Nick Singleton among five Penn State players on The Athletic’s ‘Freaks List’

Since 2005, The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman has compiled an annual list of the top players who are “the strongest, fastest, most physical players in college football.” This year’s list, which has 101 players, features five Penn State players, all of whom are expected to play key roles this season.

Here’s where those five Nittany Lions players stacked up, including a star running back who was named to the preseason All-Big Ten team.

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Last season, Durant, the rising senior from Lake Nona, Fla., burst onto the scene as a dominant presence in the middle of Penn State’s defense. The defensive tackle finished with 42 tackles (11 for losses) and three sacks in 16 starts.

Durant has an explosive first step, and although he’s considered undersized for the position at 6-foot-1, 290 pounds, he consistently makes plays in the backfield.

“The 6-1, 290-pound senior from Florida has run a 4.66 40-yard dash and hit a max velocity of 21.1 mph,” Feldman writes. “He clocked a 4.43 shuttle time, broad jumped 9-10, and vertical jumped 30½ inches. He’s bench pressed 425 pounds and squatted 660. This offseason, he power cleaned 345 pounds.”

Jim Knowles, the Philly native who will be Penn State’s defensive coordinator this season after three years at Ohio State, was equally complimentary of Durant during the Nittany Lions’ media day on Saturday.

“I always say, when your defensive tackles make tackles instead of using up blocks, but then they’re actually productive, it changes the whole way that you plan a defense,” Knowles said. “Zane is that guy, he’s that guy who can do that immediately, who has done it.”

Three seasons ago, the graduate of Governor Mifflin High in Berks County, burst on the scene, setting the school’s freshman rushing touchdown record with 12. After a step back as a sophomore, Singleton reminded the nation why he’s one of the most prolific running backs, finishing with a career-best 1,099 rushing yards and 17 total touchdowns (12 rushing, five receiving) last season.

Feldman compared Singleton to former Penn State and current Eagles running back Saquon Barkley. Singleton is 12 rushing touchdowns away from tying Barkley’s career mark of 43.

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“Barkley, No. 1 on the 2017 Freaks List, ran a 4.33 40, power cleaned 405 pounds, and bench pressed 405. Singleton is close to those numbers and better in the bench press, doing 435,” Feldman said. “He improved his power clean to 395. His 40 is 4.35. His shuttle time is 4.18. His max velocity is 23.5 mph. He broke Barkley’s running back record in the squat last year, doing 665. He did 660 this offseason. Singleton’s broad jump also went up four inches to 10-5.”

Rojas, who made his splash play last season when he had a 59-yard pick-six against Southern Methodist in the first round of the College Football Playoff, is expected to take over one of the vacated starting linebacker spots this season.

Last season, the rising junior had 58 tackles (six for losses), one sack, three interceptions, and four pass breakups in 16 starts. The Fairfax, Va., native missed spring workouts after having upper-body surgery in the offseason.

“A standout running back in high school, he’s made big gains this offseason, improving his 40 [yard dash] to 4.37 from 4.50 last year,” says Feldman. “His vertical jump went from 34 inches to 37½, he now broad jumps 10-5 and also bettered his shuttle time to 4.05 — no linebacker has gone faster than that at the combine since 2019. Rojas hit 22.5 mph on the GPS, power cleaned 350 pounds, and benched 375.”

Washington, a reserve Penn State cornerback, finished with 26 tackles and one interception over 14 games last season. The rising junior is set to battle for the starting corner spot opposite AJ Harris.

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Washington ‘set the Penn State record for DBs in the squat, doing 565 pounds in his freshman year,” Feldman writes. “He’s clocked a 4.32 40 and this offseason, broad jumped 10-7, vertical jumped 37½ inches and hit 23 mph on the GPS.”

No offensive player has received more love from Penn State coach James Franklin over the last few weeks than Dinkins, the redshirt senior from Wexford, Pa. Franklin made it a point to mention him at Big Ten media days and said Dinkins did “all the dirty work last year. Every time we threw the ball to him, I think it was a touchdown.”

“At 6-4, 255 pounds, Dinkins ran a 4.50 40 (a school record for Penn State tight ends) and hit 21.8 mph,” Feldman writes. “He broad jumped 10-0, clocked 4.30 in the shuttle, bench pressed 405 pounds, power cleaned 355 and squatted 550.”

Tyler Warren starred for the Lions, but Dinkins finished last season with 14 catches, 122 yards, and two touchdowns. Penn State will be counting on him, along with Andrew Rappleyea and Luke Reynolds, to pick up Warren’s production.

“He’s an elite tight end,” center Nick Dawkins said. “He’s one of the best blocking tight ends in the country. What he does in the play action pass game and how he sells it is impressive. Elite mentality, especially in the red zone.”

Staff writer Greg Finberg contributed to this article.