It’s that time of year again where Bruce Feldman of The Athletic releases his list of the 50 Freaks of College Football. This year, the No. 1 ranked freak of college football just happens to be Michigan junior defensive end Rashan Gary.
The list is meant to showcase the most unusually athletic current players. It’s a compilation of those players who exceed expectations and surprise those who are used to seeing gifted talent.
Last year featured former Penn State running back Saquon Barkley at No. 1. But this year is Rashan Gary, who started all 13 games last fall at Michigan.
“The No. 1 overall prospect in the 2016 recruiting class hasn’t disappointed,” Feldman wrote. “He made first-team All-Big Ten as a sophomore in 2017 after producing 66 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, six sacks and seven quarterback hurries.”
At 6-foot-5, Gary runs a 4.57 second 40-yard dash and maintains the same weight he was last year — 287 pounds, at least, according to school records. His 3-cone drill fell to 6.79, slightly lower than last year at 6.70, but he would still beat every defensive lineman at this year’s NFL scouting combine. He also surpasses every defensive lineman at the combine with his 4.22 pro agility shuttle time.
Gary was ranked ahead of a few other Big Ten players, including Ohio State defensive end Nick Bosa, Iowa tight end Noah Fant and Wisconsin nose tackle Olive Sagapolu.
Gary’s been praised several times this offseason, and many expect him to be a first round draft pick when he declares for the NFL Draft. But right now, all Gary is thinking about bringing a national championship to Ann Arbor.
“I don’t know, I’ve just been focused on trying to win a national championship. I need that,” Gary told Detroit Free Press earlier this summer.