The 2024 college football season presents an entirely new landscape. Texas is in the SEC. SMU is back in a power conference as ACC members. The College Football Playoff now includes 12 teams and an automatic bid for the best G5 team in the land. For most, the start of the season is in Week 1 on August 30, though SMU starts in Week 0 and TCU plays its first game on Aug. 29. 

To celebrate us making it through another off-season, we’re counting down the 50 most important players in Texas as we inch closer to kickoffs. This list isn’t necessarily about which players are the best in terms of NFL draft stock. It ranks players in order of importance to their team's success. 

NO. 8: UTSA DT JOE EVANS 

The history: The Louisiana native started his college career at LSU where he appeared in 16 games with 10 starts during three seasons with the Tigers. He arrived at UTSA prior to 2022 and worked his way into the starting lineup four times in 11 games played. Evans finished as an honorable mention All-Conference USA defensive lineman as the Roadrunners won a second straight conference title. Evans was third-team All-American Athletic Conference last year as he started all 13 contests and finished with 2.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, and a safety. 

The skillset: Grown men win battles in the trenches and Evans is exactly that. The 6-3, 335-pound anchor is nearly impossible to move off his spot. He demands double teams in the run game, which allows linebackers to flow freely to the ball carrier. Evans started at LSU – that’s about all you need to know. He’s big. He’s strong. He’s durable. And there aren’t many like him on G5 rosters because they’re usually poached. 

The impact: Keeping Evans at UTSA might’ve been the biggest recruiting win for Jeff Traylor’s Roadrunners this offseason. His loyalty helps UTSA field one of the best G5 defensive lines in America. If the Roadrunners end up winning 10 games and/or competing for the AAC championship – and by extension a bid to the College Football Playoff – it’ll be because of Evans and the defensive unit. He teams up with Brandon Brown and Asyrus Simon in the trenches.