The 50 most important college players in Texas in 2016 — No. 33: Houston's Chance Allen

[caption id="attachment_23438" align="alignright" width="300"]peachbowl2015_058 Photo by Diana Porter[/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 — 34: UTSA QB Jared Johnson // 35: ACU LB Sam Denmark // 36: Houston Baptist RB Terrance Peters // 37: Rice DE Graysen Schantz // 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. 33 – Houston wide receiver Chance AllenThe History Chance Allen, a three-star prospect out of Fort Bend Elkins High School in the 2012 class, landed in Oregon to start his career. After redshirting in 2012, he caught five passes for 98 yards and a touchdown in his next two seasons as an Oregon Duck. The chances to play a large amount of snaps at Oregon never materialized so he transferred back home and immediately became a contributor for head coach Tom Herman as a junior in 2015. Allen started all 13 games for the Cougars last season, even leading the team with three receptions for 35 yards in the AAC Championship win over Temple. He caught a season-high six catches against Tulsa and racked up over 100 yards receiving against UConn. Allen finished the season with six touchdowns and 752 yards receiving on 56 catches. Allen was a three-year varsity player at Elkins. His prep career ended with 126 receptions for 1,920 yards and 22 touchdowns. He was a two-year starter on the basketball team, as well. The Skillset It isn’t hard to figure out why Allen possessed a large number of P5 offers out of high school. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, Allen is a big-bodied wide receiver with the length to cause matchup problems against smaller cornerbacks. Allen isn’t a speed demon like some three-star recruits, but he is quick enough and athletic enough to make big plays down the field. He proved that in high school and it is still true, exhibited by his long catch of 52 yards in 2015. Allen is a long-strider who can get on top of defenses. He does his best work on short and intermediate passes. His experience as a basketball player gives him an advantage because he knows how to use his size and length to shield opponents from the ball. He scored in nearly half of Houston’s games in 2015 and will be called upon to be a No. 1 wide receiver for the Cougars in his senior sesason. The Impact The Cougars are playing for an undefeated season and a berth into the College Football Playoff. Houston’s lone loss in 2015 came when quarterback Greg Ward Jr. couldn’t play a full game. The expectations are high for Houston and second-year head coach Tom Herman. A player like Allen opens up an offense. The threat of him on the outside keeps safeties in check and cornerbacks backed off the line of scrimmage. This makes for easy catches on early downs and opens up more space for Ward when he scrambles and for the conventional running game. Houston must replace the production of wide receiver Demarcus Ayers and Allen is an obvious choice to fill those shoes.

——