Cade Yacamelli was often said to have “freakish” qualities when he played at Penn-Trafford.
His teammates were often in awe of how high he could jump vertically and how fast he could sprint.
Now at Wisconsin, the budding running back has caught the attention of national pundits, including Bruce Feldman, a national college football insider for The Athletic.
Feldman annually releases his renowned “Freaks List,” highlighting the country’s top 101 multi-talented players who ooze with athleticism.
Yacamelli cracked the top 50 this year, checking in at No. 46.
He showed he belonged in a Power Four backfield last year when he ran for 274 yards and two touchdowns in limited action as a sophomore. He started the ReliaQuest Bowl.
The bouncy, 6-foot, 219-pound junior averaged 8.3 yards per carry, showing explosiveness and breakaway speed.
His first career score came on a 30-yard burst against Purdue. He had games of 73 and 72 yards against South Dakota and Rutgers.
Feldman reported Yacamelli ran a 4.40-second 40-yard dash, but that “probably wasn’t his most impressive number.”
“He did 10-9 3/4 inches on the broad jump, clocked a 3.96 (-second) shuttle time, squatted 635 pounds, vertical-jumped 37-1/2 inches and did 33 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press,” Feldman said in a New York Times article.
One Freak below Yacamelli on the list is Elliot Washington, a cornerback from Penn State. Washington (5-11, 205) had one interception and six pass breakups and impressed coaches by squatting 565 pounds as a freshman.
Penn State has five players on the list, including Zand Durant (No. 8), Nick Singleton (No. 19), and Tony Rojas (No. 30).
Pitt had two selections. Defensive lineman Francis Brewu is No. 24, and linebacker Kyle Louis is No. 65.
Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith has the No. 1 spot.
The full list can be viewed here.
