Michigan football has 4 of top 100 'freakiest' college football athletes on Athletic list
Tony GarciaThe Athletic's Top 100 'freaks' list — a subjective, annually compiled list by Bruce Feldman which acknowledges the most freakishly athletes among NCAA college football players — has been released and once again the Michigan football team is well represented.
The Wolverines had four players find their way onto the list, three of whom are listed in the top 30, while the fourth may be a bit of a surprise as he's taken just 42 offensive snaps in his first two years on campus.
U-M is led by defensive tackle Kenneth Grant at No. 3, he comes in right behind South Carolina WR Nyck Harbor and Colorado athlete Travis Hunter, which now marks the sixth time in the past seven seasons Michigan has been represented in the top 10.
Michigan has been able to claim the No. 1 freak on the list three times — Rashan Gary (2018), Kwity Paye (2020) and Mazi Smith (2022) — while Aidan Hutchinson (2021) was ranked No. 2 and Kris Jenkins (2023) came in at No. 6; all defensive linemen.
Meanwhile, also representing Michigan on the list this year is junior quarterback Alex Orji (No. 13), junior defensive back Will Johnson (No. 28) and junior tight end Marlin Klein (No. 90). Below is a bit more on each of the 'freaks'.
No. 3: Kenneth Grant (DT)
It's no surprise Grant made this list; he checks in at 6-foot-3 and 339 pounds, yet maintains elite quickness.
Not only did Feldman say he could do a Turkish get-up with a 150-pound dumbbell, but he reportedly clocked a 4.69 in the 20-yard shuttle. Last season, the sophomore finished with 29 tackles, five of which went for loss, including 3½ sacks, six quarterback hurries, five pass breakups and one interception.
Though he's known for his ability to stuff the run, Grant's 9.9% pass rush win rate last season ranks top 10 among returning power four interior defensive linemen.
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“Anyone doubting Grant’s speed (a max of 18.75 mph on the GPS) only needed to see him run down Penn State running back Kaytron Allen in the open field last year,” Feldman began. “His ability to fly up Michigan’s reactive plyo stairs test, a series of seven 26-inch-high stairs that players attempt to jump up as fast as possible, is truly freakish. This offseason, Grant pressed a 115-pound dumbbell 34 times on his right and 27 times on his left. He vertical-jumped 29 inches and did a Turkish get-up with a 150-pound dumbbell.”
No. 13: Alex Orji (QB)
There's no more athletic quarterback in the nation than Orji; at least that's what Feldman determined.
Only four signal callers cracked the list and the other three in West Virginia's Garrett Greene (No. 86), Portland State's Dante Chachere (No. 89) and North Dakota State's Cole Payton (No. 95), all slotted in the bottom 15 positions.
The same could not be said for Orji, the 6-foot-3, 235-pound dual threat quarterback who jumped 37 spots from his position at No. 50 on last year's list. Orji ran 15 times for 86 yards and two touchdowns in a backup role as a sophomore; he's now entrenched in a three-way battle as he competes for the starting job.
“This summer, he vertical-jumped 41 inches, broad-jumped 10-7, clocked a 6.62 3-cone drill time and ran 4.06 seconds in the pro agility shuttle,” wrote Feldman. “But the most impressive thing about Orji is what Michigan strength coach Justin Tress describes as the big quarterback’s elite balance and mobility reflected in his ability to do pistol squats on an unstable surface using wobbly ‘SlackBlocks’ while showing the precision and focus required to pick up a popcorn kernel off of the ground.”
No. 28: Will Johnson (CB)
Widely projected to be a top five pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, it's no surprise that the Wolverines' big-bodied cornerback comes in near the top quarter of this list.
According to Feldman, Johnson not only had the fastest time this offseason on Michigan’s plyo stairs (2.27 seconds) but he clocked a 6.57-second 3-cone drill which was faster than any of the defensive backs who went through the same drill at last year's combine.
It's not a coincidence Johnson was rated as the highest overall player when the new NCAA video game 'College Football 25' was released last month.
“The best [3-cone drill] time during the past two years for corners at the last two NFL combines was 6.62, and the average time for corners at the 2024 combine was 6.88,” Feldman cites. “Johnson’s 20-yard shuttle time was 4.05 seconds, which would’ve been third during the past two years in Indianapolis. (Former Michigan teammate Mike Sainristil did it in 4.01 seconds.) Johnson’s broad jump was 10-8 1/2.”
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A first-team All Big honoree and first team All-American (Sports Illustrated), Johnson finished his sophomore season with 27 tackles, one of which went for loss, as well as four interceptions and a touchdown against Minnesota.
No. 90: Marlin Klein (TE)
Evidently when star tight end Colston Loveland called Klein 'the most athletic guy in the room' earlier in the spring, he wasn't messing around.
Klein hasn't even played 50 collegiate offensive snaps, yet his teammates and position coach Steve Casula have done nothing but rave about the 6-foot-6, 250-pound product from Germany to the point Feldman felt he had to include him in the list.
“Colston Loveland is the Wolverines freakish tight end most fans know about, but I hear they’ll probably get familiar with Klein very soon,” Feldman said. “Since arriving in Ann Arbor, Klein, who began his football career with the Cologne Crocodiles in his native Germany, has turned a lot of heads. Loveland emerged as a matchup nightmare last year thanks to his rangy frame and speed that tops out at 21.25 mph... (Klein) hit 21.75 mph this summer. He broad-jumped 9-7.”