Welcome to the 2022 FCS Jersey Countdown.
Leading up to 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.
85: Tucker Kraft, TE (Jr.) — South Dakota State
Kraft is just a fourth-year junior heading into 2022, but SDSU fans will want to enjoy him in a Jackrabbit uniform as much as possible this season because he’s already viewed as a top FCS prospect in the 2023 NFL Draft.
In fact, Kraft is so talented that some tried to lure him out of an SDSU uniform even earlier. This offseason, he experienced the current landscape of NIL and tampering when he was offered huge money to join Power 5 programs.
He decided to stay in Brookings, as explained in the video above. Kraft is one of several star-power players for the Jackrabbits in 2022, which is why we ranked them No. 2 in our preseason Top 25.
MVFC defenses get flashbacks of former SDSU tight end Dallas Goedert, who was drafted in the second round in 2018, when they defend Kraft.
Goedert is 6-foot-5 and 260 pounds. Kraft is 6-foot-5 and 255 pounds.
Goedert is from small-town Britton, SD. Kraft is from small-town Timber Lake, SD.
Goedert caught 72 passes for 1,111 yards and seven TDs in 2017. Kraft caught 65 passes for 780 yards and six TDs in 2021.
Kraft’s dominant season earned him All-MVFC First Team honors and several All-American accolades, including HERO Sports Sophomore, HERO Sports First Team, Stats Perform First Team, and AP Second Team.
Kraft isn’t just a top tight end in the FCS, he’s a top TE in all of college football. With the likes of Kraft, 6-TD TE Zach Heins, 1,000-yard WR Jaxon Janke, 9-TD WR Jadon Janke, All-American RB Isaiah Davis, 2021 spring MVFC Offensive Player of the Year QB Mark Gronowski, and All-American OL Mason McCormick and Garret Greenfield, the SDSU offense can be special this season.
