Two Mountaineers Make Bruce Feldman's 'Freaks' List
Every year, Bruce Feldman of The Athletic puts together a large list of college football's top "freaks". If you are unfamiliar with this list, it basically ranks the most freakishly athletic/impressive weight room warriors that have some of the best speed, strength, and pure power. In this year's edition of Feldman's list, he included West Virginia wide receiver Bryce Ford-Wheaton and defensive lineman Jordan Jefferson. Of the 101 players listed, Ford-Wheaton was ranked No. 51, while Jefferson was a little further up the chart at No. 38.
"A promising young talent, Ford-Wheaton had a very productive season in 2020, catching 27 passes for 416 yards and three touchdowns. This is a big 6-3 1/2, 222 pounds), explosive athlete who vertical jumped 39.5 inches and ripped off a 4.05-second shuttle, and also had an electronically timed 1.48 10-yard split. Wheaton also power cleans 345 and squats 505."
"Expect this guy to be more of a presence on the WVU front. The former state champion wrestler in Florida has some elite testing numbers for a young 6'3'", 300-pounder. Start with his 34.5 inch vertical and his 1.66-second 10-yard split, but his power numbers are just as impressive. Jefferson benches 445 lbs, squats 700 and power cleans 405. Jefferson isn't the only freak on West Virginia's d-line. Mountaineer star Dante Stills' numbers are almost as impressive: a 415-pound bench; a 605-pound power squat with a 33-inch vertical; a 1.62-second 10-yard split; and a 4.48-second shuttle."
Earlier this offseason, WVU head coach Neal Brown praised Ford-Wheaton for his development and sees him having a breakout season this fall.
“I think he can be one of the better receivers in our league - I really do believe that,” said Brown. “He's becoming a more complete player playing away from the ball, and it doesn't get talked about, but he's been a really consistent special teams player for us. I'm excited to watch him this fall."
With Ford-Wheaton's size and speed, if he stacks a bunch of good games on top of each other, he will start to pop up on the NFL's radar. He most likely will need to return for his senior season but I can see him having Gary Jennings-like type of production. It just all comes down to consistency and having the ability to make big plays in big moments which he has full confidence in.
“I think I’m capable of making big-time plays and big-time catches," said Ford-Wheaton. "So, I think I just need to go out there and prove that. I think when the ball is in the air, I think more people should think I’m going to catch it than not, so that’s really what I need to work on.”
Jordan Jefferson was sort of thrown into the fire during his freshman year and it wasn't by choice. The Mountaineers didn't have the numbers on the interior defensive line that they would have liked so Jefferson was called into action and held his own for the most part. He appeared in eleven games and made one start whereas last season he only appeared in five games and saw limited snaps in those games. It wasn't that Jefferson took a step back from year one to year two but according to defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley, it was more about what he was calling and the schemes that he fits and doesn't fit in.
"2019 was a little unfair to him but I'll say this, '20 was unfair to a lot of guys going into their 2nd year because that development is so key to a redshirt freshman or a true sophomore. A lot of the things last year that I had to do for Darius [Stills], a lot of times didn't fit Jordan's skillset which is fine. We just had to move him around and we knew we were going to be at the time, a little unproven in the secondary so we had to be creative with what we did up front. A lot of that is also wasn't right in what Jordan is dynamic at. This year, again, a little bit different. People start to attack you differently and you need a different skill set in different situations, so now I think his role will increase. He's had a great offseason. I don't know if he's the strongest guy but if not he's one of the top three. It's ridiculous how strong the kid is. He's needed."
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