The college football season in Texas starts a week earlier than normal with a Week 0 matchup between North Texas and UTEP. To celebrate us making it through another off-season, we’re counting down the 50 most important players in Texas every day until Aug. 27. The list isn’t necessarily about which players are the best, though talent plays a major factor in most important.

No. 29: Blake Shapen, Baylor sophomore quarterback

The History

Shapen was a three-star prospect out of the famed Evangel Christian Academy in Shreveport, La. He held 11 offers, choosing Baylor over other P5 programs such as USC, Arizona State, Ole Miss, and UCLA. Shapen passed for 2,049 yards and 24 touchdowns as a senior, earning first-team all-district honors. He took a redshirt as a freshman in 2020. 

Shapen was the backup for most of Baylor’s run to a Big 12 title. He played in six games, including two starts – the regular season finale against Texas Tech and the Big 12 championship game against Oklahoma State. Shapen was 20 for 34 for 254 yards and two touchdowns against Tech in a win. He set a Big 12 championship record with 17 straight first half completions against Oklahoma State. He beat out Gerry Bohanon during spring competition and enters 2022 as the face of Baylor’s offense. 

The Skillset 

Shapen is an extremely accurate quarterback – completing 72 percent of his passes last season – with the ability to push the ball down the field. He provides Baylor with an offensive upside it simply didn’t have with Bohanon at the helm. Shapen should open the passing game and push the ball vertically more than we saw from Baylor for most of 2021. He’s also not a statue. Shapen is a pass-first quarterback, but his ability to move and buy extra time is a valuable trait. His past as a baseball player gives him the ability to throw the ball from numerous angles. 

The Impact 

Baylor must replace most of its production at running back and wide receiver. More onus is expected on the passing game, and that means Shapen needs to pick up where he left off in the first half of the Big 12 championship game against Oklahoma State. His ability to give Baylor a plus passing game should take pressure off a new crop of running backs to find their footing in the wide zone attack. Baylor was picked to win the Big 12 in 2022 by the media in the preseason poll and Shapen shoulders much of that expectation. He plays behind the best offensive line in Texas. 

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