Ohio State has three of the 26 freakiest athletes in college football for the 2024 season.
Freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, junior linebacker Sonny Styles and senior left guard Donovan Jackson are all included in the top 26 of Bruce Feldman’s 2024 “Freaks” list, a well-known look at the most uniquely athletic players across college football, which The Athletic released on Tuesday.
Smith debuts as the seventh-ranked player on the 101-man list even though he has yet to even play a college football game. According to Feldman, the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2024 recruiting class bench pressed 350 pounds and squatted 530 this offseason while broad-jumping 10 feet, 10 inches and vertically jumping 36 inches.
7. JJ (Jeremiah) Smith, Ohio State, wide receiver
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.”
Styles makes the top 20 for the second year in a row after moving from safety to linebacker this offseason. Per Feldman, Styles recorded a 10-foot-11 broad jump and 39-inch vertical jump this offseason – to go along with a 600-pound squat – even after adding 12 pounds this offseason.
19. Sonny Styles, Ohio State, linebacker
Styles is making his second appearance on the Freaks List (he was No. 20 last year), and he still won’t turn 20 until late November. He had a strong season last year starting 12 games while racking up 53 tackles with 4.5 TFLs and two sacks as a safety. This year, Styles shifted to linebacker where he should become an even bigger problem for rival offenses. He is 6-4 ½ and 240 pounds — up 12 pounds from last year. Styles still broad-jumped 10-11 and vertical-jumped 39 inches to go with a 600-pound squat.
“He’s a freak,” said former Buckeyes star James Laurinaitis, OSU’s LBs coach. “And the best part is his football intelligence, and his maturity is really incredible.”
Jackson makes the list after clocking a 1.59-second 10-yard split, which is faster than any offensive lineman has ever clocked at the NFL Scouting Combine since the league started officially recording that metric. His other numbers from offseason training include a 490-pound bench press, 610-pound squat, 30-inch vertical jump and 9-foot-7 broad jump – at 6-foot-4 and 320 pounds.
26. Donovan Jackson, Ohio State, offensive guard
A two-time first-team All Big Ten selection, Jackson is a three-time OSU Scholar-Athlete who has started 26 consecutive games at left guard. The Texan is a former five-star recruit who has lived up to the hype. The 6-4, 320-pounder bench pressed 490 pounds this offseason and squatted 610. His agility is just as impressive. His 1.59 10-yard split is faster than any offensive linemen has ever clocked at the NFL combine since the league officially has kept that stat. (Duke’s Jacob Monk did a 1.66 this year, which tied Weber State’s Sua Opeta from 2019 as fastest.) Jackson vertical-jumped 30 inches and went 9-7 in the broad jump.
