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. 3: Dillon Doyle, Baylor senior linebacker 

The History

Doyle was a two-time all-district selection during his two-year varsity career at West High School in Iowa as a linebacker and a tight end. Doyle was all-state as a senior after he collected 73 tackles, including 12 for loss and two sacks, to go along with three fumble recoveries. He also caught 19 passes for 242 yards and four touchdowns on offense. He helped West reach the state championship game in both of his years on the team.

Doyle stayed home to attend Iowa and saw action in four games as a freshman in 2018, mostly on special teams. He recorded 23 tackles and one forced fumble during 13 games as a redshirt freshman for the Hawkeyes in 2019. He started three times that year before transferring to Baylor prior to the 2020 season. His first day in Waco was his first day as a Baylor student because he couldn’t visit during the pandemic. 

Doyle made an instant impact as a linebacker for the Bears next to Terrell Bernard. Doyle started all nine games at linebacker in his first year with the program. He was honorable mention All-Big 12 after racking up 56 tackles, which was second on the team. He stepped his game up even more as a junior in 2021 when he was second on the team again with 91 tackles. He also caught a couple of touchdown passes near the goal line. Doyle was named honorable mention All-Big 12 and DCTF Second-Team All-Texas for his efforts. 

The Skillset 

Doyle is a big, athletic linebacker who stands at 6-3 and 240 pounds. He’s a throwback of sorts with the physicality to play in any era. There’s a reason he started his career in the Big 10. Doyle is excellent against the run and capable of getting sideline-to-sideline. He’s at his best at the point of attack when he gets to take on a lead block or plug a hole inside the tackle box. He’s quick enough to beat offensive linemen to the spot and strong enough to finish tackles in one-on-one scenarios. Doyle is also solid in pass coverage, specifically in zone. He has a high football IQ and was deployed as an offensive weapon on occasion in 2021 thanks to his background playing tight end as a prep athlete. 

The Impact 

Baylor lost nearly half of its defensive production to graduation or the NFL Draft after a 12-win 2021 that resulted in a Big 12 championship and a win over Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl. One of those losses was Bernard, the linebacker who led the Bears in tackles both seasons that Doyle was on campus. Doyle becomes the obvious choice to lead the Bears’ defense in tackles with Bernard now in the NFL. Doyle is the prototypical linebacker for Dave Aranda’s attacking defense. He’ll be the man on the second level and should be in for an All-Big 12 season due to his skills and the protection he’ll receive from defensive linemen Siaki Ika and Jaxon Player. If he stays healthy, Doyle should record over 100 tackles for one of the best defenses in Texas. 

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