2 Gophers highlighted as ‘Freaks’

A couple of Minnesota Gophers football players are being highlighted for their athletic ability.

The Athletic ’s Bruce Feldman this week released his 2024 edition of the “Freaks List,” which doesn’t focus on the best football players but rather the most athletic.

Two Gophers made Feldman’s list this year: offensive lineman Aireontae Ersery and linebacker Cody Lindenberg.

Ersery, who is already being highlighted as one of the best linemen in the country and a potential top pick in next year’s NFL Draft , is Minnesota’s starting left tackle.

At 6-foot-6, 330 pounds, he’s a physical specimen but also crazy athletic. Feldman notes that Ersery squatted 640 pounds, bench pressed 412, did a 409-pound hand clean, ran 18.34 mph and a 1.52-second 10-yard split, posted a 27.5-inch vertical, a 9-foot-2 broad jump and a 4.61 shuttle time.

Yeah, he’ll become much more well known by football fans across the country over the next year.

Lindenberg , an Anoka native, had 31 tackles and 3.5 for loss before his year was cut short by injury last season. However, he figures to play a big role in 2024.

Coaches told Feldman that the redshirt senior linebacker ran as fast as 21.46 mph at 6-foot-3, 240 pounds, broad-jumped 10 feet and vertical jumped 36 inches. His pro shuttle time (4.00) would be the fastest at the NFL Combine since 2019, and he also benches 350 pounds and hang cleaned 387 pounds.

Feldman also shouted out (but didn’t rank) redshirt junior wide receiver Le’Meke Brockington for squatting 614 pounds — a Gophers record for a skill position — and also broad-jumping 10-feet, 9.5 inches, clocking a 1.43-second 10-yard split and posting a 42-inch vertical.

All three Gophers seem poised to play big roles in 2024.