20 college football players who should be highly paid in 2017

PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 02: Quarterback Sam Darnold No. 14 of the USC Trojans looks to pass the ball against the Penn State Nittany Lions during the 2017 Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual at the Rose Bowl on January 2, 2017 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

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AUSTIN, TX – OCTOBER 29: Texas offensive linemen Zach Shackelford (56) and Connor Williams (55) get ready for a play during NCAA game between Baylor and Texas on October 29, 2016 at Darrell K. Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, TX. Texas defeated Baylor 35 – 34. (Photo by John Rivera/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

11. Connor Williams, OT, Texas

Building a winning team starts with the offensive line, making Williams one of the most sought-after commodities in college football as the best tackle in the country.

Williams committed to the Longhorns in September of 2014, just days after then head coach Charlie Strong began his ill-fated stint in Austin. Just a three-star recruit, Williams was ranked outside of the top 40 offensive line prospects in the class of 2015 and never carried expectations of becoming a star.

That ranking quickly proved to be way too low, as Williams was named the starting left tackle as a true freshman and has not looked back since. Williams was named a consensus first-team All-American as a sophomore in 2016 and impressively allowed just one sack on 423 dropbacks over the course of the season.

Beyond keeping promising young quarterback Shane Buechele clean, Williams also paved the way for D’Onta Foreman to lead the nation in rushing with 2,028 yards. There aren’t a lot of holes in Williams’ well-rounded game, and he has a nice combination of strength and quickness at 6-foot-6 and 320 pounds.

If the Longhorns are to have any sort of resurgence in year one of the Tom Herman era, Williams will need to remain in All-American form. The best lineman in the country is going to draw a massive paycheck, so Williams would earn $14 million in 2017 to put him alongside the likes of Joe Thomas and Trent Williams.

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