Big Ten Roundup (Aug. 16): 19 Big Ten Football Players Make Feldman's CFB 'Freaks' List

On Tuesday, The Athletic's Bruce Feldman published his highly anticipated 2023 College Football Freaks List.

The list is published every year right before the start of the new college football season, and recognizes 101 athletes in the sport who are capable of some truly amazing feats.

Of the 101 players on Feldman's list, 19 are from Big Ten teams, including Indiana's Jaylin Lucas. Penn State led the way with six total selections, while Michigan had four and Ohio State had three. Additionally, Iowa had two players make Feldman's list, while Illinois, Wisconsin, Purdue and Indiana each had one.

Here's everything you need to know in today's Big Ten Roundup:

(All of the following anecdotes and testing numbers are aggregated from Feldman's story, which can be found at the link here).

The 19 Big Ten Players on the CFB Freaks List

Marvin Harrison Jr, WR, Ohio State — After one of the most dominant sophomore seasons in college football history, it's no surprise the son of an NFL legend made the list. According to Feldman's article, Harrison Jr. can bench press 380 pounds and squat 500.
Sonny Styles, DB, Ohio State — At 6-foot-5, 228 pounds, Styles is one of the most physically imposing safeties the sport has ever seen.
Chip Trayanum, RB, Ohio State — With a max bench press of 415 pounds and a max squat of 600, it's no surprise that Trayanum has capably played both linebacker and running back for the Buckeyes.
Kris Jenkins, DL, Michigan — He is literally called, "The Mutant."

Michigan's biggest Freak 307-pound DL Kris Jenkins, aka "The Mutant," (son of the former Pro Bowler by the same name) vertical jumped 34 inches, ran a 4.33 shuttle and did this insane Turkish Get Up with a 170-pound dumbbell: https://t.co/4bqHQeV0tq pic.twitter.com/4ZO5ctuo8y
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) August 15, 2023

Alex Orji, QB, Michigan — The Wolverines' strength and conditioning program has become the stuff of legend in the past few years, and Orji is just another chapter in that book. The backup quarterback graded No. 1 on the entire Michigan roster in his cumulaitive Key Performance Indicator score that the team uses.
Amorion Walker, CB, Michigan — According to Feldman's piece, Walker finished the 3-cone drill in 6.10 seconds, well ahead the NFL Draft combine record of 6.42 seconds, set by Oregon's Jeff Maehl in 2011.
Roman Wilson, WR, Michigan — Wilson has caught 50 passes for 796 yards and eight touchdowns over Michigan's past two seasons, and with a 4.37-second 40-yard dash, he's one of the Wolverines' most dangerous players.
Chop Robinson, DL, Penn State — At 6-foot-3 and 254 pounds, Robinson is a strong yet explosive edge rusher for the Nittany Lions. He's clocked a 4.47-second 40-yard dash while also bench pressing 400 pounds.
Olumuyiwa Fashanu, OL, Penn State — The presumptive top NFL Draft prospect at the left tackle position, Fashanu is an imposing force on the Penn State O-Line, standing at 6-foot-6 and weighing 320 pounds.
Nick Singleton, RB, Penn State — Coaches have compared Singleton to Adrian Peterson. Enough said.
Zane Durant, DL, Penn State — Durant is a quick twitch interior rusher, standing only 6-foot-1, but weighing 284 pounds and having clocked a 4.66-second 40-yard dash this offseason.
Abdul Carter, LB, Penn State — After a true freshman season where he recorded 10.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks, it's clear why Penn State coaches gave the same No. 11 jersey to Carter that Micah Parsons and LaVar Arrington wore. If those guys weren't "Freaks," then who is?
Jordan van den Berg, DL, Penn State — Feldman notes that van den Berg's Grandmother held multiple South African swimming records, and that prior to his own arrival in Happy Valley, Jordan was a competitive bodybuilder.
Cooper DeJean, CB, Iowa — DeJean recorded an Iowa record three pick-sixes in 2022, and NFL trainer Jordan Luallen said that the defensive back might break 4.3 seconds in the 40-yard dash this next year.
Logan Jones, OL, Iowa — In classic Iowa fashion, Jones previously broke a record for the hay bale toss in the state, and was a high school state champ in the shot put and discus.
Gabe Jacas, DL, Illinois — A former wrestling state champion in the state of Florida, Illinois coaches have raved about the 6-foot-3, 267-pound Jacas non-stop, and have praised his intensity in workouts.
Braelon Allen, RB, Wisconsin — As if 2,510 rushing yards in two seasons weren't enough, Allen can also power clean more than 400 pounds, and has gotten himself down to 8% body fat.
Deion Burks, WR, Purdue — Despite only standing 5-foot-9, Burks has benched 350 pounds and squatted 450 pounds for three reps each.
Jaylin Lucas, RB, Indiana — The lone IU representative of the bunch, it was Lucas's 4% body fat and 4.29-second 40-yard dash that earned him a spot in the top 101.

The 19 Big Ten Players on the CFB Freaks List

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