The college football season begins on Sept. 2 for 12 of the 13 FBS teams in the state of Texas. The lone exception in the Lone Star State is UTEP, which face Jacksonville State in Week 0 to begin Conference USA play. 

As we approach the start of another season, we’ll countdown the 50-most important players in college football. We’ll go one-by-one until Sept. 1 as we enter the top 20. 

Previous rankings: 50-41 | 40-31 | 30-21

The college football season begins on Sept. 2 for 12 of the 13 FBS teams in the state of Texas. The lone exception in the Lone Star State is UTEP, which face Jacksonville State in Week 0 to begin Conference USA play. 

As we approach the start of another season, we’ll countdown the 50-most important players in college football. We’ll go one-by-one until Sept. 1 as we enter the top 20. 

NO. 11: UTEP LB TYRICE KNIGHT 

The History 

The Florida native began his college career at Independence CC in Kansas for the 2019 and 2019 seasons. He was second on the team in 2019 with 58 tackles after redshirting in 2018. He arrived in El Paso as a redshirt sophomore in 2020 and immediately made an impact with 54 tackles while starting in six of the program’s eight games. Knight was an honorable mention All-CUSA selection in 2021 and a second-team All-CUSA selection in 2022. He’s started in 31 of UTEP’s last 33 games including each of the 25 games played over the last two seasons. 

The Importance 

The Miners rely on a solid front seven to win football games and head coach Dana Dimel calls Knight “one of the best linebackers I’ve ever coached”. He’s been the one consistent for UTEP at the second level over the last three seasons and he’ll need to be the leader of the unit in 2023 for the Miners to return to bowl eligibility after a slight step backwards in 2022. Knight is a run-stopping force with sideline-to-sideline speed. He’s also solid as a pass rusher and in zone coverage. With another new starter breaking in next to him at the linebacker spot, a strong start from Knight is required for UTEP to avoid the downfalls from last season. 

The Outlook 

The defense should once again be the strength of the UTEP program and Knight is a key cog in that unit alongside Praise Amaewhule, Keenan Stewart, and Kobe Hylton. A Week 0 conference game against FBS newcomer Jax State sets the tone for the 2023 campaign. The Miners limped into 2022 with a conference loss to North Texas in Week 0. The Miners hope to reverse that fortune with a strong start this season. 

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