Back in the summer of 2005, I was always looking for content in the dead of the offseason. I had an idea. I wanted to dig into the summer training of college football players and spotlight the handful of guys I sometimes heard about who were just different. The “freak” athletes. The guys at whom teammates and coaches marveled. I think the term first became an endearing nickname for Randy Moss and Jevon Kearse.A Freak? They were the players who could jump ridiculously high or far (usually both) or were able to run exceptionally fast for someone who was 325 pounds or 6-foot-7. Or in the case of one chiseled 240-pound North Carolina linebacker who ran a sub-4.4 40, just how much McDonald’s he ate every day, and yet still could do remarkable things.I came up with the top 10 “Freaks” in college football. Turns out, people loved it. What I never would’ve imagined is how much the concept would take off. It’s grown and grown. We’ve added new metrics. We’ve had “Freaks Week.” We’ve added videos. My favorite of those was the one of Troy linebacker Kanorris Davis, who had a 42-inch vertical jump, and in the clip, he was vaulting clear over 6-foot Troy punter Will Goggans (a cult hero with Santa Claus beard in the weight room).I’ve had FCS players, Division II and Division III players. I’m grateful for all the support this project has gotten. I couldn’t do it without the help of strength coaches and SIDs as well as other coaches, trainers and NFL scouts. This year, we have 101 Freaks.No. 1: Nyck Harbor, South Carolina, wide receiverI’ve done this for almost a quarter century, and Harbor was the first back-to-back No. 1 Freak. It took a generational talent like Jeremiah Smith to bump him from the top spot, but Harbor is back at No. 1. To be this big and this blazing fast is truly rare. NFL scouts who came through Columbia this offseason measured him at 6-foot-6, 243 pounds with over 35-inch arms. His wingspan is 82 1/2 inches. He ran a 10.1 in the 100 and 20.20 in the 200 for the Gamecocks track team, where he’s competing in the NCAAs against runners 60 and 70 pounds lighter than him.Harbor, who just turned 21 in July, has continued to blossom as a receiver. He caught 30 passes last season for a team-leading 618 yards and six TDs. His 20.6 yards per reception ranked third in school history. He finished the season with back-to-back 100-yard receiving games — the first of his career — against Texas A&M and Clemson.This offseason, Harbor, while weighing in at 235 pounds, topped out at 23.8 mph on the GPS and also measured in at just 5 percent body fat.No. 2: Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State, WRHe’s the best player on this list and in the country. Last year’s top Freak, Smith won’t turn 21 until the day after the regular season ends. His 2,558 receiving yards and 27 TD receptions are the most by any Big Ten receiver in his first two years in college. Last year, he had 87 catches for 1,243 yards and 12 TDs despite everyone knowing he was going to be the focal point of the Buckeyes’ offense.The 6-3 1/2-inch Smith is bigger than he was last year, weighing 224 pounds. His explosiveness for that size is reminiscent of another Freak WR from South Florida, Pro Football Hall of Famer Andre Johnson. In a program stocked with high-level athletes, Smith — a super-sized wideout — ran a 1.44-second 10-yard sprint, fastest in the Buckeyes program.Smith’s 11-foot broad jump, 38 1/2-inch vertical jump and 23.5 mph on the GPS are rare for a wideout this big. Even more eye-catching is the 6.84-second L-drill time he ran this offseason. Only one player at last year’s NFL combine, Alabama WR Germie Bernard (who is almost 20 pounds lighter), ran a quicker time.Asked in late July where he feels like he has improved the most athletically over the past year, Smith said it’s in his speed and acceleration. “I feel like I’ve gotten faster from last year,” he said. “I’m just moving a lot better than I was last year and in my freshman year.”Smith led the country over the past two seasons with 10 catches of at least 50 yards, but don’t be surprised if he’s an even more dangerous big-play man in 2026. He said new Buckeyes receivers coach Cortez Hankton has challenged Smith and the other OSU receivers to focus more on yards after the catch. According to TruMedia, Ohio State’s receivers ranked No. 95 in YAC average.“That’s really been the biggest emphasis from him,” Smith said. “Making guys miss. … We were sitting watching my cut-ups from the whole season, and it was like, ‘You wanna know something?’ I said ‘What?’ He said, ‘You guys were the worst in the country in YAC.’ (sic) I was shocked by that. We’re doing something every day that pertains to YAC.”Smith’s also been watching a lot of Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Ja’Marr Chase and Malik Nabers cut-ups to get better at making guys miss.No. 3: A’Mauri Washington, Oregon, defensive tackleHe came in at No. 4 last year and went on to have a strong season for the Ducks, making a career-high 33 tackles with 4.5 TFLs, 1.5 sacks, 22 pressures and eight passes broken up, which tied for most among all FBS D-linemen. This offseason, Washington trimmed down to 327 pounds from 338 and clocked a 20.7 mph. In addition, he vertical jumped 35 inches, did a back squat with 765 pounds and power cleaned 365. He also did a Hatfield squat with 855 pounds for two reps, video of which went viral.“We limited even how much A’Mauri can squat now,” coach Dan Lanning told The Athletic in late July. “He can probably squat more than we’re even putting on the bar. He’s strong enough.”Lanning, who coached at Alabama and Georgia among other places, said Washington’s explosiveness reminds him of former Georgia first-round 300-plus pounders Jalen Carter and Devonte Wyatt (4.77 40 at 304 pounds at the NFL combine).“A’Mauri’s get-off is crazy fast. I’ve never seen nothing like it,” said Ducks defensive end Teitum Tuioti. “I’m a firm believer that if we had a 5-yard dash on our whole team that he probably would win it.”