Huskies Receive Commitment from Speedy SoCal Safety
Who said DBU, Montlake style, was dead? That Jimmy Lake packed it up and took it with him?
On Saturday, the University of Washington received a commitment from safety Vincent Holmes from San Jacinto High School at the base of the California mountains of the same name and some 40 miles out of Palm Springs.
The recruiting analysts grade him a 4-star player.
The stop watch says he's a 4.4-second sprinter.
All in all, this should more than appease his prospective UW coaches and satisfy the Husky fan base clamoring for higher-ranked recruits.
The 6-foot-1, 175-pound Holmes becomes the UW's ninth commitment overall for this class of 2023, the fifth this week, the third of the weekend and the second defensive back.
He joins fellow Californians in running back Tybo Rogers, wide receivers Rashid Williams and Keith Reynolds, and linebacker Deven Bryant; edge rusher Anthony James II and cornerback Diesel Gordon, both from Texas; Colorado offensive tackle Zach Henning; and edge rusher Jacob Lane from Washington.
The speed element brought Holmes added scholarship offers from USC, UCLA, BYU, Colorado, Fresno State, Oregon State, Washington State, Arizona and Northern Arizona.
Also a wide receiver, his video highlights show Holmes lining up on his 20, blowing past a defender like an Olympic sprinter, hauling in the ball in full stride at the 45 and racing 80 yards to score, without anyone coming within 10 yards of him.
Typically, real-life Top Gun pilots fly over this mountainous region. Actor Tom Cruise in the movie memorably declared, "We have the need for speed."
Holmes can provide it
He finished the season as the Mountain Pass Most Valuable Player, coming up with 32 receptions for 633 yards and 5 touchdowns, 8 scores overall, for a 9-2 San Jacinto team.
Safety, however, is where it appears the Huskies want him.
He ended the season for the Tigers with 22 tackles, including a pair for lost yards, and 4 interceptions and 4 pass breakups.
Husky cornerback Davon Banks, who played as a true freshman last fall, is a former San Jacinto High teammate.
The Huskies once had a headliner on defense named Holmes, the late Ron Holmes and no relation, who was an All-American defensive tackle and first-round NFL draft pick and helped lead them to an Orange Bowl victory over Oklahoma.
They're hoping here comes another one.
There was some concern that UW defensive-back recruits might fall off some following the departure of Lake, a secondary guru responsible for a lot of NFL-bound players.
That doesn't seem to be the case.
This Holmes has speed that clearly works well on either side of the ball.
Catch him if you can.
It appears the Huskies have.
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