HERO Sports is counting down the days until the kickoff of the 2018 college football season on Saturday, Aug. 25, by featuring the best player in the FBS at each jersey number, from 99-1. Each day, from May 18 through Aug. 24, we'll publish one article showcasing the best player whose jersey number matches the number of days remaining.
[divider]RANKINGS: Top 100 Teams for 2018
TRIVIA: Daily FBS Trivia Question
MORE: Best FCS Player for Each Jersey Number[divider]
No. 40 Devin White, LB — LSU
LSU linebacker Devin White earned All-SEC First-Team honors after ranking second in the conference with 133 tackles while adding 4.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and three passes defended. He was widely viewed as one of the best linebackers in the country and sent his 2019 draft stock soaring with several strong performances.
The then-sophomore, however, was not an All-American or a Butkus Award finalist. And Tigers' defensive coordinator Dave Aranda hopes that pissed off the 6-foot-1, 240-pounder.
"He deserves recognition," Aranda said last December. "The flip side of that is I hope it pisses him off and he plays well with what we have coming up."
White, a former four-star recruit from northwestern Louisiana, enters what is expected to be his final season in Baton Rouge as the best No. 40 in college football and a strong candidate for All-America honors and the Butkus Award.