A handful of college football players used their bowl games as a breakout opportunity, and a chance to get a jumpstart on the 2017 season.

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Bowl games serve all kinds of purposes for programs. Extra reps and practice time for the young building blocks of the future. A final game for the seniors, especially for those without pro futures. And then there’s a handful of players each December and January use their season finale as a catapult to next fall.

The 2017 campaign may be a long way off, but the following players will begin it with a tailwind, thanks to their stellar bowl performances.

15. LB Mook Reynolds, Virginia Tech

To successfully play WHIP linebacker for Bud Foster, a defender must be versatile. Reynolds showcased the versatility of his skill set in the Hokies’ comeback win over Arkansas in the Belk Bowl. The athletic sophomore was one of the defensive stalwarts who helped shutout the Hogs in the second half, chipping in five tackles, three stops for loss, a pair of key sacks and a pass breakup.

14. LB Kavika Luafatasaga, Utah

The game has begun to slow down for Luafatasaga, the high-profile Arizona Western College transfer who’ll be one of the defensive cornerstones in 2017. A hot finish, including back-to-back 10-tackle efforts in the Pac-12 Championship Game and the Foster Farms Bowl, replaced a rough start to his Ute career. Luafatasaga was one of the defensive heroes versus Indiana, making a game-high 12 stops, two tackles for loss and a pass breakup on the final play to seal the win.

13. LB Blake Cashman, Minnesota

New Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck will delight in inheriting a player like Cashman. He’s a walk-on who didn’t quite fit the mold of a Big Ten player. But Cashman forced his way into the rotation with a disruptive November, and then capped a building block sophomore year by making 12 tackles, two stops and a sack as Minnesota shut down high-scoring Washington State in the Holiday Bowl.

12. RB Dedrick Mills, Georgia Tech

Paul Johnson and his Yellow Jackets couldn’t have been much happier with the way 2016 ended, winning six of the final seven games to go 9-4. The capper was the TaxSlayer Bowl victory over Kentucky, in which Mills earned the MVP for rushing for a season-best 169 yards and a touchdown on 31 carries. He’s the kind of young B-back Johnson plans to build around over the next three seasons.

11. LB Tegray Scales, Indiana

Scales added an exclamation point to his breakout junior year with another impactful performance in the Foster Farms Bowl. The Hoosiers fell in Santa Clara, but No. 8 still earned Defensive MVP honors with 10 tackles, three stops for loss and a couple of sacks. New head coach Tom Allen is holding his breath that Scales will remain in Bloomington and headline a much-improved defense for one final year.

10. DE Duke Ejiofor, Wake Forest

The 2017 Deacon D will once again be spearheaded by Ejiofor, who has elected to remain in school for his senior year. One of the nation’s most underrated pass rushers is a high-energy force off the edge in Winston-Salem. Ejiofor was the defensive catalyst in Wake’s Military Bowl upset of Temple, pitching in with six stops, two tackles for loss, a half-sack, a pick and a bunch of pressures.

9. DE Clelin Ferrell, Clemson

Carlos Watkins, Christian Wilkins and Dexter Lawrence field most of the D-line hype. But Ferrell also played a key role in the Tigers’ Fiesta Bowl shutout of Ohio State. In the biggest game of his brief career, the redshirt freshman erupted for a sack and a season-best three tackles behind the line. At 6-foot-5 and 265 pounds, Ferrell has the length and speed to become the latest end to use Clemson as a stepping-stone to the NFL.

8. QB Mason Rudolph, Oklahoma State

Rudolph could be prepping for the NFL Combine today. Instead, he’s readying for his final offseason in Stillwater. Mike Gundy and the Cowboys couldn’t be more pleased. Rudolph capped an outstanding junior season by throwing for 314 yards and three scores in the Pokes’ Alamo Bowl rout of Colorado. And he handed the Buff secondary one of its worst outings of the 2016 season.