Two-way players in college football are rare, as specialization is pushed earlier and earlier in youth football. But that doesn't mean that athleticism doesn't trump coaches' decisions from the Pop Warner to high school to even the collee ranks.

Last season, Washington's Shaq Thompson was the most electrifying two-way player in the conference -- if not the nation -- as he totaled the third-most tackles and the third-most rushing yards of any Husky in 2014. But now he's gone and the question remains: Who will step into his shoes as the most electrifying two-way player in the Pac-12 this season?

Some guesses...

Adoree' Jackson, USC: Jackson juggled practices as both an offensive and defensive player this spring before heading over to the track, where he competing on the Trojans' 4x100 meter relay team, earning himself an All-American nod. He also competed as a long jumper for the Trojans and his high school coach believes that he could compete for the U.S. team at the Rio Olympics if he wanted. He's likely the only one on this list that can boast those kind of credentials. He's just as thrilling on the football field, though. Athlon Sports wrote Jackson "might be the most exciting two-way player in America." FOX Sports' Bruce Feldman and Stewart Mandel did a draft for the perfect national title team recently and Stewart drafted Jackson as an all-utility guy.

"I plan to use him as a return guy (he ran back two kickoffs for TDs), but I believe he can be an elite cornerback. Maybe we'll play him a little at receiver as well," Mandel wrote.

Charles Nelson, Oregon: Last season Nelson went from no-name freshman to special teams star to offensive weapon before switching to defense during the offseason. To say he's multitalented is a bit of an understatement. On Tuesday, Oregon coach Mark Helfrich was asked where Nelson would be playing come fall camp. Helfrich explained that if it were up to Nelson, he'd be playing every single snap and went on to say that it's "a wrestling match of coaches" for where exactly the sophomore will play.

"A resolution will come, by Oregon's coaching staff, at some point, about whether Nelson will play primarily on offense -- where he gained an average of 12.5 yards every time he ran or caught the ball in 2014 -- or defense -- where he practiced mostly a cornerback in April's spring practices," The Oregonian's Andrew Greif wrote. "Just not yet."

Budda Baker, Washington: Baker got some time on offense during the spring for the Huskies. Unlike with Nelson, it sounds like the Washington defensive coaches are happy to see their star getting some time on the other side of the ball. Washington defensive back coach Jimmy Lake told the Seattle Times' Adam Jude that it was "awesome" to see Baker getting offensive touches this spring, but clarified that Baker is definitely a DB first.

"We have to utilize the talent," Lake told Jude. "We all know he’s a talented football player and very, very smart and so tough and competitive. It’s going to be fun to watch him on that side of the ball." In FOX Sports draft mentioned above, Feldman drafted Baker as a safety and return guy, but wrote "I love the versatility. He can do everything." Doug Haller at azcentral.com sees that Baker could be the Huskies' next two-way star, ranking him the 25th best player in the Pac-12 in 2015.

Lonny Powell, California: Powell was one of the Golden Bears' three four-star recruits in the 2015 recruiting class, where he signed as a running back. But considering Cal needs some major help on defense, is there a chance we could see him on the defensive side of the ball? Sounds like if it happens it wouldn't be this season, but it sounds like he could be a two-way star of the future in the conference.

"Cal’s coaching staff, which recruited Powell as a running back from the start, will likely be hesitant to give the young player a workload on both sides of the ball ... while Powell has very intriguing tools for the linebacking position, the Bears will likely keep him on offense -- at least for his first few years at Cal," wrote The Daily Californian's Hooman Yazdanian.

Myles Jack, UCLA: Jack was a two-way player as a freshman mostly out of necessity as fellow Pac-12 blogger Kevin Gemmell pointed out earlier this spring. "Jack was a running back in 2013 because the Bruins needed him to be," Gemmell wrote. "Last year, with the emergence of Paul Perkins, that wasn’t needed. He was a safety against Stanford last year because the Bruins needed him to be. He was a cornerback against USC last year because the Bruins needed him to be."

Chances are that the Bruins won't need him to be a running back this season since Paul Perkins is coming back, but even though he wasn't needed last season he still finished the season as UCLA's fifth-leading rusher (with the third-most rushing touchdowns). Not shabby for a guy who "wasn't needed." So while he might not be used heavily on offense this season, he still has the ability to play both ways, and every coach in the conference knows it. That earns Jack a place in this conversation.