ACC Lands 20 Players on 2026 Freaks List
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Atlantic Coast Conference is entering the 2026 college football season with plenty of athleticism on display.
Twenty ACC football players were named to The Athletic's 2026 “Freaks List,” giving the conference the third-most selections among all Football Bowl Subdivision conferences.
Six ACC players landed inside the list's top 20, tied for the most of any conference.
The annual list recognizes 101 of the nation's most physically gifted college football players, highlighting athletes whose combination of strength, speed, explosiveness, size and overall athletic ability separates them from their peers.
Six ACC Players Crack the Top 20
Miami offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell led the ACC contingent, coming in at No. 4 nationally.
Virginia Tech defensive tackle Kemari Copeland followed at No. 7, while California edge rusher Emmanuel Okoyewas ranked No. 9.
Florida State wide receiver Micahi Danzy came in at No. 12, followed by NC State running back Jayden “Duke” Scott at No. 18 and Clemson linebacker Sammy Brown at No. 20.
The six top-20 selections underscore the range of athletic talent throughout the conference, with offensive linemen, defensive players and skill-position athletes all represented.
Full List of ACC “Freaks”
The 20 ACC players selected to The Athletic's 2026 list are:
No. 4 — Jackson Cantwell, Miami, OT
No. 7 — Kemari Copeland, Virginia Tech, DT
No. 9 — Emmanuel Okoye, California, Edge
No. 12 — Micahi Danzy, Florida State, WR
No. 18 — Jayden “Duke” Scott, NC State, RB
No. 20 — Sammy Brown, Clemson, LB
No. 22 — McKale Boley, Virginia, OT
No. 41 — Colby Cronk, NC State, DL
No. 43 — Jordan Walker, Georgia Tech, DE
No. 44 — Makilan Thomas, Virginia, OL
No. 45 — Chris D’Appolonia, Syracuse, LB
No. 52 — Antoine Deslauriers, Syracuse, LB
No. 55 — Jeremiah Hasley, Duke, TE
No. 57 — Mandrell Desir, Florida State, DL
No. 70 — Ryan Baer, Pitt, OT
No. 76 — Yamir Knight, SMU, WR
No. 83 — Kaleb Spencer, Virginia Tech, LB
No. 90 — Beau Pribula, Virginia, QB
No. 93 — Zach Rowell, Stanford, DL
No. 100 — Israel Oladipupo, Boston College, DE
The list was created by college football writer Bruce Feldman in 2005 and has evolved from an initial top-10 ranking into an annual showcase of remarkable offseason training performances and athletic testing numbers.
The Athletic compiles the list with input from strength and conditioning coaches, sports information directors, coaches, trainers and NFL scouts from around college football.
ACC Talent Comes With a Challenging Schedule
The recognition comes as the ACC prepares for another demanding nonconference schedule.
ACC teams are scheduled to play 25 nonconference games against Power Four opponents and Notre Dame, the most of any conference.
That schedule includes nine games against the SEC, five against the Big Ten, five against the Big 12 and six against Notre Dame.
The conference also has 12 nonconference games against teams ranked in ESPN's 2026 Way-Too-Early Top 25 and 12 games against teams that appeared in the final 2025 College Football Playoff rankings and AP Top 25.
ACC teams are also scheduled to play 29 games against 23 programs that received bowl invitations in 2025.
Five Days of ACC Football
The conference will once again have a major presence during Labor Day weekend.
Fourteen ACC teams will compete in 12 games across five days, beginning Thursday, Sept. 3, and continuing through Monday, Sept. 7.
SMU's trip to Florida State on Labor Day Monday will mark the ACC's 17th consecutive year playing on Labor Day, excluding the 2020 season, and the 20th time since 2005.
The ACC also leads all conferences with five Power Four nonconference games scheduled for Week 1.
Friday Nights Become an ACC Tradition
The ACC is also expanding its presence on Friday nights in 2026.
The conference is scheduled to play a record 15 games on Fridays during the season.
Nine Friday games are scheduled during the first six weeks, including four Friday contests in Week 2.
The conference will continue its Friday-night presence later in the season, with at least one Friday game scheduled during Weeks 8, 10, 11, 12 and 13.
The regular season will conclude with Florida at Florida State on Black Friday.
ACC Enters 2026 With Proven Depth
The Freaks List recognition is another indicator of the athletic depth throughout the conference.
Over the past three seasons, the ACC has produced at least 11 bowl-eligible teams each year, representing the longest such streak among conferences.
The conference also set several benchmarks during the 2025 season.
Seven ACC teams finished with at least nine wins, the most in a single season in conference history.
Nine ACC teams finished with at least eight wins, tying the FBS record for the most in 2025 and establishing a new single-season ACC mark.
The 2024 season also saw four ACC programs finish with at least 10 victories, marking the first time in conference history that four teams reached that mark in the same season.
ACC Championship Returns to Charlotte
The 2026 ACC Football Championship Game is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 5, at noon ET at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The game will air on ABC.
The 2026 championship will mark the 14th consecutive year and 18th time overall that the ACC title game has been televised on ABC.
Since the championship game's inaugural season in 2005, the ACC title game has appeared annually on either ABC or ESPN.
The conference's top two teams will meet in Charlotte with the ACC championship on the line.
A Conference Loaded With Athleticism
The 2026 Freaks List provides another early-season snapshot of the talent spread throughout the ACC.
With 20 players recognized and six inside the national top 20, the conference enters the season with elite athleticism at nearly every level of the field.
But the real test comes once the season begins.
The ACC's demanding nonconference schedule, expanded Friday-night presence and deep group of bowl-caliber programs will give these athletes opportunities to turn impressive offseason measurables into production on Saturdays.
For now, the message from The Athletic's 2026 Freaks List is clear:
The ACC has no shortage of freakish talent heading into the new season.
