UCF Top Prospect Interview: DE DeeJay Holmes, Jr.
The state of Florida is almost never short on pass rushers, and DeeJay Holmes certainly aims to keep that trend going. In 2021, his 23 sacks made him a hot recruit for college programs to go after.
UCF, Pittsburgh, Louisville, Penn State, West Virginia, Marshall, Syracuse, Boston College, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Indiana, and Kentucky are some of the schools that he holds an offer from.
It does not hurt that Holmes plays for one of the best programs that Florida has to offer in Pahokee. It's a program that has seen several top-notch players come out of "Muck City" like Anquan Boldin. He is the former three-time NFL All-Pro and 2009 Super Bowl Champion with the Baltimore Ravens, and is also the cousin of Holmes.
Additionally, the Pahokee's football home is actually called Anquan Boldin Stadium. So Holmes has a reputation to live up to. Here’s what he had to say after a workout today about his recruitment.
Question: What’s your current height and weight?
Holmes: “6’2”, 230 pounds.”
Question: Are you trying to stay where you’re at, or are you trying to add more weight?
Holmes: “I plan on gaining. I want to be like 245 pounds, 250.”
Question: What weight did you play at last season?
Holmes: “215.”
Question: What was the order of your two official visits thus far?
Holmes: “Pitt first, UCF second.”
Question: Pitt was June 3 and UCF June 10?
Holmes: “Yeah.”
Question: You still have three more official visits to go, correct?
Holmes: “Yes sir.”
Question: What other potential colleges are you talking with?
Holmes: “Pretty much everyone that offered me.”
Question: Okay, when do you want to make a decision or is that undecided?
Holmes: “I will make my decision in December.”
Question: December. Okay. Are you going to take the rest of your official visits during the football season?
Holmes: “During the season and in December.”
Question: What are you looking for in a school, or what is going to be the separating point for you to pick one school?
Holmes: “Um, I have another goal besides football. Basically, it’s staying in contact with football. Be like an agent. So if they got a school where I could turn that into a career, that would be my choice.”
Question: Which school or schools do you have a coach that you have the best relationship with?
Holmes: “UCF, Coach (Gus) Malzahn. Indiana, Tom Allen, Pitt, Pat Narduzzi.”
Question: You talk to many assistant coaches, too?
Holmes: “I talk to a lot of assistant coaches. A lot of them.”
Question: All good. Position-wise, what are teams telling you, that you’re just going to be a pass rusher, or that you are going to play in a three-point stance and play up as an outside linebacker and drop?
Holmes: “Yeah, a lot of schools tell me I gotta drop, but they want me to be the edge rusher 90% of the time. So, 10% of the time you are going to have to drop. See what you are working with.”
Question: Last question, what do you guys have to do at Pahokee to get back to a situation where you guys can make a run at a state title?
Holmes: “Difference is basically going harder this year than we did last year. Making sure everybody does their assignments, making sure everybody focuses this year, more locked in this year. If we do that, you’ll see us at the state finals in December.”
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