The 50 most important college players in Texas in 2016 — No. 29: Texas Tech's Justin Stockton

[caption id="attachment_23488" align="alignright" width="300"]ADW_0130 Photo by Ashley Wirz[/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 — 30: Baylor LB Taylor Young //  31: TCU RB Shaun Nixon // 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. 29 – Texas Tech running back Justin StocktonThe History Cibilo Steele High School, located outside of San Antonio, is becoming a factory for college running backs. Justin Stockton, a junior at Texas Tech, is the latest to emerge at the P5 level. His prep career was spent earning All-State and All-District accolades. As a senior, he rushed the ball 180 times for 2,159 yards and 38 touchdowns. His prep career ended with over 6,000 yards rushing, averaging around 11 yards per carry. Stockton was considered a four- or three-star athlete depending on the recruiting website you trust most. He held offers from schools like Baylor, UCLA and Oklahoma. Stockton began to show his versatility as a freshman in 2014. He received 60 total touches on offense that season, with 48 coming on the ground. Stockton scored a total of five touchdowns, proving to be a weapon as a rusher out of the backfield and as a receiver. He averaged 8.3 yards per rushing attempt as a freshman, but failed to show big play ability as a receiver, though he did record a rush for 75 yards. His explosiveness was more on display as a sophomore, specifically as a receiver out of the backfield. Stockton caught 22 passes as a sophomore in 2015, scoring six times and averaging 15.5 yards per catch. His rushing yards went down by 19 yards despite 13 more carries, yet he crossed the end zone five times as a rusher. Stockton’s ability to find the end zone was remarkable in 2015. Despite touching the ball only 23 more times in 2015 than in 2014, Stockton scored six more touchdowns than he did as a freshman. The Skillset Stockton wasn’t brought in to mash the ball or carry the rock 20-plus times per game. That isn’t Texas Tech’s style and it wouldn’t suit the 5-foot-10, 192-pound athlete’s abilities. Stockton is a slasher and a true three-down weapon. He can line up straight behind the quarterback, next to the quarterback in the shotgun, and split wide in no-back sets. Stockton’s at his best when he gets the ball in space. He’s elusive, and while he doesn’t have the top-end speed some former sprinters possess, Stockton is clearly fast enough to score any time he touches the ball. Now an upperclassman, expect the role for Stockton to increase as a rusher and a receiver. He’s the type of player who can handle 10-20 touches per game if those are spread out between the run and pass game. The Impact Quarterback Pat Mahomes is the most valuable player on the team. Justin Stockton is the second most valuable player on the Texas Tech offense. If he and the offensive line can help maintain a steady rushing attack, Mahomes’ job becomes easier. Stockton is also an option for Mahomes in the passing game, as shown by his six touchdown receptions in 2015. Stockton’s never received more than eight rushing attempts or five receptions in any single game. Look for that to change as his explosiveness becomes something Texas Tech tries to use at least 10 times per contest.

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