The 50 most important college players in Texas in 2016 — No. 37: Rice's Graysen Schantz

[caption id="attachment_23337" align="alignright" width="200"]10512316 Rice Athletics[/caption] The importance of a player is not always defined by their skill. The most important player on a team is not always the best player on a team. This list is designed to breakdown the 50 most important players in Texas college football for the 2016 season. It is not a ranking of the 50 best college football players in the state. Importance can be defined by position, need, skill or leadership. We’ll count down the list through the summer, all the way to No. 1.Previously — 38: UTEP DE Alvin Jones // 39: SMU RB Xavier Jones // 40: Sam Houston RB Corey Avery // 41: Prairie View A&M DE DeVohn Reed // 42: Texas State WR Demun Mercer // 43: UTEP S Devin Cockrell // 44: UNT DT Bryce English // 45: Texas OL Connor Williams // 46: Texas Tech DT Breiden Fehoko // 47: Houston DT B.J. Singleton // 48: Texas A&M DT Daylon Mack // 49: TCU S Denzel Johnson  // 50: Baylor S Chance WazNo. 37 – Rice defensive end Graysen Schantz The History Graysen Schantz was a Defensive MVP of District 5-4A in his senior season at Lake Dallas High School under head coach Mike Young. An All-State honorable mention and a finalist for the Dallas-Ft. Worth First Down Club Defensive Player of the Year, Schantz recorded 65 tackles, including 20 behind the line of scrimmage and 17 sacks, as a senior. His career included 150 tackles, 30 sacks and 100 quarterback hurries in only two seasons at the varsity level. He was named Defensive Newcomer of the Year in the district as a junior. It didn’t take him long to earn playing time at Rice. He played in the opener against Texas A&M, but an injury forced him out for the rest of the season. He was eligible for a redshirt, so his freshman season officially became 2014. He was selected by Conference USA coaches to the All-Freshman team after recording seven tackles for loss and three sacks. A breakout performance in 2014 placed high expectations on Schantz’s shoulders as a sophomore in 2015. None of it was realized, however, as Schantz was forced to miss the 2015 season due to another injury. He’ll likely get a medical redshirt by the NCAA eventually to restore his third year of remaining eligibility, so for all intents and purposes, Schantz is essentially still a sophomore. The Skillset Schantz gets after the quarterback and that is an invaluable skill in today’s football. He proved he could do it at Lake Dallas and has shown that his skills can carry over to the FBS level. He was poised to play as a true freshman before injuries derailed the 2013 season. He was poised to be an all-conference performer as a sophomore, but injury derailed the 2015 season. He missed the last two seasons of 2014 with a leg injury. So clearly, durability becomes the biggest question mark for Schantz moving forward. At 6-foot-3 and 240 pounds, he has the perfect frame and skill set to wreak havoc to opposing backfields. Schantz simply needs to catch a few breaks and stay healthy. The Impact The subtraction of Schantz from the 2015 Rice defensive line wasn’t the only reason the Owls were statistically the worst defense in FBS, but it didn’t help the situation. The Owls need difference makers on the defensive line and Schantz, despite his injury history, is one of the best pass rushers in Conference USA. The Owls need explosive plays on defense and those take place in the backfield, a place where Schantz has made a living in his prep and college career.

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