Gator's Bayou Wonderings: Tech's five captains and their journeys to lead

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This is it, friends. We've traversed the long, tricky path through the wilderness. We've survived the football drought which plagued us for the last eight months. We navigated the dunes of darkness.

Yes. College football is back, and Texas Tech will christen the season on Saturday when Eastern Washington comes to town.

With that coming season opener comes pomp and circumstance, some of which is more than ceremonial. For the football team itself, that includes finishing fall camp, finding out who's won which position battles, and installing the initial gameplan.

But one element that sometimes goes overlooked is the naming of the five captains. At Tech, Kingsbury and the staff allows the team to vote on five players to lead them each and every week, the five players whom their peers deem worthy to bear the torch and represent them as a whole, both on the field and off it.

In 2017, the five players are chosen are seniors Dylan Cantrell, Nic Shimonek, and Cam Batson along with juniors Jah'Shawn Johnson and Dakota Allen.

And while they have a unifying title that gives them all equal rank publicly, they've each had their own unique journey and experiences that have molded them into the top dogs on this football team. So, let's talk about each of these five players, what defines them, and how they'll lead...

-First, as already noted, all five were chosen by their teammates, not by the coaching staff. That means something. It means they were chosen by the men who spend the most time with them. The ones who succeed beside them and struggle through the hard times together. The ones who truly know just how hard they work, how they lead, and how they act. These five were chosen by the people who know them better than anyone else. That should tell you something about what it really means to be named a captain at Tech.

-And being a captain means you'll essentially be the face of the program for an entire season. It means you're the players that everyone sees first before a game at the coin flip. You're marked by a giant, unmissable "C" on the left side of your chest. If you make a mistake, particularly one that costs your team, it's magnified. If you do something stupid, that event's impacted is looked upon two fold. You carry much more responsibility on your shoulders as a representative for that Double T on your helmet than your teammates do. So, again, that should tell you something about the five chosen.

So, let's break down each of the five individually...

-QB Nic Shimonek: Shimonek will be a one year starter under center for the Red Raiders. After transferring from Iowa to find a better fit close to home, he sat behind Pat Mahomes for the last two years, patiently and quietly waiting his turn, taking his time, and working while no one noticed him. Shimonek understood what he had to do to get what he wanted at Tech, and now he's earned his reward as a starting quarterback for the best offensive mind in college football. The Corsicana nativedoesn't come off as loud, boisterous, or with much fanfare at all. He's a head down, earn it type. But there's an undeniable intensity to him. He cuts through BS. Nothing is danced around. He's honest, simple, and straightforward. When he gets on the football field, however, things change. He's fiery. He's demanding. He's honestly a bit cocky. But it's what defines him. It's what makes him a leader for this football team. He's a lightning rod under center, something the Red Raiders haven't had in quite some time.

-As a leader, Shimonek will be the first one to hold himself and his teammates accountable. He's tough, and his work speaks for itself. He's earned every ounce of respect he has from his teammates as a former walk-on that Kingsbury never honestly expected much out of. But now he's climbed his way into the role of starting quarterback, and his teammates seem to be mimicking his attitude. Shimonek is a self made man at Texas Tech. That's what will serve him best as a leader, and one who has his teammates respect as an alpha male.

-WR Dylan Cantrell: Cantrell was a holdover signee from the Tuberville era, originally recruited by Neal Brown and the boys before Kingsbury's staff took over in December of 2012. Cantrell stuck around, and he played snaps in 2013 as a true freshman back up tight end to Jace Amaro. Cantrell eventually moved outside and made some Sportscenter Top 10 plays a sophomore, looking to take another big step forward as a junior. Fate wouldn't have it, though, as he missed all of 2015 with a back injury, redshirting instead. As a junior last fall, the Whitehouse native finally stepped out into the spotlight as the best outside receiver and arguably most reliable target on the entire football team. He was a safety blanket for Pat Mahomes, particularly on third down. Now, as a senior, he's looking to go out with a swan song as one of the best outside pass catchers to come through the program in recent memory. And he really has a chance to.

-Cantrell isn't a particularly loud guy. He doesn't seem to yell much or be a fire starter. But he is a hard worker that's completely transformed himself physically into one of the best athletes on the entire team. He's all about perfecting his craft. He's a model citizen, both on the field and off it. If you wanted to mold all 100 plus of your football players after someone on your team to create a well-oiled, hard working, improve-driven team, he'd be the guy. Cantrell is the role model of what you want as a coach.

-WR Cam Batson: The other wide receiver that's a captain on this year's team, but this one plays in the slot. An Oklahoma native, Batson was the big man on campus as a senior in high school. Valedictorian, quarterback, and Gatorade state player of the year. If there was an accolade to be had, he found it. At Tech, he found playing time right away in 2014 as a true freshman, backing up Jakeem Grant at H and returning punts. In 2015, he had the same role, just expanded a bit. But in 2016, he became, and maybe quietly so, a playmaker for this football team. He has great hands and made a ton of big plays in big moments for this football team as a reliable target for Mahomes.

-On top of that, Batson is tough. Despite his size, he packs a wallop, getting every ounce of physicality his body will grant him, fighting for every extra yard on every single play. The word "quit" doesn't exist for this senior. On top of that, he's one of the core leaders for this offense and has been in the background for a while now. He's got gumption, fire, and want to. Batson could very well be your emotional lightning rod on offense. He's the very definition of an overachiever in the best way possible.

-S Jah'Shawn Johnson: If anyone has been baptized by fire, it's Johnson. As the veteran leader on this Texas Tech defense, he's seen the ups and downs as a two year starter at safety. In 2015, he was an absolute ballhawk, making big plays left and right when the Red Raider defense needed them. The only problem is he was the only ballhawk on the team, and he couldn't do it all by himself. Regardless, Johnson has grown into an emotional leader for this defense, both because of his age and his experiences.

-Johnson's been galvanized by as tough of circumstances as any star player in the country. He's had so much put on his shoulders on some bad defenses, and he's taken it like a champ. Now, he's older, he's wiser, and he hopefully has some teammates that can now help him make plays. As a leader, Johnson has a massive chip on his shoulder, and he must as an undersized safety. But he knows how to make plays, and he knows how to lead. He's the battle hardened vet, and one whose teammates respect him as the top dog on David Gibbs' defense.

-LB Dakota Allen: Very, very few people - let alone players - have had a two year journey quite like Dakota Allen. After coming in and establishing himself as a budding star and playmaker at linebacker for the Red Raiders in 2015, the Houston native made a huge mistake, resulting in his arrest, expulsion from Texas Tech, and fall to the bottom. But that fall didn't end there. Instead, Allen made a choice to course correct. He climbed out of his hole, fueled by sobering, humbling moments on his road back to redemption, a road that ended up back in Lubbock.

-Allen can be the ultimate example and cautionary tell for his teammates. He made a huge, life-altering mistake. But he didn't let it define him. Instead, he course-corrected, deciding to own it and become a better man for it. Allen has evolved, and all for the greater. Now, he's a leader for this team. What a journey.

These five will be the face of Texas Tech football. Their influence will dictate what this team becomes in 2017. What will their story be? We'll find out starting on Saturday.