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. 39: Texas Tech WR Josh Kelly
The history: Josh Kelly is a testament to the ladder toward Power Four football the Transfer Portal provides. After four seasons at home town Fresno State, Kelly transferred to Washington State and caught 61 passes for 923 yards and eight touchdowns. Now a sixth-year senior, Kelly earned a spot on DCTF's 2024 preseason All-Texas team.
The skillset: Kelly does most of his damage as an outside receiver but is a polished route runner who can move around the formation in offensive coordinator Zach Kittley's scheme. He's got good speed, but Kelly separates himself with his hands. He's the type of all-around wide receiver that Texas Tech hasn't had in years and could be the best X-receiver since Michael Crabtree.
The impact: Kelly is the most talented and could be most productive of the wide receiver platoon change Texas Tech brought in through the transfer portal. The best-case scenario is developing into quarterback Behren Morton's No. 1 wide receiver, forcing defenses to play with a lighter box against running back Tahj Brooks and mentoring five-star freshman Micah Hudson.
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