Three footballers from BYU, Utah and Southern Utah were named certified freaks for their athletic ability.
Before each season, The Athletic ranks 101 of college football’s best athletes, analyzing size, speed and strength from coaches’ submissions around the country.
BYU offensive lineman Kingsley Suamataia was ranked No. 3, Utah safety Sione Vaki was No. 66 and Southern Utah nose guard Robert Horsey No. 90.
Suamataia, a former five-star prospect, comes in at 6-foot-6, 325 pounds and didn’t allow a sack last season as a redshirt freshman. The Orem native earned high praise from BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick.
“Kingsley Suamataia is the most athletic and violent OL I’ve ever coached,” Roderick wrote to Feldman. “More athletic than Garett Bolles when I was at Utah. More athletic than Blake Freeland.”
Bolles is a former first-round pick, NFL All-Pro and has started all 82 games he’s played for the Denver Broncos. Freeland, who’s 6-foot-8, 302 pounds and starred at BYU last season, was drafted in the fourth round by the Indianapolis Colts in 2023 after breaking an NFL Combine record for vertical jumping 37 inches.
BYU sports scientist Skyler Mayne said Suamataia ran 21.5 miles per hour last season, and predicts he’ll run in the 4.8s in a 40-yard dash.
“Kingsley is off the charts,” Mayne added. “He’s faster than our linebackers. He’s just a Freak in the weight room.”
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Utes safety Sione Vaki (28) celebrates a stop on a kick return as the University of Utah hosts USC, NCAA football in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022.
Vaki, a former three-star prospect, appeared in 14 games with five starts for the Utes last season. The safety recorded 41 tackles, three pass breakups and forced a fumble in 2022.
The Athletic writes Vaki, who’s listed at 6 feet, 207 pounds, can bench press 400 pounds, squat 520 pounds and vertical jumps 39 inches.
Utah quarterback Cam Rising said: “Right when he walked on campus, he was shaped like Hercules. I thought he might be one of those muscle-bound guys who is a little stiff, but he’s special. That is a Freak right there. It’s like he was made in a factory. He’s a machine.”
Rounding out the list for Utah-area players is Horsey, a Division II graduate transfer from Frostburg State who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 295 pounds. He bench presses 405 pounds, squats 650 and recorded a 4.96-second 40-yard dash. He’s also expected to be used as a short-yardage and redzone tight end.
South Carolina receiver Nyckoles Harbor occupied the No. 1 spot. The freshman former five-star recruit stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 243 pounds, but possesses track speed, clocking a 10.22-second 100-meter dash in high school.
