The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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SEPTEMBER 2024 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 33 T he Athletic's Bruce Feldman re- leased his annual "Freaks List" for college football in 2024, and the Wol- verines were well represented with four players making appearances. Feldman defines a freak as someone who "gen- erates buzz inside their programs by displaying the unique physical abilities that wow even those who observe gifted athletes every day." Junior defensive tackle Kenneth Grant checked in at No. 3, giving Michigan a top-10 freak in five straight — and six of the last seven — years. Michigan has had the No. 1 freak three times in that span — Rashan Gary in 2018, Kwity Paye in 2020 and Mazi Smith in 2022 — along with the second-rated freak once (Aidan Hutchinson in 2021). All six of Michi- gan's top 10 freaks since 2018 have been defensive linemen, including Kris Jen- kins, who was rated No. 6 in 2023. Grant is the top-rated defensive line- man this year. The only two freaks ahead of him are South Carolina wide receiver Nyck Harbor and Colorado wide re- ceiver/cornerback Travis Hunter. The Wolverines' other representa- tives on the "Freaks List" are junior quarterback Alex Orji (No. 13), junior cornerback Will Johnson (No. 28) and junior tight end Marlin Klein (No. 90). Michigan and Penn State were the only two schools with four honorees apiece. Former head coach Jim Harbaugh said before Grant's freshman year that he ran a sub-5.0-second 40-yard dash at nearly 350 pounds (he's currently listed at 6-foot-3, 339 pounds), and he's flashed his speed at that size in games. His strength also stands out. "This offseason, Grant pressed a 115-pound dumbbell 34 times on his right and 27 times on his left," Feld- man wrote. "He vertical-jumped 29 inches and did a Turkish get-up with a 150-pound dumbbell." Orji is the highest rated of a group of just four quarterbacks that made the "Freaks List," with the others being West Virginia's Garrett Greene (No. 86), Port- land State's Dante Chachere (No. 89) and North Dakota State's Cole Payton (No. 95). Orji was the No. 50 freak last season, when he also led all quarterbacks. "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 'slack blocks' while showing the precision and focus required to pick up a popcorn ker- nel off of the ground," Feldman wrote. Feldman revealed that Johnson had the fastest time this offseason on Mich- igan's plyo stairs at 2.27 seconds and clocked a 6.57-second three-cone drill. Klein has been described by Michigan junior tight end Colston Loveland as the biggest, fastest and strongest tight end on the roster, and that holds up with him showing up on the list and Loveland not making it. "Loveland emerged as a matchup nightmare last year thanks to his rangy frame and speed that tops out at 21.25 mph," Feldman wrote. "Klein, now 6-6 and 250, hit 21.75 mph this summer. He broad-jumped 9-7." — Clayton Sayfie U-M STARS MAKE NATIONAL AWARD WATCH LISTS The narratives surrounding the Wol- verines heading into the 2024 season have revolved around the talent they lost from last season's national title squad. The national preseason award watch lists paint a very different story, though, with numerous U-M players being recognized. Watch list season singled out 10 dif- ferent Wolverines to keep an eye on this year, headlined by junior cornerback Will ❱ MICHIGAN FOOTBALL Four Wolverines Named To The 2024 'Freaks List' 2024 MICHIGAN FOOTBALL SCHEDULE Date Opponent Time (TV) Aug. 31 FRESNO STATE 7:30 p.m. (NBC) Sept. 7 TEXAS Noon (FOX) Sept. 14 ARKANSAS STATE Noon (BTN) Sept. 21 USC 3:30 p.m. (CBS) Sept. 28 MINNESOTA TBA Oct. 5 at Washington TBA Oct. 19 at Illinois TBA Oct. 26 MICHIGAN STATE TBA Nov. 2 OREGON TBA Nov. 9 at Indiana TBA Nov. 23 NORTHWESTERN TBA Nov. 30 at Ohio State Noon (FOX) Dec. 7 Big Ten Championship 8 p.m. (CBS) Junior defensive tackle Kenneth Grant checked in at No. 3 overall on the annual college foot- ball "Freaks List" put out by The Athletic's Bruce Feldman. Grant's lofty ranking marked the fifth straight year a U-M player earned top-10 status. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETICS