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. 41: SMU S Jonathan McGill

The history: McGill was a District MVP at Coppell High School before venturing westward for Stanford. He played in all 12 games and made six starts as a freshman, but COVID shortened his sophomore season and an injury limited him to two games as a junior. He earned a captain's designation senior year and finished second on the team with 51 tackles. McGill returned to the DFW area last year and became a team captain for an SMU defense that finished 11th in the nation, allowing under 18 points a game.

The skillset: A sixth-year senior, McGill's football IQ allows him to rotate between high safety and nickel corner while getting the rest of the formation aligned pre-snap. While plenty athletic, the 5-foot-10 McGill makes most plays with his brain. He's always in the right spot. 

The impact: With McGill's addition, SMU went from surrendering 33.8 points per game to under 18 in one season. Of course, McGill wasn't the only factor. SMU's defensive line simply overwhlemed the majority of American Athletic Conference competition. But McGill's leadership, and experience in Power Five football, is vital as SMU transitions to the ACC.