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.
[divider]
MORE FCS FOOTBALL:
FCS Home | FCS Rankings
Compare FCS Teams | Compare FCS Players
[divider]
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.
[divider]
56: Diondre Wallace, senior linebacker – Towson
Towson isn't an annual contender in the Colonial Athletic Association, but the Tigers do typically field a pretty mean defense. Enter Diondre Wallace, who has roamed the middle of the defense outside Baltimore for the better part of the last three seasons.
Towson, which only allowed 23.9 points per game last year, has a classic tackle machine in Wallace. He's increased his tackle totals from 45 (2015) to 66 (2016, third-best on team) to 90 (2017, led team) over the course of his career. So while he doesn't necessarily defend a lot of passes or force a lot of fumbles, he always seems to be in the exact spot on the field where his team needs him. Obviously, that's an invaluable commodity to have in a linebacker.
Wallace should continue on the CAA's great tradition of fantastic linebackers in 2018 and compete for an all-conference spot. (We're surprised he didn't nab one in 2017, to be honest.) We wouldn't mind seeing the Ravens take a chance on Wallace as a UDFA in 2019, either.
[divider]
FCS Kickoff Countdown: The Best Player in FCS Who Wears Each Number, 1-99
CFB Countdown: The Best Player in FBS Football, 1-99
