The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman released a list of 2022 college football freaks. College football is full of ridiculous athletes and this list highlights the best. The Michigan Wolverines had two players named “biggest freaks”.
No. 1 Mazi Smith
Not only do the Wolverines have some freak athletes, they have the biggest freak athlete in Mazi Smith. It’s not hard to see why. Standing 6-foot-3 and weighing 337 pounds usually means low agility. Not for Smith. Smith’s size and agility makes him a rare talent. Just look at the raw stats on Smith. His vertical jump is 44 inches. His shuttle time is 4.41 which would have been better than any 310+ pound defensive tackle in the last decade. It is no wonder in their trip to Flint, Michigan people were fascinated by Smith’s size. For Michigan, it is also nice to see him grow as leader. With the departure of a couple of defensive leaders, Michigan needed someone to fill the role and it looks like Smith is the person to do it.
No. 7 Julius Welschof
The other Wolverine in the top 10 of biggest freaks is edge Julius Welschof. Welschof is a former mogul skier from Germany and dazzled international scouts with his athleticism. Michigan has had a successful international recruiting strategy over the past couple of years and this looks like another hit for the Wolverines. With his skiing background, his lower limbs are ridiculously flexible which helps him with his speed rushing off the edge. Edge is a position that the Wolverines definitely need to fill and Welschof looks like the person to do it.
Other Wolverines Making Top 50
CB DJ Turner and DT Kenneth Grant were other Wolverines to be named biggest freaks coming in at no. 31 and no. 46 respectively. For as many questions as people have had about the Michigan defense, the Wolverines have athletes all over the field. In college football, having the better athlete is a good formula for winning. Obviously the coaching staff has to put these players in a position to win but Michigan has shown that they can.
While this list ultimately is one man’s opinion on ultra athletes, it is great to see so many Michigan players on it. Regardless of the team’s performance, the Wolverines “biggest freaks” will be fun to watch this season.