The 50 most important college players in Texas in 2016 — No. 24: Texas State's Karee' Berry

[caption id="attachment_23581" align="alignright" width="300"]Berry Texas State Athletics Photo[/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 — 25: SMU DE Justin Lawler // 26: UNT RB Jeffrey Wilson // 27: SFA DE John Franklin // 28: Texas QB Shane Buechele // 29: Texas Tech RB Justin Stockton // 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. 24 – Texas State linebacker Karee’ BerryThe History Linebacker Karee’ Berry is a Smithson Valley High School product entering his junior season at Texas State. He was named a two-star recruit out of high school after an all-district season as a senior. He was a two-year letterman in high school, recording 55 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and eight sacks in his final prep season. Berry was redshirted in 2013 before officially making his debut for the Bobcats in the 2014 season. Berry played in 11 games as a redshirt freshman. He finished the season with 27 tackles, including 2.5 for loss. He showed his potential in a breakout game against Arkansas State. He notched a season-high eight tackles, with two of those for loss. He posted 1.5 sacks that year, showing he was a linebacker with the ability to get after a quarterback and cause havoc in the backfield. Berry continued that trend as a sophomore. He led the Bobcats with 5.5 tackles for loss. He notched three sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovered and 39 total tackles. The Skillset Berry flew under the recruiting radar because college coaches weren’t sure if he was a linebacker or a defensive end. At 6-foot-3, 225 pounds, Berry is not quite big enough to be a three-down defensive end and he isn’t exactly fast enough to be used in coverage at all times. He’s created a great niche for himself through two years at Texas State as a stand-up defensive end of sorts. Berry is listed as a linebacker, but he does his best work when he’s allowed to blitz the quarterback and get into the backfield. He must round-out his game at linebacker to be considered a future star at the position, and he’ll have all the opportunities he can handle this season. Texas State must improve on defense, specifically the pass rush and at linebacker. Berry has the talent. All he needs is the consistency. The Impact College coaches salivate over long pass rushers who can move in space. Berry is exactly that when utilized to the best of his abilities. There are a few holes in his game, but those became less apparent in his sophomore season. The hope is the evolution continues at linebacker heading into his junior season. The Bobcats desperately need consistency at linebacker and Berry is as talented as any member of the roster. His ability to be a consistent playmaker on the Texas State defense is one of the most important storylines for the Bobcats this season.

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