Michigan Football Defensive Tackle Named No. 1 Freak

Michigan football defensive lineman Mazi Smith has been recognized as college football’s number one athletic freak by college football insiders.

Michigan football defensive lineman Mazi Smith is an athletic monster, and the sports media world is taking notice. College football insider Bruce Feldman ranked Smith at No. 1 in his annual “College football Freaks List” for the 2022 season.

Smith, the senior from Kentwood, Michigan, surpasses former Wolverine Aidan Hutchinson who held the two spot last season. According to Feldman, the list compiles athletes who display “the unique physical abilities that wow those who observe gifted athletes every day.”

Standing at 6’3 and weighing 337 pounds, Smith is an incredible physical presence. Feldman’s report noted that Smith benched 325 pounds 22 times. Smith also possesses tremendous agility at his size, with a 44-inch vertical and a 4.41 shuttle time.

The best example of Smith’s unreal athleticism comes from a recent clip on Twitter from the Michigan weight room.

While participating in Michigan football’s reactive plyo stairs test, Smith clocked an extraordinary time. The test, which features seven, 26-inch stairs measures a player’s ability to jump from one to the next as fast as possible.

Smith completed the challenge in 2.82 seconds, just .25 seconds slower than Hutchinson’s time. For reference, Smith weighs 60 pounds more than Hutchinson.

Mazi Smith expected to dominate for Michigan football

2022 is expected to be the season of Mazi Smith. After seeing little time in his first two seasons, Smith started in all 14 games last year. As part of Michigan’s Big Ten-winning defense, Smith posted 37 total tackles and four passes deflected.

As a senior, Smith will again hold down the inside for the Wolverines. Smith will play a majority of the snaps on the interior for the Wolverines’ defensive line with help from junior Kris Jenkins and sophomore Rayshaun Benny.

Despite graduating a number of key players on defense from last season, Michigan’s defense will still be excellent. Replacing Daxton Hill and Aidan Hutchinson will be no easy task, but behind guys like Mazi Smith, Mike Morris, and Junior Colson, the Wolverines are in good hands.