The 50 most important college players in Texas in 2017 — No. 14: Texas' Malik Jefferson

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 Summers / 19 – UTEP LB Alvin Jones18 – The Baylor QB / 17 – UTSA LB Josiah Tauaefa / 16 – Texas A&M OL Koda Martin15 – Texas Tech QB Nic ShimonekThe History As one of the most highly recruited players in the country coming out of Mesquite Poteet High School, Malik Jefferson lived up to the hype in his freshman season under Charlie Strong. Jefferson was a freshman all-American and was named the Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year after finishing second on the team in tackles with 61 and adding seven TFL, 2.5 tackles and a fumble return for a touchdown in 2015. Unfortunately for the Longhorns, Jefferson struggled to make a significant leap as a sophomore as he finished with 62 tackles, 8.5 TFL and 5.5 sacks. While his efforts last season were good enough to earn second-team All-Big 12 honors, Jefferson wasn’t as consistent as most hoped he would be at middle linebacker. Now, incoming defensive coordinator Todd Orlando is shifting the leader of the Longhorns’ defense to outside linebacker where he should fit more comfortably and take a big step forward as a junior. Jefferson joined Strong in 2015 after being a two-time all-state honoree at Poteet. He was one of the top recruits in the country after recording 81 tackles, 16 TFL, six sacks and four blocked kicks as a senior despite being missing some time due to injury. The Skillset Jefferson has thrived as a pass rusher for the Longhorns, but he hasn’t been able to put that skill on display as often as he should while playing middle linebacker for each of the last two seasons. Orlando’s plan to move him to the outside should help Jefferson breakout again this year. He has the size at 6-3, 240 lbs. and has a great combination of speed and strength to create a lot of problems rushing off the edge. The Impact Despite his and the Longhorns’ struggles over the last few years, Jefferson has maintained his potential. He is the most explosive player on the field and has the ability to make game-changing plays from sideline to sideline. If Jefferson’s move back to outside linebacker pays off the way Orlando thinks it will, the sky is the limit for the his production in 2017.

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