Current Notre Dame football standouts earn place on 2024 Feldman's Freak List

You know that the college football season is almost here from Bruce Feldman of The Athletic puts out his annual Freaks List. This piece highlights 100 of the best athletes across college football, showcasing the offseason grind they have been put through, as well as the natural athleticism they possess.

On the 2024 addition of the list released on Tuesday, Feldman included two current Notre Dame standouts, as well as a quick mention of another. The athletes included were defensive tackle Rylie Mills , wide receiver Beaux Collins , and a quick shoutout for junior linebacker Jaylen Sneed. While the volume isn’t as high as in years past, the quality is once again outstanding.

The list begins with Mills representing the Irish defense. This is the season straight year he has been included by Feldman.

27. Rylie Mills , Notre Dame , defensive lineman

The Irish have a lot of talent on their defense and Mills (No. 10 on the Freaks List in 2023) and another freaky big man (who vertical jumps an impressive 32 inches weighing 290 pounds) anchor a very disruptive front. The 6-5 Mills had 47 tackles last season with 5.5 TFLs, 2.5 sacks and two recovered fumbles. He’s down 11 pounds from last year, to 295, but benches almost the same as he used to (445 pounds) and squats 580. This offseason, he vertical-jumped 32 inches and broad-jumped 9-0. Jaylen Sneed , a 6-1, 225-pound linebacker with three years of eligibility remaining, is another freak on the defense. He vertical-jumped 38 1/2 inches and broad-jumped 10-2 1/2.

It isn’t much of a surprise to Notre Dame fans that Mills is a freak athlete. Formerly a high-end defensive end recruit coming out of Illinois, Mills played on the edge early on in his Irish career. He’s a physically impressive kid, with a dynamic frame and outstanding athleticism. If Mills can put it all together this season, he has the chance to be a major riser in the 2025 NFL Draft.

The additional mention of Sneed in the end also isn’t overly surprising for Notre Dame fans. It has long been known how athletically gifted the South Carolina native is. The explosiveness especially, which was highlighted here.

Perhaps the most promising inclusion was Collins, who transferred from Clemson this offseason. Notre Dame had to get more athletic in the wide receiver room, and Collins was a big part of that offseason makeover. Here’s what Feldman had to say about the talented wideout.

36. Beaux Collins , Notre Dame , wide receiver

The former Clemson receiver who had 91 catches for 1,290 yards and 11 TDs in 32 games (27 starts) with the Tigers should add some juice to the Irish receiving corps. The 6-3, 208-pounder from Los Angeles put up some dazzling numbers during the training program this offseason, vertical-jumping 41 1/2 inches and broad-jumping 10-11 1/2.

Those types of explosive numbers for a bigger wide receiver are outstanding. The Irish have lacked a vertical element in the boundary the last couple of seasons, one who could win with either vertical speed or size. Collins looks to make that difference in 1-on-1 chances.