The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
5 SEC players among top college ‘freaks’
When it comes to freakish athleticism, the SEC has plenty.
Fox Sports’ Bruce Feldman ranked the top 20 “freaks” in college football Monday, and five spots on the list went to SEC players. The list included the nation’s top “workout warriors” and players that “possess some rare physical abilities that wow folks inside their programs.”
Texas A&M DE Myles Garrett earned the top spot on the list because of his physical form and the crazy things he does in the weight room. Garrett also demonstrates that same athleticism on the field. He recorded 12.5 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss last season.
“The junior has off-thecharts workout numbers,” Feldman said. “He told me this month he power cleans 440 pounds and bench presses 485 — staggering when you consider he also has a 40-inch vertical and his fastest 40 time at A&M, he said, is 4.45.”
LSU RB Leonard Fournette wasn’t far behind Garrett at No. 3. Fournette’s achievements on the field are well documented. He ran for 1,953 yards as a sophomore in 2015, an LSU single-season record. He also ran for 22 touchdowns.
But the junior also sets the tone for the team in workouts. He runs a 4.42 40-yard dash and squats 528 pounds.
“He is a leader on a team full of very hard workers,” LSU strength and conditioning coach Tommy Moffitt told Feldman, “and he’s out front challenging our best runners and lifters every day.”
The other SEC players to make the list were Mississippi State S Brandon Bryant at No. 8, Alabama DT Daron Payne at No. 11 and Florida LB Jarrad Davis, who tied for No. 20.
Bryant reportedly runs 4.24 40 with a 500-pound squat and a 600-pound deadlift. Payne, a defensive lineman, runs a 4.93 40 with a 500-pound bench press. Davis has benched 475 pounds and once did 38 reps of 225 pounds.