Louisiana LB has SEC attention

Junior to Watch: Freddie Holmes

School: River Ridge (La.) John Curtis Christian

Position: Outside Linebacker

Size and speed: Holmes is 6-foot-1, weighs 235 pounds and runs the 40-yard dash in 4.65 seconds.

Favorite Schools: LSU, Arkansas, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Auburn, Alabama, Oklahoma State.

Skinny: John Curtis Christian’s program was loaded with senior stars last season as the Patriots rolled to yet another state championship and produced numerous college players.

One of the players that didn’t receive as much attention as his older teammates, linebacker Freddie Holmes, is sure to carry a higher profile next season.

“Freddie’s a kid who really has a lot of natural ability,” Patriots coach J.T. Curtis said. “He’s a great athlete at about 6-1 ½ and 235 pounds. He runs somewhere around a mid-4.6 in the 40. He starts for our basketball team as well, so that tells you what kind of agility he has.

“He’s excellent in pass defense. That’s his main strength, being able to drop back and cover people. But he’s also a real good rush guy off the corner. He can put his hand on the ground and go after the quarterback, cause all kinds of problems in the backfield, or stand up and drop back into pass coverage. He’s really versatile.”

Schools showing early interest in Holmes include Colorado, Mississippi State, Alabama, Auburn, Arkansas, LSU, North Carolina, Oklahoma State and Baylor.

“I’m not sure if he has any favorites yet, but I’m sure LSU and the SEC schools are probably of interest to him,” Curtis said.