Welcome to the 2019 FCS Kickoff Jersey Countdown.
The regular season begins Saturday, Aug. 24 with Samford vs. Youngstown State in the Guardian Credit Union FCS Kickoff along with Villanova playing at Colgate.
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- FCS Home
- The Best Player in FCS Who Wears Each Number, 1-99
- Preseason Top 25 Poll
- Preseason All-American Teams
- Team By Team & Conference Previews
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HERO Sports is going to count down each day by highlighting the best player in the FCS who wears the jersey number equal to the number of days until kickoff. You can find the running list of top players here.
*Note: Jersey numbers are from the 2018 season.
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2: Christian Rozeboom, LB (Sr.) — South Dakota State
Rozeboom is a monster, and he's been a monster since his redshirt freshman season in 2016. He led the Jackrabbits in tackles in his first three seasons with 132, 127 and 105 last year. Rozeboom already ranks fourth in total career tackles at SDSU with 364.
In his first year starting in the middle of SDSU's defense, Rozeboom was the runner-up for the Jerry Rice Award, given to the top freshman in the FCS, and was named a HERO Sports Freshman All-American, an All-MVFC First Team selection and the Valley's Freshman of the Year.
RELATED: 2019 SDSU Season Preview
The awards didn't stop there.
Rozeboom earned five different All-American honors in 2017 and two All-American honors last year, including a spot on HERO Sports' Third Team. The 6-foot-2, 230-pound Iowa native is also now a three-time First Team All-Conference selection.
Rozeboom is unquestionably one of the top linebackers in the FCS this year. We have him on our Preseason All-American First Team. And pro scouts like what they see as well. Rozeboom is ranked the 17th-best small-school pro prospect by Draft Scout and a potential seventh-round draft pick.
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NEXT: The Best Traditions in the FCS
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