Baylor QB Sawyer Robertson grouped with Avery Johnson, Sam Leavitt as most important player(s) in college football

College football is set to return in weeks, and ESPN's Bill Connelly came out with his '40 most important players' column -- an annual tradition. As the analytic guru noted -- college football is a QB-heavy league now, and the majority of the players on his list come from the QB position.

There was one Baylor Bear on the list, and you might've guessed it -- QB Sawyer Robertson. Connelly lumped Robertson in with other Big 12 QBs like Avery Johnson (Kansas State), Sam Leavitt (Arizona State), and Josh Hoover (TCU). Connelly named Robertson as the No. 35 most important player in college football.

"We're going particularly quarterback-heavy in this section, but, well, this is a quarterback-heavy conference. And over the course of 2024, Robertson might have been the conference's best. (He had the best Total QBR, at least.) He threw for 3,071 yards at an explosive 13.4 yards per completion, and he returns last season's top two receivers, Josh Cameron and Ashtyn Hawkins. Baylor could have its best offense in a decade, which would give a work-in-progress defense quite a bit of margin for error."

Robertson didn't begin 2024 as the starter -- he was behind Toledo transfer Dequan Finn. But Finn suffered an injury, and struggled, so Robertson earned the nod and he didn't disappoint. In six games, Robertson threw for over 250 yards, and while the Bears lost to LSU in the bowl game, Robertson passed for 445 yards and two scores.

With so much talent surrounding him in 2025 -- Josh Cameorn, Michael Trigg, Ashtyn Hawkins, and Bryson Washington, among others -- Baylor not only has a chance to contend for the Big 12 Conference, but the Bears have a legit chance to make their first College Football Playoff appearance.

- Enjoy more Baylor Bears coverage on Baylor Bears On SI -

More News:

How former Ohio State national champion Calvin Simpson‑Hunt could transform Baylor’s secondary in 2025

'Might have the best QB-RB duo in the conference': Joel Klatt ranks Baylor football in his preseason top 25

Baylor's recruiting battles with blue bloods is a sign of success for Dave Aranda