The preseason recognition keeps on coming for members of the 2026 Syracuse Orange, and that includes a few names receiving praise for their “freak” athleticism.
Bruce Feldman released his annual “College Football Freaks List” for the upcoming season on Monday. Two Syracuse defensive players earned a shoutout in Feldman’s rankings: linebackers Chris D’Appolonia and Antoine Deslauriers.
D’Appolonia ranked No. 45 out of the 101 players listed. Deslauriers was No. 52.
Syracuse nearly had three linebackers
make the cut, with Feldman mentioning that Jamie Tremble almost joined D’Appolonia and Deslauriers on the Freaks List.
D’Appolonia is a multi-time member of the Freaks List, placing No. 37 in last year’s rankings.
The redshirt junior joined the Orange as a transfer in January, reuniting with his old defensive coordinator at Toledo, Vince Kehres. He is coming off his most productive collegiate season yet, finishing with 68 tackles (32 solo), four pass deflections, one sack, and one forced fumble in 2025. That earned him a spot on the All-MAC third team.
“The 6-3, 240-pounder vertical jumped 37 inches (up from 34 1/2 inches last year) and had a top speed of 21.67 mph this offseason. He also bench pressed 375 pounds (up 20 pounds), squatted 565 and cleaned 325.”
Deslauriers was one of Syracuse’s better defensive players in ‘25, bursting onto the scene as a true freshman.
He would end up with 60 tackles (20 solo), one sack, two pass deflections, and two forced fumbles. Deslauriers also earned All-American recognition from outlets like On3 and 247Sports.
“Deslauriers bench pressed 390 pounds this offseason, squatted 500, vertical jumped 34 inches and hit 21.48 mph on the GPS,”
Feldman also gave some behind-the-scenes athleticism numbers for Tremble, which show why he might be a pro prospect on the defensive side of the ball
A third Orange linebacker almost made the Freaks List this year: 6-4, 222-pound junior Jamie Tremble, a converted tight end, hit 23 mph on the GPS to go with a 36-inch vert, 330-pound bench and 475-pound squat
You can read the full breakdowns for the three Syracuse players mentioned and check out the entire Freaks List, which was led by South Carolina WR Nyck Harbor, with the link below.
Are you surprised to see these Orange on the Freaks list?
