The 50 most important college players in Texas in 2017 — No. 19: UTEP's Alvin Jones

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 English / 20 – TCU LB Ty SummersThe History UTEP may not have star running back Aaron Jones back next year, but it has the next best thing anchoring the defense. Aaron’s twin brother Alvin has made a name for himself over the last few years, leading the Miners in tackles for each of the past two seasons. Jones redshirted in his first year on campus while making the transition from defensive back to linebacker and immediately became one of the top tacklers on the team as a redshirt freshman in 2014. He finished with 55 tackles and nine tackles for loss before taking a big step forward as a sophomore. Jones led the team with 93 tackles, 14.5 TFL and 6.5 sacks while also forcing two safeties to set the tone defensively in 2015. As a junior last season, Jones missed some time due to a nagging injury but still managed to put up big numbers – 93 tackles, 6 TFL and 2.5 sacks. Alvin, much like Aaron, didn’t have a lot of options at the Division I level coming out of El Paso Burges. He was extremely athletic in high school, competing at a high level in both basketball and track while also making a name for himself as both an all-district quarterback and defensive back on the football field. The Skillset As a 5-10, 175 lb. QB and DB at Burges, Jones was already looked at as an undersized secondary guy coming into college. Even so, he made the switch to weak-side linebacker and has been a revelation in the role for UTEP. Jones has bulked up to 225 lbs. now, and flies all around the field. He is especially effective in run support, where he led the Miners with 72 tackles on running plays a year ago. He continues to get better and, barring injury, is primed for a big senior year. The Impact Jones simply gets the job done, which will continue to be important for a team that ranked ninth in Conference USA in scoring defense last year. The Miners will have a lot of question marks heading into 2017, but Jones has been as close to a sure thing at linebacker as there is for the last three seasons. He has a shot to climb towards several program records with a big year, and will be the team’s unquestioned defensive leader. With the offense likely to struggle out of the gate, Jones will be key to holding things in check.

— –– —