Holden on hold

Green Cove Springs (Fla.) Clay offensive tackle Will Holden had previously narrowed his list to four schools and a decision looked imminent, but some new developments have led to him taking a step back and reassessing his recruitment.

"I definitely still like West Virginia, Louisville, Vanderbilt, and Wake Forest, those schools are still in the picture and I still like them and everything, but I am kind of looking at some Florida schools as well now," Holden said. "I am looking at USF, UCF, and Florida State more now."

In total, Holden holds 15 offers - Bowling Green, Central Florida, Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Iowa State, Louisville, Marshall, Massachusetts, Middle Tennessee, South Alabama, South Florida, Southern Miss, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, and West Virginia. At this time, the 6-foot-6, 271-pound offensive tackle says that no one school could be called his clear-cut leader.

"Not really," Holden said when asked if he had a leader. "It is a pretty even race. I wanted to make my decision early on but now I have decided to wait. It is just a pretty even race right now."

This past week, two of the Florida schools spent some individual time with Holden. First up was Friday evening when Holden said he was scouted by the offensive line coach of the Seminoles.

"Coach Trickett came to my game on Friday," Holden said. "They haven't offered me yet but they do like me. I camped there this summer and enjoyed working with him."

Then, on Saturday, Holden made the short trip south to Orlando to check out another in-state institution.

"I went to UCF for the game against Boston College," Holden said. "I talked with Coach (George) O'Leary and he was telling me about everything. He talked about the players and the coaches. He talked how everything is so close together. I got to see how the dorms are so close to the weight room, the field, and everything. I really liked how the proximity of everything was really close."

As for upcoming visits, Holden said he will be at Florida State this Saturday when the Seminoles host No. 1 Oklahoma. He is also planning to travel to Vanderbilt at some point in October. In addition to visiting those two institutions, Holden says he also wants to see USF for a gameday experience. Other visits to other destinations are also likely.

As for the timeframe that the three-star lineman is working with, it depends on his visit schedule more than likely.

"I want to try to make my decision before my season ends," Holden said. "I don't know if I will use all five of my officials before I decide, but I would like to. I want to see whichever schools I am interested in that I am not able to take a short trip to, those are the ones I want to use an official visit for."