Meet the new Texas Longhorns starter who was named one of the most important players in college football this season

The Texas Longhorns have a difficult road in the 2024 season. Not only do they travel to Michigan and Texas A&M, but they'll also face Georgia and Oklahoma this fall. To survive, all hands will need to be on deck for these critical matchups.

Despite losing stars on both sides of the ball, there's optimism around the program. They can replace some of the playmaking left by Jonathan Brooks, in particular. That's because of Jaydon Blue, who was named Texas' most important player entering 2024 by The Athletic's Bruce Feldman.

Was Blue the right choice? Here's Feldman's justification for naming Blue one of the 10 most important players in the country this season:

Steve Sarkisian’s team probably has suffered the most key injury losses in camp with star running back CJ Baxter blowing out his knee and then Christian Clark, another back UT is high on, tearing his Achilles a few days later. Texas is down to three scholarship running backs. Quintrevion Wisner has lots of speed but is more of a slasher, while Jerrick Gibson, more of a bowling ball, will also help to pick up some of the slack. But Blue is talented enough to become a breakthrough player. He’s got 4.3 speed and ran for 398 yards in limited action. He’s a solid 200 pounds. Baxter had been the guy being counted on to really run between the tackles. The hope is that if Blue can become a more physical and durable runner to complement what already should be a dynamic offense, the Horns will have a big debut season in the SEC.

Blue's inclusion on this list is an interesting one. Running backs haven't been considered a major engine of most offenses unless the passing game is terrible or the trench play allows for devastation by a random running back. Blue is certainly athletically gifted, but is he Ollie Gordon III or Quinshon Judkins good?

We'll find out soon. He's certainly explosive, averaging 6.1 yards per carry and 9.6 yards per reception in 2023. He looked terrific in Texas' spring game, and the 200-pounder's speed is undeniable.

I would've been more tempted to include someone like Andrew Mukuba or Isaiah Bond for Texas, though. This team's trench play should be good enough to elevate any average back, and having playmaking receivers who can help Quinn Ewers is more important than a running back.

Here's what 247Sports had to say about Blue earlier this offseason:

Blue missed his senior year at Klein (Texas) Cain for non-injury-related reasons, but in his sophomore and junior years proved a reliable high-volume weapon who racked up big counting stats and impressive per-carry explosion. Blue ran 432 times in those two seasons to average 8.71 yards per carry; his per-carry rate jumped from 7.86 as a sophomore to 9.49 as a junior.

That junior season saw Blue eclipse 200 rushing yards six times in 11 games. That includes 10 of 11 games with 159 or more rushing yards. Six times he also ran at least 21 times, and he scored at least two touchdowns in every game.

The simple scouting report on him? Speed, speed, speed. Blue, who recorded sub-11.00-second 100-meter speed in high school, combines higher-volume competency with big-play juice. His breakthrough 2023 Texas season provided a glimpse of that against college competition as he averaged more than six yards per carry on almost 70 attempts.

There was a point in time, and there should still be, where nobody would have blinked at Blue being RB1 of a playoff contender. After all, even with no senior season, he finished as RB6 and 101 overall (third-round grade) in the Top247. A senior season akin to what he did in his previous two seasons would have likely kept him in the top 75 and possibly top 50.

Sounds like Texas fans will have a ton of fun rooting for Blue this fall.