If you’re a regular here at Touch the Banner, you probably know what begins in the month of May. Every year since 2009, I have counted down from the least important player on that year’s roster to the most important player, including starters, scholarship players, preferred walk-ons, special teams players, student body walk-ons, and everyone in between. That’s right, this is the eleventh (11th!) annual season countdown.
In case you want a look back at last year’s countdown, here it is (LINK).
YEARLY DISCLAIMER: The countdown is by the player’s importance to the team, not his overall talent. A talented player at a deep position won’t necessarily be missed a lot if he gets injured, but an injury to a moderately talented player at a thin position could be devastating. For example, former Michigan quarterback Wilton Speight wasn’t supremely talented, but backups John O’Korn and Brandon Peters mostly struggled in his absence, resulting in a dropoff from 10-3 to 8-5 from 2016 to 2017.
Be ready for the countdown to begin on May 1.