'Rocket 2.0' Ismail Mahdi returns for All-American encore

of 2024 college football season presents a completely new landscape. Texas is in the SEC. SMU is back in a power conference as members of the ACC. The College Football Playoff now includes 12 teams and an automatic bid to the top G5 team in the country. For most, the start of the season is in Week 1 on August 30, although SMU starts in Week 0 and TCU plays its first game on August 29.

To celebrate getting through another offseason, we're counting down the 50 most important players in Texas as we get closer to kickoff. This list isn't necessarily about which players are the best in terms of NFL draft stock. He ranks players by importance to their team's success.

History: Ismail Mahdi plays with shades of former Notre Dame star Rocket Ismail. He rushed for over 1,300 yards and 14 touchdowns as a senior in the East Plano in 2021 and was a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award, given to an FCS freshman, in Houston Christian. GJ Kinne saw his potential when he trained against him in the UIW in 2022 and he brought Mahdi to San Marcos in 2023. Mahdi became an All-American in his first season at Texas State, leading the nation with 2,169 all-purpose yards.

Skill set: Mahdi landed on the Paul Hornung Award watch list because he is one of the country's most versatile players. He rushed for more than 1,300 yards, caught 20 passes out of the backfield and added 563 punt return yards with one touchdown. At 5-foot-9, 185 pounds, Mahdi wins with the speed of a track star. He ran a 10.6 100m in high school and has gotten faster in college.

Impact: For Group of Five schools, the biggest offseason win may be keeping players signed. Kinne said at the THSCA Coaching School that keeping Mehdi and the defensive end Ben Bell were bigger wins than anyone the Bobcats could have gotten on the Transfer Portal. Mahdi is the best rusher in the Sun Belt Conference, and his pairing with quarterback Jordan McCloud and wide receiver Joey Hobert gives Texas State one of the best triple threats in the G5.