida State.

When you look at who led the team in receiving yards last year, you’ll find Devon Williams at the top, who declared for the draft. The rest of the top 7 also includes since-transferred Dye and Mycah Pittman, and Johnny Johnson III and Jaylon Redd, who both finished their eligibility in 2021.

With five of the top seven receiving leaders from a year ago gone, the focus switches to the a trio of high-upside young talents.

Thornton and Franklin came to Oregon a year ago as top-10 receivers in their class, and they received a respectable amount of playing time because of injuries.

In the Alamo Bowl, the duo got their chance to shine, combining for 155 receiving yards with each catching a touchdown. They both possess an elite speed/size combination and are highly-touted deep threats.

Hutson is the more tenured receiver. Approaching his third season, he has now had two starting quarterbacks with an inevitable third in 2022. His first year was uneventful with 4 receptions in the Covid-shortened season, but last year he was the team’s second-leading receiver with 31 catches for 419 yards and 2 TDs. With a shorter frame than the previous two, he will surely be utilized in the slot.

Transfer Chase Cota, from UCLA, will also be in the mix. Whoever starts at quarterback should have an array of options in the new passer-friendly offensive scheme.