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]
67: CJ Collins senior offensive lineman — Kennesaw State
Collins has been there from the start when KSU kicked off its first season as a program in 2015. He started 11 games at left tackle that season and another five games at that spot in 2016. Last year, there was a need at the center position and Collins made the switch.
It turned out to be the right move as Collins was named to the Big South All-Conference First Team. The Owls had their best year yet as the program continues to improve, making the quarterfinals in their first playoff appearance. KSU led the FCS in rushing yards per game at 330.2, the only team to go over 300 yards.
Admittedly, Collins isn't the biggest guy on an offensive line at 6-foot-3, 256 pounds. But the former walk-on shows his ability to get out and block in space in the triple option offense.
“I’ve always been a little undersized for an offensive lineman,” Collins told the Marietta Daily Journal. “In high school, I was only about 230 pounds. One of the lessons I learned was giving everything you got in everything you do. When I got here, that was reinforced and even amplified. Whatever you do, give yourself and play as hard as you can for the guy next to you.”
[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
