Dave Campbell’s Texas Football is counting down the 50 most important players in the state of Texas, and we’re now cruising through the top 10.

Most important doesn’t always mean the most talented. Talent is a factor, but we’re weighing it against depth at the position, production and how much losing this player would impact a team’s trajectory.

No. 3 became a star away from Texas Tech, but quickly proved his on-field performance deserved way more attention. Former Last Chance U star Dakota Allen is back to anchor an improving Texas Tech defense.

Check back over the next several days as we count down the rest of the top 10.

Previous: Nos. 50-11 | No. 10 SMU WR James Proche | No. 9 Texas OT Calvin Anderson | No. 8 TCU QB Shawn Robinson | No. 7 Sam Houston State WR Nathan Stewart | No. 6 Baylor QB Charlie Brewer | No. 5 TCU DE Ben Banogu | No. 4 Texas A&M OL Erik McCoy

The History

Texas Tech linebacker Dakota Allen had a winding road to being the best linebacker in Texas college football. After a standout redshirt freshman season, Allen was arrested for burglary and dismissed from the university. But during a year away at East Mississippi Community College, Allen quickly became a minor celebrity.

Now that he’s back at Texas Tech, his play is doing the talking. Allen was elected a captain at Texas Tech, and led the team with 102 tackles on the way to an All-Big 12 selection. But more importantly, Tech’s defense shifted dramatically.

Allen is back for his senior season to get more film on tape. With some development, he could quickly turn into an elite NFL prospect.

The Skillset

Allen is a very instinctive linebacker. Even from early in his career, Allen has shown a knack for finding the football. In three seasons as a college football player – two at Texas Tech and one at EMCC – Allen has 306 total tackles. Out of those, 167 were unassisted.

More importantly, Allen has the frame to match. He’s listed at 6-foot-2 and 235 pounds, but still maintains great speed. He’s easily able to make tackles through blockers. Allen has all the tools to be a starting WILL linebacker at the next level.

Expert insight

“Allen’s a three-down linebacker who defends the pass as effectively as the run. After his much-publicized yeaer at Last Chance U, he transitioned seamlessly back to the Big 12 in 2017, leading Texas Tech in tackles. Going into his senior year, he leads the Red Raiders’ best linebacker corps since the Zach Thomas/Marcus Coleman group of the mid-1990s.”

–Don Williams, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

The Impact

Allen’s impact on games has already been apparent. The Red Raiders have historically been horrendous on defense under Kliff Kingsbury. In fact, the defense has often ranked bottom five in all of college football. With Allen back, it improved to No. 7 in the Big 12 – and that’s nothing to scoff at!

Luckily, Allen will have some help too. Defensive backs Jah’Shawn Johnson and Justus Parker were both preseason All-Big 12 picks. Fellow linebacker Jordyn Brooks isn’t far away from that kind of recognition.

However, Allen is the heart and soul of this unit. More importantly, the defense will have to take a massive step forward. Texas Tech’s offense is breaking in a new quarterback, a new running back and a plethora of new receiver. Kingsbury is a great offensive mind, but he might not have the talent to put together an elite offense this year.

Whether the defense can move closer to the top half of the conference will ultimately decide whether Texas Tech will go bowling or not.