College football is full of incredible athletes, but some obviously stand out from the pack. And one prominent college football insider has revealed his list of the best athletes all across the country, including Michigan defensive tackle Mazi Smith, who he deems the “freakiest” athlete in all of college football.
Bruce Feldman of The Athletic published his annual “freaks” list on Wednesday, revealing the top athletes in college football entering the upcoming 2022 season. While Feldman’s list included 100 different players, Smith stood out from the rest, taking the top spot.
“The 6-foot-3, 337-pound senior has rare power and agility. So rare, in fact, it’s hard to find the right superlative to begin with,” Feldman wrote of Smith.
Feldman revealed that Smith can do 22 reps of 325 pounds – 100 pounds heavier than the 225 lifted at the NFL Combine. Smith also has a verticle jump of 33 inches, a broad jump of 9-4 1/2, and a 4.41 shuttle time – which would have been tied for the best of any defensive tackle at this year’s NFL combine and better than any defensive tackle weighing more than 310 pounds in the past decade.
“He is an incredible combination of rare traits packaged into one player,” Michigan strength coach Ben Herbert told Feldman. “He is just ridiculously strong and powerful.”
Smith is in good company. Feldman listed former Michigan defensive end, Aidan Hutchinson, as his “freakiest” athlete last year. Hutchinson was a Heisman Trophy finalist and was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Smith will hope to have similar success for the Wolverines this year.