The 50 most important college players in Texas in 2016 — No. 31: TCU's Shaun Nixon

[caption id="attachment_23466" align="alignright" width="300"]D71A1569 Photo by Jeff Goldberg[/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 — 32: Texas A&M WR Christian Kirk // 33: Houston WR Chance Allen // 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. 31 – TCU running back Shaun NixonThe History Versatility was always the name of Shaun Nixon’s game. The sophomore from Lake Travis High School in Austin received a medical redshirt in his first season at TCU, missing the entire 2014 season. He made up for lost time as a redshirt freshman in 2015, moving away from running back for large chunks of plays to fill in gaps at the wide receiver position. Nixon proved to be a natural pass catcher. He finished the season with 47 receptions for 501 yards and a touchdown. Nixon added 66 yards on only 16 carries. He had a career game against Oklahoma State, catching nine balls for 146 yards. He led TCU in receiving in the Alamo Bowl, collecting nine catches for 71 yards. Nixon was a four-star recruit by Scout.com and ESPN coming out of high school. As a senior, he was named District 15-5A Most Valuable Player. After missing most of his junior season in high school to injury, Nixon set a school-record with 1,747 yards and 24 touchdowns on the ground. He once ran for five touchdowns in a playoff game. He scored 50 touchdowns in his prep career and was a district newcomer of the year as a sophomore. The Skillset Nixon does a bit of everything. He’s a proven rusher at the prep level and an emerging star as a slot receiver or a receiver out of the backfield at the college level. At 5-foot-10, 195 pounds, Nixon is big enough to help carry the load at running back and elusive enough to make plays in space. His route-running is also far superior to that of the average running back. Nixon is arguably the best receiving tailback in the country. He was an ankle-breaking running back at Lake Travis with enough toughness to pick up first downs and be used around the end zone. It is still unclear exactly what role Nixon will play in his next three years at TCU, but coordinators Sonny Cumbie and Doug Meacham will undoubtedly find ways to get Nixon the ball in space. The Impact TCU loses its two leading rushers from 2015 with Aaron Green and Trevone Boykin out of eligibility. That leaves Kyle Hicks as TCU’s leading returning rusher with 262 yards. The Horned Frogs want to run the ball, especially early in the year as a new quarterback takes control of the offense. Nixon’s impact will be as a playmaker, whether he lines up in the backfield or at wide receiver. TCU also lost Josh Doctson, its leading wide receiver, to the NFL Draft. Nixon might not lead TCU in either rushing or receiving, but he’s a solid bet to lead the team in total offense by the end of the 2016 season.

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