Gator Country

At the end of the summer it looked as if Isaac Holmes was going to commit to the college of his choice, before his senior year started. That was the plan anyway. But things have changed and instead the big defensive tackle is having a hard time narrowing down his list.

“I want to make my decision as soon as possible, but it’s getting harder and harder,” said the 6-3, 295-pound lineman for Hoboken (N.J.) High School. “I’m just riding it out, having fun and working on narrowing my list down.”

There are quite a few schools out there who hope to land Holmes. The list includes Florida, Penn State, Maryland, Rutgers, Tennessee and Oklahoma.

“I’ve been talking to schools everyday,” he said. “Right now, I am focused on finding a school that has a great coaching staff and players that I want to be around. I need a place where I feel comfortable, because I am going to be there for the next four years.”

Holmes took his first official visit back in September to see the Florida Gators beat the Miami Hurricanes in Gainesville. Holmes had a great time.

“Florida is without a doubt one of my top schools,” he said. “It was a remarkable experience when I went down there on my official visit. I really like their program a lot. Florida set the bar really high for the rest of my visits, especially because there was nothing I didn’t like at Florida.”

When Holmes visited the Gators he was hosted by fellow New Jersey resident Will Hill. According to Holmes, the two bonded well because of their New Jersey connections.

Coach Steve Addazio has been recruiting Holmes for the Gators and has been telling the big defensive tackle things that he likes to hear.

“We talk about the football program at Florida,” Holmes said. “He tells me how much the coaches love me and how they think I can be a big factor early on.”

While Holmes would like to make a decision sooner rather then later, he knows he isn’t going to rush anything. There are still some schools he wants to check out.

“I want to take some more visits because every visit keeps getting better and better,” he said. “I want to visit Oklahoma and Tennessee and maybe a couple others.”

Holmes plays both offensive line and defensive line for his high school, but said he is only being recruited to play defense. That is just fine with him, as he prefers playing on defense.

“I like going out there and hitting people,” he said. “I can do more of that on defense.”

With more spots opening up in the class of 2009, it is very possible that the Gators will take another defensive tackle to pair with Gary Brown.

Isaac Holmes could be the one to fill that role.

About the author

Ryan Moss

Ryan Moss recently graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in Marketing in the spring of 2008 and have since left “Title Town” and returned back to Northern Virginia. In addition to working for Gator Country, he also works for a startup-consulting firm that specializes in online marketing called Eyetraffic Media. Ryan is a die hard Gator fan who was fortunate enough to have attended all three national championships.

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