Michigan football's lone representative on 'Freaks List' is a shocker

The Athletic's Bruce Feldman came out with his annual "Freaks List" − in which he speaks to coaches around the country and compiles a list of the 101 top athletes across Division I college football − and it's fair to say Michigan football's representative was a surprise.

In recent history, U-M has either had multiple representatives or players near the very top, often (but not always) big names who were expected to contribute. Last season, tight end Marlin Klein (No. 35) and defensive tackle Manuel Biegel (No. 62) made the cut. The year prior, it was defensive tackle Kenneth Grant (No. 3) and quarterback Alex Orji (No. 13) who highlighted four Wolverines on the list. Before that it was defensive tackle Kris Jenkins (No. 6) in 2023 and defensive tackle Mazi Smith (No. 1) in 2022 who were at or near the very top of the list.

This time around, Michigan's representation wasn't in the form of a bruising defensive lineman or a gifted quarterback, but rather perhaps the least thought-about position on the entire roster: long snapper Gavin Magorien at No. 78.

"Magorien spent 2025 as Marshall's long snapper before transferring to Ann Arbor, but he also played wide receiver and DB in high school in Erie, Pa," Feldman wrote. "The 6-0, 202-pound sophomore broad jumped 10-10, did 26 reps on the bench press at 225 and squatted 550 pounds, making a case to be one of the strongest players pound-for-pound in college football. His 6.87 3-cone time is exceptional."

Magorien played in all three phases at McDowell High School, which included on offense, where he ran 13 times for 77 yards and one touchdown and caught 43 passes for 488 yards and three touchdowns as a senior in 2024. He also recorded 47 tackles that season and finished with 79 in his final two years of high school ball.

"He's an athletic kid," special teams coordinator Kerry Coombs said unprompted of Magorien when he met with media during U-M's first week of fall camp. "He's going to be dynamic and help us."

While this is quite the honor for Magorien, it appears to be further evidence of what Whittingham was talking about this offseason: The strength and conditioning of the team simply wasn't up to par with where it needs to be.

Tony Garcia is the Michigan beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan football's lone representative on 'Freaks List' is a shocker