The importance of a player is not always defined by their skill level. The most important player on a team 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 2016 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 — 2: Texas A&M DE Myles Garrett // 3: Houston QB Greg Ward Jr. // 4: Baylor RB Shock Linwood // 5: Texas LB Malik Jefferson // 6: TCU WR Emanuel Porter // 7: UTEP RB Aaron Jones // 8: Texas State QB Tyler Jones // 9: UTSA RB Jarveon Williams // 10: TCU QB Kenny Hill // 11: SMU QB Matt Davis // 12: Rice LB Alex Lyons // 13: Prairie View A&M QB Trey Green // 14: Lamar RB Kade Harrington // 15: Baylor QB Seth Russell // 16: Texas RB Chris Warren // 17: Texas A&M QB Trevor Knight // 18: UNT QB Alec Morris // 19: Rice WR Zach Wright // 20: Texas Tech LB D’Vonta Hinton // 21: Houston LB Steven Taylor // 22: Sam Houston DE P.J. Hall // 23: UTSA DE Marcus Davenport // 24: Texas State LB Karee’ Berry // 25: SMU DE Justin Lawler // 26: UNT RB Jeffrey Wilson // 27: SFA DE John Franklin // 28: Texas QB Shane Buechele // 29: Texas Tech RB Justin Stockton // 30: Baylor LB Taylor Young //  31: TCU RB Shaun Nixon // 32: Texas A&M WR Christian Kirk // 33: Houston WR Chance Allen // 34: UTSA QB Jared Johnson // 35: ACU LB Sam Denmark // 36: Houston Baptist RB Terrance Peters // 37: Rice DE Graysen Schantz // 38: UTEP DE Alvin Jones // 39: SMU RB Xavier Jones // 40: Sam Houston RB Corey Avery // 41: Prairie View A&M DE DeVohn Reed // 42: Texas State WR Demun Mercer (kicked off team) // 43: UTEP S Devin Cockrell // 44: UNT DT Bryce English // 45: Texas OL Connor Williams // 46: Texas Tech DT Breiden Fehoko // 47: Houston DT B.J. Singleton // 48: Texas A&M DT Daylon Mack // 49: TCU S Denzel Johnson  // 50: Baylor S Chance Waz

No. 1 – Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes

The History

Junior quarterback Patrick Mahomes became the fifth quarterback in FBS history to pass for 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns and rush for at least 450 yards and 10 touchdowns as just a sophomore. Mahomes was great in his sophomore campaign, passing for 4,653 yards, which was the most for a Texas Tech quarterback since 2008, and adding 456 yards on the ground. Mahomes’ 2015 season was the eighth most passing yards all-time at Texas Tech, but entering his junior year he’s already eighth on the all-time passing list thanks to a stellar performance as a freshman. In 17 starts, Mahomes has thrown 52 touchdowns to 19 interceptions and passed for 6,200 yards. In 2015, he led the nation with 339 yards of total offense per game and led the Big 12 in nearly every statistical category associated with the quarterback position.

The idea that Mahomes would be the first superstar at quarterback under head coach Kliff Kingsbury was hatched his freshman season against Baylor when Mahomes set school records for passing yards and total yards in a game. He registered 625 yards of total offense in that game, a freshman record at Texas Tech. He played in seven games, earning four starts. Despite the low work-rate, Mahomes was All-Big 12 honorable mention and the Freshman Offensive Player of the Year. In the final three games of the season, Mahomes went 80-of-150 for 1,304 yards, 14 touchdowns and just two interceptions.

Mahomes was a four-star recruit out of Whitehouse with a reputation as an elite baseball player. Mahomes was drafted in the 37^th round of the MLB Draft following his senior season, but chose Texas Tech and football over the Detroit Tigers.

The Skillset

Mahomes comes from good stock. His father pitched professionally for six different teams over an 11-year career. Many believed Patrick would follow his father Pat’s footsteps, which may have kept the offers lower for Mahomes than if he wasn’t a baseball prospect through most of his prep career. Mahomes slipped through the cracks a bit during recruiting, but has emerged as a star because of his dual-threat ability and the system at Texas Tech. The Red Raiders aren’t strangers to prolific quarterbacks and Kingsbury simply needed the right guy to get the offense back on track. Mahomes beats teams with his arm and his legs. He’s a tough, durable football player who teammates gravitate towards. Mahomes is also a winner. He led Whitehouse to its first ever district title as a senior and helped Texas Tech improve in 2015.

The Impact

Texas Tech struggles to find its place in the pecking order of FBS football in this state. The Red Raiders also fight for respect. Texas and Texas A&M bring name value even when the product on the field isn’t great. TCU and Baylor have been Big 12 title contenders over the past few years. The Red Raiders must earn respect and that happens on the field. A signal-caller like Mahomes puts any team in position to win, but especially an offensively reliant team like Texas Tech. Kingsbury has the best quarterback in Texas and the offense might put up historic numbers before Mahomes leaves campus. And more than any other player in the state, no team's success hinges on the success of one player more than Tech and Mahomes. That's why he's No. 1 on our list.

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Mike Craven is a senior writer for Dave Campbell’s Texas Football. He covers college, high schools and recruiting, and even dabbles in some NFL. He’s a UTSA Insider and runs BirdsUp.com for Rivals. Find him on Twitter: @CravenMike.