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10 more college football freaks missing from The Athletic’s list of star athletes
Bruce Feldman’s annual Freaks List in The Athletic ran 101 deep this year . And yet there’s still more Freaks to be found.
I’ve included a handful more with burning speed. A few earn their spot with strength or with a mind that might predicts the tendences of the defense.
So, here are 10 more players who belong in that Freaks conversation for the 2026 season, and none of them made Feldman’s 101. All of them do something on a college football field that most cannot.
Former Louisville Cardinals running back Duke Watson (26) is now with the UCF Golden Knights. If it weren’t for an injury, this runner might be a household name by now. Duke Watson led the country in yards per carry as a Louisville freshman in 2024. He averaged 8.9 yards a carry and ran for 597 yards and seven touchdowns on just 67 carries. Watson went for 117 yards and three scores on 11 carries at Stanford. An ankle injury cut his 2025 season to seven games and 158 yards. Now he is at UCF, reunited with general manager Trent Mossbrucker, who recruited him to Louisville. Coach Scott Frost’s staff expects the 5-11 back to lead the Knights backfield this fall.
Chris Johnson Jr., RB, Clemson
The name–no relation to the former Tennessee Titans star running back–fits. Chris Johnson Jr. brings sprinter speed to Clemson after one season at SMU. He won Florida 3A state titles in the 100 meters at 10.45 and the 200 meters at 20.78 at Dillard High in Fort Lauderdale. Johnson ran for 479 yards and four touchdowns on 67 carries for the Mustangs in 2025, a mark of 7.1 yards per carry. He also caught 17 passes and returned kicks. The 6-0 back started his career at Miami before landing with the Tigers, where coach Dabo Swinney wanted his home-run speed.
Isaiah Sategna III, WR, Oklahoma
Isaiah Sategna III was the 2021-22 Gatorade Arkansas Boys Track and Field Player of the Year and the No. 5 track recruit in the country . He won 10 individual state titles in high school. That speed carried onto the field at Oklahoma, where he led the Sooners with 67 catches, 965 yards and eight touchdowns in his first season after transferring from Arkansas. Sategna caught scores of 87 yards against Missouri and 76 yards against Ole Miss. Sategna returned for a fifth year as the SEC’s top returning receiver by yardage.
Rodrick Pleasant, CB, UCLA
Being a track & field state champ counts for a lot, even on a college football field. Rodrick Pleasant still holds the California state record in the 100 meters at 10.14 seconds . He ran that time the same day he went 20.40 in the 200 meters to win a state title. Pleasant signed with Oregon out of Junipero Serra in Gardena before transferring to UCLA, where he became the Bruins’ top cover corner in his first season. He started the first 10 games in 2025 and made 36 tackles with seven pass breakups. The track star earned an All-Big Ten honorable mention and returns as UCLA’s No. 1 corner.
Dakorien Moore, WR, Oregon
Oregon football wide receiver Dakorien Moore is a man of many talents, like the long jump. Dakorien Moore arrived at Oregon as the No. 1 wide receiver in the 2025 recruiting class out of Duncanville, Texas. He posted a 100-meter time of 10.40 seconds in high school. When Evan Stewart went down before the season, Moore stepped in as a true freshman starter and caught a 65-yard touchdown pass from Dante Moore against Oklahoma State. A midseason knee injury cost him four games, but he still finished with 28 catches for 443 yards and three touchdowns. He is the projected No. 1 target in Eugene in 2026.
Ian Geffrard, DT, Texas
Ian Geffrard is one of the biggest men in college football at 6-5 and 382 pounds. He started all 12 games at nose tackle for Arkansas in 2025 and made 25 tackles with four for loss before transferring to Texas. What sets him apart is how he moves at that size. During his Arkansas recruitment, he did a handstand on his official visit , a feat that stuck with coach Sam Pittman. He is expected to start in the middle of Will Muschamp’s defense and anchor the run defense for the Longhorns.
Carter Smith, OT, Indiana
You’d think being the best offensive lineman on the defending champions would’ve earned him a spot on the Freaks list. Carter Smith protected the blindside for a national champion and did so almost flawlessly. The 6-5, 313-pound left tackle started all 16 games during Indiana’s 16-0 run and allowed nine total pressures across more than a thousand snaps. Carter did not give up a sack until the title game last season. He won the Big Ten’s first Rimington-Pace Offensive Lineman of the Year award and earned consensus All-American honors. Pro Football Focus ranks him the No. 1 returning tackle in the country. He turned down the NFL Draft to return for 2026.
Greg Johnson, OG, Minnesota
Greg Johnson has played every spot on the interior line at Minnesota. He started at left guard as a true freshman, moved to center as a sophomore, then slid back to guard as a junior. He has logged nearly 2,000 Big Ten snaps . In 2025, he started all 12 games and graded as the Gophers’ best offensive lineman, allowing just one sack across more than 400 pass-blocking snaps. The 6-6 lineman returned for a senior season in 2026 despite drawing NFL interest, giving Minnesota its most experienced and versatile blocker.
Noah Fifita, QB, Arizona
It’s not size, strength or speed that makes him so good. That’s what makes Arizona Wildcats quarterback Noah Fifita (1) a freak. He’s not the biggest or fastest quarterback, listed generously at 5-10 . But Noah Fifita’s edge is his mind. He processes quickly, works full-field reads on time and threw 29 touchdowns against six interceptions in 2025. Fifita holds Arizona’s single-season and career touchdown passing records with 73 in his career. He has started 34 straight games and is one of just a handful of senior quarterbacks who stayed at one school for their entire career, turning down other offers and NIL money.
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