The 50 most important college players in Texas in 2017 — No. 9: Texas' Shane Buechele

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 Shimonek / 14 – Texas LB Malik Jefferson / 13 – TexasA&M WR Christian Kirk12 – Houston QB Kyle Allen / 11 – SMU WR Courtland Sutton / 10 – SHSU QB Jeremiah BriscoeThe History Sure, Texas coach Tom Herman hasn’t named the team’s starting quarterback yet heading into the 2017 season. But when a team has the benefit of having a guy back who started all 12 games under center as a true freshman, it’s hard to ignore the experience he brings to the table. Shane Buechele set just about every freshman school record in the books last season when he won the starting job over Tyrone Swoopes, and he played well beyond his age at times. Buechele completed 60 percent of his passes while throwing for 2,958 yards, 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Buechele earned the starting job after being a two-time all-state selection at Arlington Lamar High School. He was one of the top quarterbacks in the state and was widely regarded as a four-star recruit by most recruiting services. Buechele threw for 6,379 yards and 73 touchdowns while adding 1,805 yards and 21 touchdowns on the ground in his high school career. The Skillset Buechele doesn’t necessarily look like a prototypical star quarterback at 6-1, 190 lbs. standing in the Longhorns backfield. Regardless, he showed why he was such a heralded recruit in his time on the field last season. His ability to move the chains by reading a defense and making the right throw helped cement him as Texas’ most reliable quarterback since Colt McCoy graduated in 2009. He is accurate (60.4 completion percentage), and while he is by no means the fastest player on the field, he has the ability to escape the pocket and make plays with his feet. Buechele averaged a little more than 12 yards per completion and 7.5 yards per attempt, but he had a throw of 45 yards or more in nine games. His biggest weakness as a freshman was protecting the ball, as Buechele finished with 11 interceptions – including three in a loss to Kansas – while fumbling the ball six times. The Impact There are a lot of people who thought former Westlake star Sam Ehlinger would come in and give Buechele a run for his money in the spring. But while Herman hasn’t announced a starter yet, it appears that Buechele did just about everything in his power to quiet that notion. He threw for 369 yards and accounted for three touchdowns in the spring game and should again be the starter when Maryland rolls into Austin on September 2. Buechele is going to have to play well for the Longhorns to show significant improvement in Herman’s first season, and that’s why he's one of the most important players in the state this year.

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