NC State football is well represented on Freaks List
The annual “Freaks List” is out. Every year, The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman releases his ranking of the top 100 (this year extended to 101) athletes in college football. Every year the ratings seem to include at least one NC State football player. This year’s edition has three.
Leading the way at No. 27 is super senior linebacker Payton Wilson. Feldman noted that Wilson has been timed at 4.49 seconds in the 40-yard dash and 4.21 in the pro agility shuttle during the offseason. Wilson, listed on the NC State football roster at 6-foot-4, 236 pounds, was a first-team All-ACC choice in 2000 when he led the conference in tackles.
In addition to his speed and quickness, Feldman noted that Wilson bench-pressed 390 pounds, has a 35.5-inch vertical leap and broad-jumped 9-foot-8.5 inches. Last year, Wilson was ranked No. 63 on Feldman’s list of the most athletic players in college football.
Not far from Wilson in the rankings is Davin Vann, a fourth-year junior defensive lineman. Vann continues a tradition of NC State defensive linemen being rated in Feldman’s Freaks List, checking in at No. 40.
In 2017, former Pack D-lineman Kentavius Street was No. 3 overall, the same ranking achieved by James Smith-Williams two years later. Alim McNeill was at No. 32 in 2020. All three of those former NC State defensive linemen are now in the NFL.
Feldman reported that Vann bench-presses 405 pounds and squats 580. He also runs a 4.79-second 40-yard dash and has a 33-inch vertical jump. He is listed on the updated NC State football roster at 6-foot-2, 280 pounds.
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The last name on the Freaks List from NC State may surprise some Wolfpack fans — super senior running back Jordan Houston, who comes in at No. 54. Feldman noted that Houston was timed at 4.46 seconds in the 40-yard dash and 4.06 seconds in the shuttle while showing impressive explosiveness in the vertical (41.5 inches) and broad jumps (10-foot-10.5 inches).
The 5-foot-10, 192-pounder also displays impressive pound-for-pound strength with a 365-pound bench press and 550-pound squat.
This marked the third straight year that NC State football had multiple players on the Freaks List, but the first time that more than two were on the rankings.
The Wolfpack hope to put this athleticism to good use, starting with the season opener on Thursday, Aug. 31 at Connecticut. The game is a 7:30 p.m. kickoff and can be seen on CBS Sports Network.
Past NC State Football Players On Bruce Feldman’s Freaks List
| Year | Rank | Name |
| 2017 | 3 | Kentavius Street |
| 2018 | 27 | James Smith-Williams |
| 2019 | 3 | James Smith-Williams |
| 2020 | 32 | Alim McNeill |
| 2021 | 58 | Ikem Ekwonu |
| 2021 | 73 | Dylan McMahon |
| 2022 | 48 | Payton Wilson |
| 2022 | 63 | Dylan McMahon |
| 2023 | 27 | Payton Wilson |
| 2023 | 40 | Davin Vann |
| 2023 | 54 | Jordan Houston |
