The 50 most important college players in Texas in 2016 — No. 23: UTSA's Marcus Davenport

[caption id="attachment_23599" align="alignright" width="300"]UHvsUTSAdianaporter2014_013 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 — 24: Texas State LB Karee' Berry // 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. 23 – UTSA defensive end Marcus DavenportThe History Marcus Davenport is a local product for UTSA, signing late in the 2014 class over UNLV. Davenport was a jack of all trades in high school. He was a two-time all-district selection. As a senior, he was named to the District 27-5A first-team all-district squad after racking up 73 tackles and six sacks. Ten of those tackles came behind the line of scrimmage and his length allowed him to bat down six passes. Davenport was also a star in track and field and in basketball at Stevens. He played immediately at UTSA. Davenport played in the first 11 games of his career as a true freshman in 2014. UTSA lacked pass rushers and Davenport became a third-down specialist in passing situations. He finished the year with three sacks and 14 tackles, missing the finale due to injury. More injuries hampered his sophomore campaign, but he was still able to up his production as he moved into a starting role. Davenport collected 49 tackles, including 7.5 tackles for loss and four sacks. The Skillset Davenport arrived at UTSA looking more like a basketball player than a football player. He’s a lean 6-foot-6 and he struggled with the physicality of the game early in his career. For those reasons, he was a pass-rushing specialist in his first year in college. Necessity forced him into a starting role as a sophomore. He showed more durability than many imagined, toughing out 11 games despite a giant brace on his shoulder for the majority of the season. Davenport shares one common trait with all great pass rushers – length. His agility, footwork and length allow him to get his hands on offensive tackles. This allows him to get the edge and work towards the quarterback. One area where his lack of power, or lack of health, showed as a sophomore was in finishing at the quarterback. Numerous times, Davenport reached the quarterback and couldn’t quite make the tackle. Improved health and another year in the weight room should help him round out his skills at defensive end. The Impact UTSA lacks pass rushers entering the 2016 season. Jason Neill, last year’s leader in sacks, is out of eligibility. The previous staff at UTSA failed to create depth at defensive end and first-year head coach Frank Wilson will be left scrambling to find a consistent pass rush, which is a staple of any good defense. Davenport is capable of racking up 10 sacks if he can stay healthy and finish at the quarterback. He’ll be leaned heavily upon as few players at the position have any FBS experience.

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