Two Florida Gators Featured on The Athletic's 2021 'Freak List'
Photo: Mohamoud Diabate; Credit: University of Florida athletic association
Each preseason, Bruce Feldman of The Athletic compiles a lengthy list of college football's "freaks" - the most athletic and/or physically imposing athletes in the game at the college level.
The 2021 edition of the Freaks List is bigger than ever, featuring 101 players from across the nation. The list includes two Florida Gators within the top 50: Senior running back Dameon Pierce and junior linebacker Mohamoud Diabate.
21. Dameon Pierce, Florida, running back
He led the Gators in rushing with 503 yards last season and also caught 17 passes for 156 yards. The 5-10, 215-pound senior might have the strongest lower body of any running back in college football. Pierce squats 705 pounds and vertical jumps 37 inches. He’s clocked a 4.50 40 and has just 6 percent body fat. In addition, he benches 390 pounds.
Pierce is expected to begin the season as Florida's starting running back for the second year in a row, even though UF's running back room is deep and littered with versatile talents. Whether or not Pierce will again lead the team in rushing yards is yet to be seen, however, his physical prowess gives UF plenty of reason to keep him on the field.
We've seen Pierce improve his agility over time after initially emerging as a power-rusher in Florida's system - his 40-yard-dash and vertical jump results back this sentiment up. At the same time, his squatting max of 705 pounds is absurd - particularly for a 215-pound specimen, indicating that he hasn't lost his ability to be a bruiser in between the tackles.
These are NFL-caliber workout results. Pierce has a lot to prove before being taken seriously as a pro prospect, but as UF reverts back to a balanced offense after going pass-heavy over the past two years, he'll have a chance to do so.
43. Mohamoud Diabate, Florida, linebacker
The Gators have a bunch of young Freaks in the pipeline (remember the name: Anthony Richardson, a huge, athletic quarterback), but Diabate, who is in his third season in the program, really emerged in 2020, making 69 tackles and seven TFLs. He made 10 tackles in the SEC title game against Alabama. As for his Freak credentials, Diabate is 6-3 1/2, 226 pounds and was clocked at 4.51, but the staff thinks he will run even faster. He’s broad jumped 10-4, verticaled 33.5-inches, squatted 605, benched 355 and clocked in 20.6 MPH on the GPS. He also has just 5.5 percent body fat.
Diabate owns the potential to become one of Florida's most-feared defenders in 2021 as the Gators' defense looks to bounce back from a largely disappointing 2020 performance. Having added weight to his frame, and a lot of strength to pair, Diabate now owns the size to play off-ball linebacker on all three downs.
On top of his size, Diabate is lightning quick, and we've seen his speed result in big-time plays from numerous alignments. Keep in mind, the fastest 40-yard-dash in NFL Combine history is 4.36 seconds, and Diabate appears to be inching toward that time in the eyes of Florida's coaching staff.
Assuming Diabate becomes Florida's full-time starter at weak-side linebacker this year and continues to pile up production as he did well in a limited role, he could very well emerge as one of Florida's top 2022 NFL Draft prospects and put his name in the hat as an underclassman, following three years at the university.
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