HERO Sports is counting down the days until the kickoff of the 2018 college football season on Saturday, Aug. 25, by featuring the best player in the FBS at each jersey number, from 99-1. Each day, from May 18 through Aug. 24, we'll publish one article showcasing the best player whose jersey number matches the number of days remaining.
No. 25 Cody Thompson
Toledo – WR
Cody Thompson entered last season with 105 career receptions for 2,128 yards and 16 touchdowns. Toledo's junior receiver was averaging a staggering 20.3 yards per reception, had 10 100-yards games and already owned a few program records. And yet, through the first four games of 2017, he made his first three years look like child's play.
Thompson averaged nearly seven receptions per game, had at least 100 yards in each game and scored four total touchdowns in leading Toledo to a 3-1 start. Then — shortly after a 32-yard catch on the opening drive — he broke his leg in the first quarter of an eventual win over Eastern Michigan and was lost for the season. It was his 30th consecutive game with at least one catch.
The 6-foot-2, 205-pounder, who had the highest passer rating when targeted among all Group of Five receivers last year, passed on the 2018 NFL Draft and now enters his final year sixth on Toledo's all-time receiving list (eighth in receiving touchdown).
"Cody is a tremendous leader,” head coach Jason Candle said in March. “He probably brings more to the table off the field from a leadership standpoint than he does on the field, and that is saying a lot because we all know that he is a great player. He’s a guy that is really committed. I’m excited to have him back and it’s really good to see his competitive spirit back out there with him running around with the guys and doing what he loves to do."
Cody Thompson is the best No. 25 in college football, narrowly edging UCF safety Kyle Gibson.
