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. 46: TEXAS DT ALFRED COLLINS

The history: Collins arrived at Texas as a five-star recruit from nearby Bastrop Cedar Creek. His mom, Benita Pollard, was a basketball player at Texas from 1990-94. Collins himself began his athletic career with hardwood aspirations, but his size and potential on the gridiron won out during his prep career. As a freshman in 2010, Collins played in 10 games and started once for the Longhorns. He started four times in 12 appearances as a sophomore in 2021 and once in 12 games as a junior in 2022. 

The defensive tackle ranks at Texas were crowded during his first four years on campus as he battled for snaps alongside future NFL draft picks in Moro Ojomo, Keondre Coburn, T’Vondre Sweat, and Byron Murphy. Collins managed six starts in 14 games last season for the Horns, totaling 22 tackles, including two sacks. 

The skillset: Few people checking in at 6-foot-5 and 321 pounds can move like Collins, who hasn’t lost all his athleticism from his basketball playing days. He’s more three-technique than nose tackle, but he can play at every defensive line position for the Longhorns given the right circumstance. He’s big enough to take on double teams and quick enough to create havoc in the backfield. The only thing holding Collins back during his college career is consistency. If he can play at his best on every snap, Collins is talented enough to be an All-SEC defensive tackle in 2024.  

The impact: Moving to the SEC means the Longhorns will play more opponents with NFL caliber offensive and defensive lines. Without Sweat – the Outland Trophy winner – and Murphy – the first defensive player selected in the 2024 NFL Draft – Collins must become the guy for Texas up front. He won’t need to do it alone with Vernon Broughton and a few portal additions to fill the ranks, but Collins is the most talented of the bunch and the one who can be a true gamechanger for the Horns in 2024. The strength of the Texas defenses the past two seasons was the interior of the defensive line and it is up to Collins & Co. to make sure it doesn’t turn into a liability.