Three Notre Dame Standouts Make Feldman’s Freak List

Every year Bruce Feldman from The Athletic puts out his “Freaks List”, which highlights the top athletes in all of college football. That list is always one of the most anticipated pieces of the off-season, highlighting some of the more incredible testing numbers for some of the stars we watch every Saturday. The list also signals that the season is right around the corner, one of the final steps until kickoff.

On this year’s version of the “Freaks List”, three Notre Dame players made the cut. That equals the same number that the Irish had in the 2022 version. On this most recent adaptation, the three Notre Dame stars who made the list were defensive lineman Rylie Mills (No. 10), cornerback Cam Hart (No. 32) and defensive end Javontae Jean-Baptiste (No. 82).

Notre Dame finished tied for third with those three admissions to the list, having the same number as Ohio State, Oregon, Texas Tech, NC State, TCU and Cincinnati. The two teams at the top of the list were Penn State (6) and Michigan (4), which shouldn’t be shocking having read Feldman’s pieces in the past.

Here is what Feldman highlighted about each of the Notre Dame standouts, which started with Notre Dame’s top expected defensive tackle Rylie Mills, who made the list last season at No. 56. Mills made a massive rise on this year’s version.

10. Rylie Mills, Notre Dame, defensive lineman

"The 6-5, 306-pound senior has the tools to be a disruptive force in 2023. Last year, Mills made 24 tackles, six TFLs and 3.5 sacks. He looks primed to take things up a notch based on his off-field work after packing on 14 more pounds. Mills benched 450 pounds, did 225 for 30 reps, squatted 635, but he’s also hit 20.64 MPH on the GPS (up from 19 MPH last year), vertical-jumped almost 33 inches and did 31 pull-ups." - Feldman

There shouldn’t be much of a surprise that Mills made the list considering he had done so previously. His rise this off-season, however, is of big note. Mills has been garnering praise over the last few months and is expected to take a massive step this season after moving inside.

Another recurring member of this list is Cam Hart, who made a slight jump on this year’s list. Getting the talented cornerback back for a fifth year was a major deal for the Irish, giving them arguably the top cornerback duo in the nation.

Here’s what Feldman had to say about Hart:

32. Cam Hart, Notre Dame, cornerback

"The 6-2 1/2, 204-pound Hart is a two-year starter for the Irish who made 25 tackles with three TFLs last year. Hart has great size for a corner, but also elite measurables. This offseason, the Baltimore native broad-jumped 11-2, vertical-jumped 38 inches and hit 23.01 MPH on the GPS — a big improvement from the 21.7 he was at last year. In addition, he squatted 505 pounds and did 40 pull-ups." - Feldman

The last member of the list for the Irish came as a bit of a surprise with graduate transfer Javontae Jean-Baptiste. The senior is expected to play a lot at field end for Notre Dame. Here is what Feldman said about Jean-Baptiste:

82. Javontae Jean-Baptiste, Notre Dame, defensive lineman

"The Ohio State transfer, who had 11 TFLs and eight sacks in 45 games with the Buckeyes, should give the Irish D-line depth a big boost. The 6-4 1/2, 260-pounder broad-jumped 10-5 this offseason and vertical-jumped 35 inches. On the GPS, he hit 20.4 MPH. Even more impressive, Jean-Baptiste did 45 pull-ups." - Feldman

The speed Notre Dame is continuing to add to the roster has been outstanding over the last few seasons. This most recent “Freaks List” is just another example of that fact.

Past Notre Dame stars Kyle Hamilton and Isaiah Foskey made the list in 2021, along with current Notre Dame wide receiver Chris Tyree.

In addition to those three players, Notre Dame wide receiver Chris Tyree was also included in the 2021 version of the list. The former running back has an impressive track and field background as a sprinter, still serving as the fastest player currently on the Irish roster. Here is what Feldman had on Tyree at the time:

"One of the fastest players in college football, the 5-9, 188-pounder averaged almost 7 yards per carry as a freshman and ran for 496 yards and four touchdowns in a loaded backfield led by Kyren Williams. Tyree’s wheels showed up in a big way in his 94-yard run against Syracuse. His max speed on the GPS is 22.3 MPH along with a 4.31 40 and a vertical jump of 40.9 inches." - Feldman

In total, there were 12 players who made the list who the Irish will be playing against this season. Here are the opponents who made the group:

2. Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State, wide receiver

20. Sonny Styles, Ohio State, safety

27. Payton Wilson, NC State, linebacker

36. Bub Means, Pitt, wide receiver

37. Chip Trayanum, Ohio State, running back

40. Davin Vann, NC State, defensive end

55. Tyler Davis, Clemson, defensive tackle

59. Malik Mustapha, Wake Forest, defensive back

68. David Bailey, Stanford, outside linebacker

85. A.J. Woods, Pitt, cornerback

87. Jacob Monk, Duke, center

92. Landon Robinson, Navy, nose guard

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