{"id":121790,"date":"2025-08-05T20:33:12","date_gmt":"2025-08-05T20:33:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/121790\/"},"modified":"2025-08-05T20:33:12","modified_gmt":"2025-08-05T20:33:12","slug":"college-footballs-most-athletic-big-man-plus-six-coaches-poll-takeaways","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/121790\/","title":{"rendered":"College football\u2019s most athletic big man, plus six Coaches Poll takeaways"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"
Until Saturday Newsletter<\/strong> \ud83c\udfc8\u00a0| This is The Athletic\u2019s college football newsletter. Sign up here<\/a> to receive Until Saturday directly in your inbox.<\/p>\n

Today in college football news, it\u2019s hoodie season somewhere.<\/p>\n

Super Freaks: Big dudes moving very rapidly<\/strong><\/p>\n

You know that special moment each year when you step outside and smell football? Not\u00a0a\u00a0football, which you can smell at any time, if you own one. But football itself, the spiritual thing. It smells like whatever kind of grass is smelliest in your area each fall.<\/p>\n

This week, the internet got a whiff of your area\u2019s football grass when\u00a0Bruce Feldman\u2019s 21st annual Freaks List<\/a>\u00a0arrived, showcasing college football\u2019s 101 current most farfetched athletes.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Ohio State\u2019s 19-year-old Jeremiah Smith (yes, we\u2019re going to keep mentioning his age until he turns 20 on the day the Buckeyes play Michigan) takes the top spot, unseating South Carolina\u2019s literal track star, Nyck Harbor, who last year became the list\u2019s first-ever repeat No. 1.\u00a0I asked Bruce how close Harbor came to pulling off a three-peat:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThe top three were pretty close in my mind. Harbor\u2019s obviously blazing fast, and 20 pounds heavier and a little taller than Smith (who is stronger, doing 20 reps of 225 and the most dominant player in the country).<\/p>\n

\u201cThen there\u2019s Alabama OT Kadyn Proctor, who I had a hard time not putting at No. 2. Being that enormous at 6-7, 366 and having super strength is one thing, but to vertical jump 32 inches, which is as high or higher than a bunch of wide receivers at the NFL combine this year, and he broad jumped 9-3. When Chad Johnson was at the combine, he only did 9-0.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I could\u2019ve had the top three in any order and felt pretty good about it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Whenever I read these lists, I always focus on the feats accomplished by the hugest individuals, the Dontari Poes and Jordan Davises. And yeah, the 366-pound Proctor\u2019s reported 32-inch vert would tie that of 2022 first-rounder Chris Olave (187 pounds), and\u00a0his 111-inch broad jump would beat that of 2018 first-rounder Calvin Ridley (190 pounds)<\/strong>. This man is Thor! Imagine outjumping people half your size! Sure, that\u2019s not hard to imagine for me, because people half my size are middle schoolers. But you know what I mean. Actually, now I\u2019m unsure how many middle schoolers I can outjump. Time to line up against some nephews.<\/p>\n

So much more in\u00a0the 101-player Freaks List<\/a>, including the Columbus-based Smith leveling up by surrendering meals at the Columbus-based Wendy\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Quick Snaps<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfc6 Speaking of annual staples, it\u2019s\u00a0Heisman Draft<\/strong> time. Chris Vannini, last year\u2019s selector of Travis Hunter, defends his title against seven of our co-workers. Based only on BetMGM\u2019s Heisman odds, Bruce\u2019s all-QB group is the favorite, while Stewart Mandel is taking the boldest swings. Full rules, plus rationale for each pick<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcb0 One of the many rootin\u2019\/tootin\u2019 quotes in Sam Khan Jr.\u2019s\u00a0definitive story<\/a>\u00a0on big-spending\u00a0Texas Tech<\/strong>, which ended up grabbing about twice as many transfers (21) as initially planned:<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cAfter\u00a0Tech lost to Colorado and mega booster Cody Campbell posted to complain about officiating, a fan replied with an expletive directed at Campbell and ordered him to \u2018buy us an oline (sic).\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cCampbell\u2019s reply: \u2018I will.’\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\ud83d\udcfa Netflix\u2019s \u201cAny Given Saturday\u201d series was up close for\u00a0some of last season\u2019s pivotal\u00a0SEC<\/strong>\u00a0moments<\/a>, such as affirmations by Diego Pavia: \u201cI know it\u2019s Alabama and they got six first-rounders. Well, I\u2019m a first-rounder in my mind. You\u2019ve gotta be a little psychotic.\u201d<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfc0\u00a0March Madness<\/strong>\u00a0won\u2019t expand \u2026\u00a0yet<\/a>.<\/p>\n