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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40: Ulonzo Gilliam Jr., RB (So.) — UC Davis
NOTE: Gilliam will wear No. 34 this year.
The UC Davis passing attack drew a lot of praise in 2018. And rightfully so. The Aggies ranked third in the FCS with 322.8 passing yards a game.
But Gilliam had an exceptional season as well and the freshman running back was key in UC Davis advancing to the quarterfinals. The HERO Sports Freshman All-American and All-Big Sky Third Team selection finished ninth in voting for the Jerry Rice Award (top FCS freshman).
His very first collegiate game saw a 132-yard and two-touchdown performance in a 44-38 win at FBS San Jose State. On the season, Gilliam ran for 976 yards and 13 touchdowns off of 186 attempts. And speaking of that passing attack … Gilliam was a significant factor in that as well. He caught an impressive 57 passes for 385 yards and four touchdowns.
We expect Gilliam to be a top running back in the Big Sky and the FCS this year, naming him a Second Team All-American.
TOUCHDOWN AGGIES | #40 Ulonzo Gilliam with the 46yd rush for the first touchdown of the game! The kick is good and the Aggies are up 10-0 over EWU #GoAgs #Shredville #UncommonEngineering pic.twitter.com/yeHuevx3qD
— #3/5 UC Davis Football (@UCDfootball) November 10, 2018
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