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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29: Marcus Marshall, senior running back — James Madison
Marshall had a ton of expectations and excitement surrounding him in his first season with the Dukes in 2017 after he led Georgia Tech in rushing two seasons in a row. The regular season was up-and-down as he adjusted from an option offense to JMU's system. He had 19 carries for 135 yards and two touchdowns in the CAA opener vs. Maine. Then came games with less than 10 touches for yardage below 20.
But it was in the playoffs when Marshall broke through in a big way, something he hopes continues in 2018. Marshall combined for 331 yards rushing and four touchdowns in the quarterfinals and semifinals as JMU reached its second straight national championship game. He finished the year with 850 yards rushing and a team-high 11 touchdowns while also returning kicks and averaging 22.5 yards a return.
"I was looking for a school to go to where it felt like I was going to fit in not only into the scheme, but I really wanted to feel like I belonged in that locker room," Marshall told HERO Sports before the national title game. "When I took my visit they treated me like I had been here a year, so it felt like home to me. Both my parents went to school here, obviously I fit into the football scheme so it just all-around felt right.”
The JMU running back room is loaded this season with multiple players who could be the feature back elsewhere. So Marshall may not rack up the statistics like other backs. But we still expect a huge senior season, naming him a preseason Third Team All-American.
He'll also have some NFL eyes on him, with NFLDraftScout ranking him the 33rd best NFL Draft prospect at running back.
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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
