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. 24: RICE QB E.J. WARNER

The history: The junior transfer from Temple arrives with plenty of experience and production. He threw for 3,028 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2022 en route to American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year honors. He set school records in 2023 when he threw for 23 passing touchdowns and became the first quarterback in program history to throw for 3,000 yards in back-to-back seasons. Warner transferred to Rice following the season and enters the year with the second-most passing yards (4,543) and passing touchdowns (31) in AAC games behind Memphis’ Seth Henigan. 

The skillset: The 6-0, 190-pound Warner comes from championship stock. His father, Kurt, is a former NFL MVP and Superbowl champion who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. E.J. possesses similar traits. He’s not the biggest quarterback with the strongest arm or swiftest feet, but his football IQ is through the roof and Rice head coach Mike Bloomgren says that Warner is a film junkie who outworks most coaches. 

The impact: Rice won six regular season games and reached its second straight bowl game behind a strong season from quarterback JT Daniels, who arrived prior to 2023 via the transfer portal. Bloomgren hopes Warner can duplicate that success, and maybe even build upon it. The Owls don’t have a wide receiver like Luke McCaffrey on the roster, so it might be more balanced with running back Dean Connors featuring, but Warner is the wildcard who could make this team improve from six wins last year to seven or eight this season.