Michigan defensive lineman Mazi Smith (58) tries to get into the backfield against Northern Illinois offensive lineman Brayden Patton (58) in the second quarter of their college football game against Northern Illinois at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, on Saturday, September 18, 2021. (Mike Mulholland | MLive.com)Mike Mulholland | MLive.com
Michigan has another player atop Bruce Feldman’s list of college football ‘freaks.’
The Athletic’s college football writer published his annual list of the 100 most impressive athletes around the country on Wednesday, and Wolverines defensive tackle Mazi Smith checked in at the very top. That’s right, at No. 1.
“The 6-foot-3, 337-pound senior has rare power and agility,” Feldman writes. “So rare, in fact, it’s hard to find the right superlative to begin with.”
Through Michigan’s strength staff, Feldman found out that: Smith has benched 22 reps of 325 pounds (not the typical 225), close-grip benched 550 pounds, posts a 44-inch vertical jump, and broad-jumped 9 feet, 4 1/2 inches. And that’s just his power and agility.
As for speed, well, Smith has that, too. The Grand Rapids, Mich., native has clocked a shuttle time of 4.41 seconds, which Feldman notes would’ve tied any defensive tackle at the NFL Scouting Combine this year; a 3-cone drill time of 6.95 seconds, which would have been the fastest; and a 60-yard shuttle of 11.90 seconds.
More: Michigan X-factor: DT Mazi Smith in line for expanded role
Perhaps even more impressive, however, is Smith’s performance in some of the drills Herbert and his staff ask the players to take part in. In one specific drill, players attempt to jump up a series of seven 26-inch high stairs as fast as they can. The program record is apparently 2.21 seconds, and Smith did it in 2.82 seconds. (For comparison, Aidan Hutchinson, who was No. 2 on Feldman’s ‘freaks’ list last year and is 60 pounds lighter than Smith, did it in 2.57 seconds.)
Smith even dominated Michigan’s combo-twist machine aimed to measure resistance in the trenches, forcing the strength staff to call the manufacturer to have more weight added to the machine.
“Mazi’s rotational strength is ridiculous,” Herbert told The Athletic, touting Smith as the strongest defensive lineman he’s seen in his 25 years in football. “He is an incredible combination of rare traits packaged into one player. He is just ridiculously strong and powerful.”
As noted above, this isn’t the first time a Michigan player (notably, a defender) has appeared at or near the top of Feldman’s annual list. Hutchinson was No. 2 last year, and Kwity Paye was No. 1 in 2020.
There were three other Michigan players on this year’s list, too:
• DE Julius Welschof, No. 7: “Since arriving in Ann Arbor, Welschof has dazzled his teammates with his athleticism. Asked what the most impressive thing he’s ever seen Welschof do, standout cornerback D.J. Turner said it’s an ankle mobility test that measures the flexibility in their lower legs.” While Turner recorded 13 or 14 inches, above the team average, he said, Welschof got 23 inches.
• DB D.J. Turner, No. 31: “He is the fastest guy on the Wolverines, having hit 23.07 mph on the GPS and run a 4.28 40 — out of a two-point stance, no less. His 3-cone time is even more stunning. He clocked a 6.29 this offseason, and strength coaches think he has a good shot at besting the combine record of 6.28, set in 2018 by Oklahoma’s Jordan Thomas.”
• DL Kenneth Grant, No. 46: “He was only ranked a three-star recruit coming out of Indiana, but he’s already generated a lot of buzz inside the Wolverines program in a few months there. At 6-4, 360, he ran a sub-5.0 40, Jim Harbaugh told The Athletic this month.”
Read more on Michigan football:
Michigan’s new play-callers seek to execute Jim Harbaugh’s ‘vision’
Kalel Mullings adding a physical element to Michigan RB room
Week into camp, Jim Harbaugh says U-M ‘further ahead’ than last year
Michigan debuts at No. 6 in coaches’ poll; MSU 14th
QB coach Matt Weiss adjusting to life on recruiting trail
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