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. 20: NORTH TEXAS QB CHANDLER MORRIS 

The history: Morris graduated from Highland Park High School as a four-star prospect after finishing his prep career 27-2 as a starter over his last two seasons while accounting for 7,694 passing yards, 1,286 rushing yards, and 125 total touchdowns. He was the MVP of a state championship win over Alvin Shadow Creek. Morris spent the 2020 season at Oklahoma before transferring to TCU ahead of the 2021 season. He played for the Horned Frogs for three years and entered the 2022 and 2023 seasons as the starting quarterback. Injuries kept him from finishing both seasons. 

The skillset: Morris isn’t the biggest guy with the strongest arm or quickest feet, but he’s a gamer with football pedigree. His father, Chad, won championships as a high school coach before enjoying a college coaching career that included head coaching jobs at SMU and Arkansas. Chandler is an accurate passer who excels in the short and intermediate passing game. He’s an accurate thrower who likes to get the ball out of his hands, but he’s mobile enough to evade pressure and make defenses pay with his legs. 

The impact: Morris should hit the ground running at North Texas for a few reasons. One, he’s played in a system like North Texas head coach Eric Morris’ for most of his life. The Mean Green offense is quarterback friendly and should fit the skills possessed by Chandler. North Texas attempted 462 passes last season, which ranked 22nd in the FBS. The Mean Green were on of 13 FBS teams to average over 300 yards passing. Even if the defense improves in Year 2, the offense must remain one of the most prolific in the AAC for North Texas to compete for a bowl bid.