Two USC Trojans Land On Bruce Feldman’s Infamous “Freaks List”

It’s become an annual tradition, the release of Bruce Feldman’s “Freaks List” and last year USC Trojans WR Brenden Rice made the list. Every year, dating back to 2005, Feldman releases a list of college football players that he considers (as do others) to be “athletic freaks.”

In this year’s iteration, two USC Trojans made the infamous list.

USC Trojans Wide Receiver Zachariah Branch

Not a surprise to anyone, coming in at number 49 is WR/Return Specialist Zachariah Branch. In terms of “freakish” ability, this one is all about speed and agility, but the strength of Branch is what will surprise people. According to the list, he bench pressed 350 pounds this offseason, gained eight pounds, and dropped his body fat to only 4.6 percent.

Per Feldman, he recorded the fastest top-end speed on the Trojans clocking a speed of 23.2 mph. His 10-yard split of 1.44 seconds would historically be 4th at the NFL Combine, behind only Chris Johnson (1.40), Henry Ruggs (1.43), and Malcolm Mitchell (1.43).

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The expectations for Branch this season are through the roof. While he has already established himself as the top return specialist in the country (332 return yards and 2 touchdowns in 2023, plus the Jet Award Winner), the hope is that he will make the next leap within the offense.

Coach Riley spoke at Big Ten Media Day about how he expects Branch to be much more involved and a focal point of the offensive game plan. He will look to build upon his 31 catches for 320 yards and 2 touchdowns from last season.

USC Trojans Offensive Lineman Emmanuel Pregnon

Perhaps a bit more of a surprise to casual Trojans fans will be the inclusion of Emmanuel Pregnon, but if you have been around the program this offseason, it is a shock to no one.

Pregnon is considered the strongest player on the team doing 10 reps of 315 pounds on the bench press, and he gained 5 pounds during the offseason going from 315 pounds to 320.

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What may be surprising, however, is that he clocked out at 17.8 mph on the GPS and ran a 1.68-second 10-yard split. His 10-yard split time would have tied for the second-fastest among offensive linemen at the NFL Combine the past two years.

Pregnon will be tasked with being the starting left guard for the USC Trojans as they make their official move to the Big Ten. He will need that strength and “freak” athleticism as they will be going up against much stouter defensive lines this season.

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