The 50 most important college players in Texas in 2017 — No. 20: TCU's Ty Summers

The importance of a player is not always defined by their skill level. The most important player on a team or in a unit 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 2017 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:50 – Lamar DE Daniel Crosley / 49 – TCU WR KaVontae Turpin / 48 – UTEP QB Ryan Metz47 – UMHB RB Markeith Miller / 46 – Sam Houston State DE PJ Hall / 45 – Baylor WR Blake Lynch44 – Texas Tech WR Jonathan Giles (transferred) / 43 – Texas Tech RB Justin Stockton42 – PVAMU WR Joshua Simmons / 41 – Rice RB Samuel Stewart / 40 – UNT WR Jalen Guyton39 – Texas RB Chris Warren / 38 – Rice OL Trey Martin / 37 – Texas A&M Commerce QB Luis Perez36 – Baylor DL K.J. Smith / 35 – Texas State LB Gabe Loyd / 34 – Texas State WR Thurman Morbley33 – Houston DB Khalil Williams / 32 – Texas Tech LB Jordyn Brooks / 31 – SFA DL John Franklin30 – SMU DE Justin Lawler / 29 – Texas State QB Damian Williams / 28 – ACU QB Dallas Sealey27 – UTSA QB Dalton Sturm / 26 – Texas A&M RB Trayveon Williams / 25 – UTSA WR Josh Stewart24 – TCU LB Travin Howard / 23 – Texas Tech OL Travis Bruffy / 22 – Rice LB Emmanuel Ellerbee21 – UNT DT Bryce EnglishThe History Ty Summers is a unique weapon on the TCU defense. Dating back to his time at San Antonio Reagan, Summers was a talented dual-threat quarterback who led the Rattlers to a district championship as a senior, when he accounted for more than 3,700 yards and 47 touchdowns. But his transition to the defensive side of the ball, which began before his arrival on campus in 2014, has worked out for the Horned Frogs. As a sophomore, Summers had 121 tackles in 2016, which ranked second in the Big 12 trailing only his teammate Travin Howard. Summers was forced to take a medical redshirt in 2014 when he suffered a season-ending injury in the season opener, but his impact as a redshirt freshman was an immediate one. In 2015, Summers had 86 tackles – including a ridiculous 23-tackle effort in a 28-21 double-overtime win over Baylor – to finish third on the team leaderboard that season. The Skillset Summers is clearly a gifted athlete. While he played some safety in high school, his ability to transition to a successful linebacker at the college level is impressive. Coach Gary Patterson has continued to rave about his improvement this spring, which is a good sign for TCU after the season Summers put up last year. He is a strong anchor in the middle of the defense with a little more size than Howard, but the two combine to form one of the best linebacker duos in the country. The Impact With the progress Summers made on the field from his freshman to sophomore year, another year of experience should pay off nicely for TCU in the fall. The Horned Frogs are in need of a better year on the defensive side of the ball after allowing 28 points per game last season, and Summers’ consistency helps to set a solid foundation for that improvement.

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