Ohio State phenom freshman named as one of the freakiest athletes across college football

It's been almost 20 years since Bruce Feldman debuted his freak's list, and his 2024 list is just as juicy as ever. The Ohio State Buckeyes always have one of the most athletic recruiting classes in the nation, so it's not a surprise they have representation across the list.

One player in particular ranked highly, as freshman Jeremiah Smith earned a top 10 spot. Let's dive further into Feldman's inclusion of Smith on his freak's list.

Jeremiah Smith was ranked as the seventh-freakiest athlete in the country by Feldman. He fell behind South Carolina receiver Nyck Harbor, Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter, Michigan DT Kenneth Grant, Alabama OL Jaeden Roberts, Florida State DT Darrell Jackson, and NC State defensive end Davin Vann.

Here's what Feldman had to say about Smith:

The most touted wideout to come into college football in a long time already has wowed a lot of his veteran coaches in Columbus, who have seen their share of elite receiver talent. The five-star recruit from South Florida already looks like an NFL wide receiver, and a big one at that. He is 6-3 ½ and 218 pounds. This offseason, Smith bench pressed 355 pounds and squatted 530. He broad-jumped 10-10 and vertical-jumped 36 inches. His max speed is jaw-dropping at 23.39 mph. Everything about him is elite, we’re told, especially his work ethic. In addition, OSU coaches say he “has great hands, a great catch radius and does freaky things on a daily basis.”

It's hard to fight much of what Feldman had to say about Smith or his ranking. At the end of the day, it's more impressive when bigger bodies have similar athleticism. Outside of Harbor, it's clear Smith is one of the best, most explosive athletes in the nation. His speed-to-size ratio is insane, but he's also so fluid and coordinated that he'll be an immediate star.

The difference between Smith and Harbor is that last point. Harbor is an all-time freak, but I'm not sure he's a good football player yet. Smith is already one of Ohio State's best players before he's even played a down.