Welcome to the 2023 FCS Jersey Countdown.
Leading up to Week 0 games on Aug. 26, HERO Sports will name the best returning FCS player by jersey number, 99-0. Because team rosters are updated at different times 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 2022 rosters.
94: Dylan Ruiz, DL (Jr.) — New Hampshire
Ruiz is wearing No. 9 in 2023
As if offenses didn’t have enough on their plates trying to contain UNH’s Josiah Silver, Ruiz emerged as another elite defensive end in 2022.
Entering last year, Silver was coming off of an All-American 2021 season where he racked up 80 tackles, 20.5 TFLs, and 12.5 sacks. Ruiz was an unknown coming into 2022, tallying nine tackles in six games the previous season. But he became a force last fall, forming a dangerous duo on the edges of UNH’s defense.
Ruiz racked up 60 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, 12 sacks, seven quarterback hurries, and two forced fumbles. Silver, also just a sophomore in 2022, totaled 55 tackles, 17.5 TFLs, and 8.5 sacks.
The 6-foot-1, 254-pound Ruiz earned All-CAA First Team honors along with All-American accolades from HERO Sports (All-Sophomore Team), the Associated Press (Third Team), The Bluebloods (Second Team), and Phil Steele (Fourth Team).
Coming off of a 9-4 season that saw a 7-1 mark in the CAA and a 52-42 first-round playoff win over Fordham (before a 35-19 loss to Holy Cross), UNH will face high expectations entering 2023. The Wildcats return an experienced squad led by some big names. Offensively, QB Max Brosmer, RB Dylan Laube, and TE Kyle Lepkowski are Top 10 returners in the FCS in their position groups. And Ruiz and Silver bring the star power on the defensive side.
“I think at the end of the day we’ve got the makings of a really good football team,” UNH head coach Rick Santos Santos said. “I’ve told these guys before we’ve been fortunate to be part of a team when we were No. 1 in the country as a player and as an assistant coach. I think these guys have the ability to be that type of team. We can be a Top 10 team. We can compete for a national championship and that’s our goal. It’s lofty expectations for sure, but I think we have the ability to do that. For these guys, it’s kind of staying in the moment, making sure that we continue to get better every day and not rest on what we did last year.”
Having two All-American-level talents at defensive end who can play the run and get after the quarterback is one of many things to like about the 2023 UNH squad.
