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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41: Christian Benford, CB (So.) — Villanova
Villanova is known for its tough defense, and Benford is the newest playmaker on that side of the ball.
He was named the CAA Football Defensive Rookie of the Year and was on the All-Conference Third Team. He added HERO Sports Freshman All-American honors as well while finishing sixth in voting for the Jerry Rice Award (top FCS freshman).
Benford was all over the field making plays with 49 total tackles, 38 solo, 11 passes defended, six pass breakups and five interceptions in nine games played. His 0.6 interceptions per game ranked sixth in the FCS.
Three of his interceptions came in a dominant performance against Richmond.
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