Husky Roster Review: 'Showtime' Drew Frustrating Spring Down Time

He has the best nickname on the team, plenty of personality to draw a big fan following and endless football potential, but Lance "Showtime" Holtzclaw was downright unhappy when University of Washington spring football came to a close.

Appearing in just eight of 15 practices for the Huskies, the edge rusher from Mesa, Arizona, was one of the April casualties, agonizing over what appeared to be a knee injury and having all of the momentum drain right out of him, at least momentarily.

Holtzclaw clearly wears his emotions on his purple sleeve. He moaned loudly, seemingly more out of disappointment than pain, when he came limping off the field in Dempsey Indoor. He walked through Husky Stadium to the locker room with a towel wrapped around his head, choosing to hide the disappointment on his face.

Say this about the 6-foot-3, 230-pound redshirt freshman, Holtzman is invested emotionally when it comes to his Husky football career.

Going down the roster from No. 0 to 99, Holtzclaw, who wears No. 41 all to himself, is next up in a series of profiles about each of the Huskies' scholarship players and assorted walk-ons, summing up their spring football performances and surmising what might come next for them.

Lance Holtzclaw, with his memorable nickname, should become a UW fan favorite in due time.

Lance "Showtime" Holtzclaw didn't want to look at anyone and put a towel over his face after his spring practice injury.

Lance Holtzclaw's best attribute as a Husky edge rusher is his speed coming off the corner.

In what should be one of many media exchanges, Lance Holtzclaw met with those carrying cameras and notebooks in early April.

Lance Holtzclaw was a happy guy after making his college football debut in the third game of the 2022 season against Michigan State.

Lance Holtzclaw committed to the Jimmy Lake staff in 2021 but signed with Kalen DeBoer and company following the coaching change.

Until he got hurt, Holtzclaw was on a good spring football run. He drew plenty of reps. He entertained everyone in his first UW media corps session. He talked about putting on a good 20 pounds of solid football weight, with likely another 20 on the way to 250.

Fall didn't treat him too badly, either. The Huskies sent him onto the field in the second quarter of the Michigan State game on a punt return to make his college football debut. He pulled more snaps against Stanford and Colorado before he was shut down to preserve his redshirt season.

In spring ball, Holtzclaw ran mostly with the No. 2 defense, as one of the back-ups to starters Bralen Trice and Zion Tupuola-Fetui, and he showed off his speciality.

"They all bring a little something different — Lance is just speed," Husky coach Kalen DeBoer said. "I know he's going to try to develop a more well-rounded game like ZTF."

The gap between spring and fall camps should enable Holtzclaw to recover from his health setback, bounce back and return to the upward spiral he was on. After all, whenever he's healthy and ready, it's Showtime.

LANCE HOLTZCLAW FILE

Service: Holtzclaw drew three game appearances, one below the maximum for preserving a year of eligibility. He was named defensive Scout Team player of the year. Again, he took part in just eight of the 15 spring practices.

Stats: He has none at the UW so far. However at Desert Ridge High in Arizona, he piled up 10 sacks in 12 games as a senior.

Role: With Holtzclaw, the idea is to give him increasing playing time as a reserve edge rusher as he puts on additional weight, with 250 the magic number for him.

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