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. 26: SAM HOUSTON WR NOAH SMITH 

The history: Smith is entering his sixth season at Sam Houston after arriving from Cypress Ridge High School in the 2019 recruiting class. He immediately made an impact for the Bearkats, recording 309 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns as a true freshman in 2019. He was an All-Southland Conference third team selection in the spring of 2021 and an All-WAC second-team member in the fall of 2021. After redshirting in 2022 to preserve eligibility for the move up to FBS, Smith starred in 2023 as injuries increased his target share. He was second in CUSA with 79 receptions and sixth with 783 receiving yards while scoring eight total touchdowns. 

The skillset: The 5-11, 190-pound Smith is a productive player who excels in the slot. He can also play on the outside. Smith is a multi-tool player who played multiple positions, including quarterback, at Cy Ridge. He’s remained versatile for the Kats illustrated by the 102 rushing yards last year. Smith proved durable and reliable in Sam Houston’s first season as an FBS program. 

The impact: Smith was asked to be the go-to receiver for a struggling Bearkats offense last year due to the injuries of fellow wide outs Ife Adeyi and Qua’Vez Humphreys early in 2023. He won’t have to carry the whole load this season, but he’ll still need to be WR1 for a new quarterback in either Jase Bauer or Hunter Watson. Sam was 118th in scoring last season at 20 points per game. That must improve for the Bearkats to go bowling and it is on stars such as Smith to turn yards into points.