Welcome to the 2022 FCS Jersey Countdown. Leading up to the start of weekly college football odds and Week 0 games on Aug. 27, HERO Sports will name the best returning FCS player by jersey number, 99-0. Due to rosters being updated at different times for teams across the country and to keep things consistent, jersey numbers are based on last season’s rosters.
The 99-0 countdown central page can be found here.
Note: Jersey numbers are based on 2021 rosters.
70: Cody Mauch, OL (Sr.) — North Dakota State
NDSU offensive lineman Cordell Volson was selected by the Bengals in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Some scouts believe Volson was the second-best pro prospect on the 2021 Bison o-line. The top prospect was left tackle Cody Mauch, a name to know for the 2023 NFL Draft.
Mauch made massive strides from a pretty good spring season to a dominant 2021 fall season. The 6-foot-6, 303-pounder was the 11th-highest-graded offensive tackle by PFF in all of Division 1 football at 88.9. He was the fourth-highest among FCS tackles, behind 2022 NFL Draft picks Trevor Penning (UNI), Braxton Jones (SUU), and Volson.
The Hankinson, North Dakota, native earned All-American honors from the Associated Press (Second Team) and HERO Sports (Third Team) and was named to the All-MVFC First Team.
Mauch arrived at NDSU as a 6-foot-4, 234-pound tight end in 2017. He put on the “freshman 15” and then some and was moved to the offensive line. Mauch was listed at 6-foot-4 and 269 pounds in 2018, 6-foot-4 and 290 pounds in 2019, 6-foot-5 and 295 pounds in 2020-21, and 6-foot-6 and 301 pounds last fall.
NDSU utilized Mauch in its six offensive linemen sets in 2019. He moved into a starting role and played both tackle spots during the spring, earning All-Conference Second Team accolades before becoming a top FCS OL last season.
Mauch headlines an NDSU o-line that returns 4/5 starters and the next five guys as part of its rotation. Another dominating season will elevate Mauch’s draft stock, where he is already viewed as the third-best prospect in the FCS by Josh Buchanan.
