Thomas Holley knew very little about football when he transferred to Lincoln in the fall — only that he wanted to play.
The 6-foot-4, 295-pound basketball lifer was just looking to add a sport after leaving Christ the King for his junior year. Instead of just finding a hobby, he found a new passion — and college scholarship offers from nearly every major football program in the country.
“When I got into football, I just fell in love with it,” Holley said.
College coaches fell for him and his potential after watching a highlight tape of Holley’s eight games and seeing a photo of the towering defensive tackle, said Railsplitters coach Shawn O’Connor.
Holley has offers from Alabama, Notre Dame, the University of Southern California, Florida, Florida State, Ole Miss, Miami, Ohio State, Penn State, Maryland, Vanderbilt, and Baylor, in addition to local programs like UConn, Rutgers and others.
“He’s probably got everybody’s name [ranked] in the top 10 [nationally] right there,” O’Connor said.
It makes Holley, who was already invited to the prestigious Under Armour All-American game, in line to be the next big football prospect to come out of New York City, joining recent All-Americans such as Lincoln’s Ishaq Williams (Notre Dame), Thomas Jefferson’s Ebenezer Ogundeko (Clemson) and Curtis’s Dominic Easley (Florida).
Initially, Holley didn’t think that top-level schools would be interested in him. It was overwhelming to him at first, but it got easier as he grew accustomed to the recruiting process.
“I never expected to get the attention I got,” he said. “I was like ‘Whoa!’ ”
So why are coaches so enamored with Holley? O’Connor said they see a kid who already has tremendous natural size and strength, but also possesses an agility not often found in a player his size. Holley attributes his excellent footwork to his years on the hardwood playing basketball, which he still plays at Lincoln.
“When you can find kids that are that size and can move, it’s not easy to find kids like that,” O’Connor said.
Holley is also a solid student with an average in the high 80’s who picks things up very quickly. He’s gotten into the weight room regularly for the first time in his life and has worked extensively on his technique. Last season, Holley bull-rushed just using natural instincts.
“Once I get those things I’ll be an even more dominant player than I already am,” he said.
Holley has already taken unofficial visits to Rutgers, Boston College and Penn State. He said he isn’t going to make a college decision based on a school’s prestige. He’s looking for a place with good academics that will also take the time to work with him to help him reach his potential.
“You can hear the big name, but it may not be for you,” he said.
Football, on the other hand, is definitely for Holley.
Reach reporter Joseph Staszewski at jstaszewski@cnglocal.com. Follow him on twitter @cng_staszewski.
