The 2019 college football season is complete and it's time to honor the best of the best.

This year challenged our conceptions of what the programs in this state are. Some of the best players in the nation played in Texas, as usual, but the cream of the crop looked different than we expected.

Few, if any, could have seen the three players we picked heading into the year dominating the sport in the way they did. Texas is known for explosive offense. The top standout in the state is on defense. Texas had multiple teams in the preseason AP Top 25 – none of the three standouts played on one of those teams.

Instead, we have a pair of defensive players from much-maligned defenses that took big steps forward, along with an offensive player who is finally getting his due after changing everything at his school.

Without further ado, here are the 2019 Dave Campbell's Texas Football Collegiate Players of the Year.

Player of the Year: James Lynch

The junior defensive end from Baylor via Round Rock took his game from intriguing to unbelievable in 2019. Lynch posted a relatively pedestrian 39 tackles while lining up as an interior defensive end. Of course, 18.5 were for loss and 12.5 went for sacks. He recorded quarterback hurries on 13 plays, forced three fumbles, blocked two kicks and even broke up five passes, surpassed by just one defensive back at Baylor.

Simply put, Lynch was the most unstoppable player in the state of Texas, regardless of position. He was the catalyst that sent the Bears from No. 85 to No. 15 in SP+ defense in one season. And considering that he led the most important unit on by far the best team in the state, picking him as Player of the Year is a no-brainer.

Lynch was a three-time all-district selection at Round Rock High School. As a senior, Lynch was named District 13-6A Defensive Lineman of the Year twice and was a member of the 2016 Dave Campbell's Super Team.

Offensive Player of the Year: James Proche

Proche, a DeSoto product, leaves SMU as the top statistical receiver in program history. He passed names like Courtland Sutton, Trey Quinn, Emmanuel Sanders and Cole Beasley to leave as the career leader in career receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns.

His senior year was the best of his career. Proche posted 102 catches for 1,139 yards and 14 touchdowns while taking the Mustangs from 5-7 to 10-2. After Reggie Roberson went out with injuries, Proche posted 41 catches for 447 yards and five touchdowns over his final four games. SMU’s offense was tremendous across the board, but Proche was Mr. Reliable.

Proche posted 18 catches for 335 yards in seven games for DeSoto High School in 2015. He attended DeSoto, Red Oak and Prime Prep for high school.

Defensive Player of the Year: Jordyn Brooks

When Dakota Allen graduated, a Texas Tech player confided that he questioned whether anyone would be able to fill the role – on and off the field – Allen left behind. Brooks, a senior from Houston Stratford, not only filled it. He improved on it in every way.

Brooks posted 108 tackles, 20 tackles for loss and 12 quarterback hurries to cap off a magnificent career at Texas Tech, despite missing significant time with injuries. More importantly, he was on the forefront of Tech’s defensive cultural upgrades under first-year coordinator Keith Patterson. Now, the kid who came to Lubbock with just one in-state Power Five offer will be a top NFL draft pick.

Brooks played three years of varsity football at Stratford High School in Houston. He was twice named District 19-5A first team and led the Spartans to a 10-2 season in 2015 as a senior.