The 50 most important college players in Texas in 2017 — No. 1: TCU's Kenny Hill

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 Briscoe9 – Texas QB Shane Buechele / 8 – UTEP OL Will Hernandez / 7 – Baylor RB Terence Williams6 – UNT QB Mason Fine / 5 – The Texas A&M QB / 4 – SMU QB Ben Hicks3 – Texas OL Connor Williams / 2 – Houston DT Ed OliverThe History It’s been one heck of a rollercoaster ride at the college level for Kenny Hill. After playing his way into the conversation for the Heisman Trophy early in 2014 as a sophomore at Texas A&M (while serving as the replacement for Johnny Manziel), Hill threw for 1,745 yards, 17 touchdowns and just two interceptions in the first five games of the year as the Aggies stormed out of the gate to a perfect 5-0 record. But things quickly went downhill from there, as Hill lost three straight games to Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Alabama. He threw just six touchdowns and had six interceptions in those games, and was eventually benched in favor of then-freshman Kyle Allen. The abrupt fall from grace led Hill to transfer to TCU, where he sat out in 2015 before taking over the starting job last season as a redshirt junior. Hill again faced the tall task of replacing one of the best quarterbacks in school history – Trevone Boykin – and again had his share of ups and downs throughout the year. He finished the season with 3,817 total yards, 27 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. In the first five games of the year, Hill accounted for 2,106 total yards, 17 touchdowns and five interceptions. Those numbers fell off dramatically in the last eight games though, as the Horned Frogs finished 6-7. Now after everything Hill has endured on the field, he enters 2017 with one season left to flip the script. Foster Sawyer transferred to SFA, leaving just Hill and freshman Shawn Robinson atop the depth chart for coach Gary Patterson and TCU. The Skillset Hill has shown he has the explosiveness needed to succeed at a high level for the Horned Frogs. His ability to make big play after big play has been put on display early in the season at both A&M and TCU. But inconsistency has followed, with Hill struggling mightily down the stretch of both seasons he was the starting quarterback. This will be the first year Hill doesn’t have to immediately follow up the performance of a campus legend in Boykin or Manziel, and he has had time to mature and grow as a leader. Hill has spent time working with quarterback guru George Whitfield Jr. during the off-season, which may help cut down on some of the off-balance and errant throws that resulted in turnovers. He has a strong arm and the ability to make plays with his feet, but has to cut down on the interceptions and improve his accuracy this year. The Impact Hill’s receivers didn’t give him a whole let of help in 2016, as he finished the year with more passes dropped than any other quarterback in the country according to Pro Football Focus. That issue should be aided by the return and growth of John Diarse, Taj Williams and Desmon White, while KaVontae Turpin has had time to return to full health. Shaun Nixon should be poised for a big year in the backfield, and Hill will also have highly-regarded recruits like Omar Manning and Jalen Reagor at his disposal. To put it simply, he has the weapons in place. There is little depth behind him. He has only his own performance to outdo this year, and will have to do so in order for the Horned Frogs to bounce back from a disappointing season. That’s what makes Hill the top player on our countdown of the most important players in the state heading into the 2017 season.

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