Holden Staes Talks Receiving A Dream Offer From Georgia Football
Holden Staes has burst onto the recruitment scene and is rapidly becoming one of the premier prospects in the class of 2022. The tight end from perennial power in Georgia High School Football, Westminster School, has received offers from Michigan, South Carolina, Colorado, Southern Cal, Oregon, and Georgia all in just over a month. Staes's stature, 6'4" 220 pounds, and his athleticism are quickly launching him into the upper echelon of the tight ends and the Bulldog Maven on SI.com recently caught up with him to discuss his fast-paced and ever-evolving recruitment.
Asked about his feelings on receiving a scholarship offer from Georgia, Staes replied, "I was definitely a little surprised. Georgia is as big as it gets when it comes to a football scholarship offer. So, it was definitely overwhelming, but I was really excited and my family was really happy for me. It was a good time."
Being a Peach State product, Staes explained that getting an offer from UGA, "has always been a goal, since I started playing football. I've been watching Georgia since I was a little kid. So, definitely, when I started getting serious about football, Georgia was one of those dreams schools that I wanted to get an offer from."
Consider that a dream accomplished.
Staes has been on Georgia's radar for a while now. The Westminster Wildcat tight end has attended camp there a few times and going into his sophomore season caught the eye of Todd Hartley and Kirby Smart with his performance at the camp. Staes also mentioned that his performances at the Georgia Elite Classic and the Georgia Army National Guard All-Star games helped bolster Georgia's view of him and helped to lead to the offer.
Staes communicated that in terms of the deciding factors in his decision-making process will be, "finding a family-oriented program and coaching staff that sees me as an individual and not just an athlete. A place that helps make me a better man. In terms of football, I'm going to be looking for an offense that utilizes tight ends both in the run game and pass game. Where they'll trust me to line up one on one with a DB or a linebacker and go win that matchup. School standpoint, just looking for a great education. I'm interested in sports broadcasting or journalism and I know Georgia has a great program for that."
Staes is chomping at the bit to get out and visit schools once the coronavirus restrictions are lifted on recruiting. With two years left, Staes has a long journey ahead in his recruitment and will be a big part of helping Westminster to compete in a new and incredibly tough region with fellow powers Cedar Grove and Greater Atlanta Christian.
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