The countdown to the 2018 college football season is on. Four FCS teams are in action Aug. 25 as Duquesne takes on UMass, Prairie View faces Rice and North Carolina A&T and Jacksonville State square off in ESPN’s FCS Kickoff.
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HERO Sports is going to count down each day by highlighting the best player in FCS football who wears the jersey number of the number of days to kickoff. You can find the running list of top players here.
*Note: Jersey numbers are from the 2017 season.
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26: Manny Patterson, DB (Jr.) — Maine
In an age where defensive backs usually take redshirt years and fill multiple rolls behind the line of scrimmage, Maine corner Manny Patterson is about as true a pass defender as you can find in FCS Football.
Patterson, who started in nine games as a true freshman, earned the University of Maine's in-house Defensive Rookie of the Year award. He broke up 10 passes as a freshman — a top-10 mark in the CAA in 2016 — and chipped in 23 tackles.
As a sophomore, Patterson took the next step as a shutdown corner. His 17 PBU led the CAA and ranked second nationally on a per-game basis. (Lafayette's Phillip Parham edged him out by a couple of decimal points.)
Unsurprisingly, Patterson leaped into the CAA's All-Conference selections. He was tabbed for the Second Team, but if James Madison didn't have a historically great group of corners, he'd be a lock for the First Team. Look for that in 2019, after Rashad Robinson and Jimmy Moreland graduate.
For now, Patterson may need to set his sights on All-American status as an acceptable individual goal. As far as consolation prizes go, that's a pretty good one.
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FCS Kickoff Countdown: The Best Player in FCS Who Wears Each Number, 1-99
CFB Countdown: The Best Player in FBS Football, 1-99
