Welcome to the 2021 FCS Jersey Countdown.
Leading up to Week 0 games on Aug. 28, HERO Sports is going to name the best returning FCS player by jersey number, 99-0. Due to rosters being updated at different times for teams across the country and to keep things consistent, jersey numbers are based on the 2020 fall-2021 spring season.
The 99-0 countdown central page can be found here.
Note: Jersey numbers are based on 2020 fall-2021 spring rosters.
14: Jakob Herres, WR (Sr.) — VMI
Herres is a massive weapon on VMI’s explosive passing attack. The 6-foot-4, 211-pound target has been a matchup problem for defenses for years.
In 2018, he was named on the SoCon All-Freshman Team after catching 27 passes for 437 yards and five touchdowns.
The following year was when Herres arrived on the national scene. A HERO Sports Sophomore All-American and All-Conference First Team selection, he racked up 72 catches for 1,091 yards and eight TDs.
Herres was dominant again in the spring of 2021 as VMI won the SoCon title and made its first FCS playoff appearance in program history.
In eight games, he caught 80 passes for 978 yards and eight TDs. The 122.2 receiving yards a game was No. 1 in the FCS, and the 10 catches a game ranked No. 2. Herres had three games with 13 or more catches, and he had 100+ receiving yards in each of the final five games, including 13 catches for 171 yards and one TD against James Madison in the playoffs.
Herres earned All-American First Team honors from HERO Sports, Stats Perform, Athlon Sports, and the AFCA. He finished fourth in voting for the Walter Payton Award, given to the best FCS offensive player.
Herres has gotten better every season. So what’s in store for his senior year? He enters the fall a HERO Sports Preseason First Team All-American and is ranked the second-best returning wide receiver.
