Two Syracuse linebackers have landed on college football’s annual “freak list,” giving Orange fans another reason to keep an eye on the program before 2027 arrives.
The list, put together by college football reporter Bruce Feldman since 2005, spotlights players across every level from Division I to Division III who stand out physically in ways that teammates and coaches notice right away. Feldman has described a “freak” as someone who does that “something” that makes people around him marvel, whether that comes through speed, strength, training habits or a mix of all three.
This year’s edition included linebacker Chris D’Appolonia at No. 45 among the 101 players on the list. Feldman wrote that D’Appolonia was “A Freaks Lister last year while at Toledo, where he became a third-team All-MAC selection after making 68 tackles and 3.5 TFLs in 2025, 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.”
D’Appolonia transferred to Syracuse from Toledo during the portal period. He also played under new Syracuse defensive coordinator Vince Kehres at Toledo, a connection that figures to matter as the Orange lean on both his skill and his command of the system.
Another Syracuse linebacker, Antoine Deslauriers, checked in at No. 52.
Deslauriers is coming off a freshman season in Central New York in which he set the program’s freshman tackle record. The Canadian native now heads into his sophomore year with more preseason buzz after Feldman noted, “Deslauriers bench pressed 390 pounds this offseason, squatted 500, vertical jumped 34 inches and hit 21.48 mph on the GPS.
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.”
D’Appolonia, Deslauriers and the rest of the Orange will keep grinding through preseason practices all August. Syracuse’s camp coverage continues Wednesday from the Ensley Center, with one closed practice followed by an off day before the media gets back in to watch practice again Wednesday.
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