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
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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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71: Drew Himmelman, OL (Jr.) — Illinois State
A towering figure at 6-foot-10 and 315 pounds, Himmelman has been a steady presence at left tackle for the Redbirds. Outside of missing two games as a redshirt freshman due to injury, Himmelman started all nine games in 2017 and all 11 games last year.
His play has been recognized in a big way. He was named on the Missouri Valley Football Conference All-Newcomer Team two seasons ago and then the Second Team last year. Himmelman also earned HERO Sports Freshman and Sophomore All-American honors.
As you'd probably guess, he was a tremendous basketball player in high school and had an offer from Northern Illinois. But football was his sport, and his basketball background helped him become a top offensive lineman in the FCS.
“The footwork aspect of it has helped," Himmelman told HERO Sports last September. "Because of my size, I was a post. So you sink your hips and feet to get position, whether you’re trying to score, rebound, boxing people out. Keeping that low center of gravity and working on moving in all kinds of directions. It’s also important to just be a well-rounded athlete. Playing multiple sports, the better overall athlete you’re going to be.”
Himmelman enters his junior season on the HERO Sports Preseason All-American Second Team as the Redbirds face high expectations.
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