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.
No. 38 Brad Koenig, LB — Miami (OH)
Brad Koenig earned several scholarship offers while playing at Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor, Mich. Except they were partial scholarships…from FCS schools. Four years later, Koenig has more than proven he's not an FCS-partial-scholarship player; he's one of the best defensive players in the MAC.
Koenig accepted a walk-on offer at Miami (OH), redshirted in 2014, and had 24 tackles in 12 games (one start) in 2015. That — combined with his off-the-field efforts — was enough for Redhawks' head coach Chuck Martin to award Koenig a scholarship. And Martin is getting a massive return on his investment.
Koenig, now a 6-foot-1, 225-pound senior, has 176 tackles the last two years, including a team-high 103 last year, among them 10.5 tackles for loss and three sacks. And he's the best No. 38 in college football, joining teammate James Gardner on the countdown.
