Utah, BYU are early favorites for fast-rising Gavin Holmes

Gavin Holmes has been a popular name in Texas this spring as college programs are taking notice of his value as a speedy slot receiver. His name is continuing to trend upward as more traditional powers are finding out about him and joining the race for his commitment. Two of his most recent offers come from BYU and Utah, while Ohio, Nevada and Tulane have also thrown their names into the hat this past week.

In His Words:

“I had talked to BYU the day before, I was just talking to the receivers coach and the next day he just hit me up the next day and said ‘hey, give me a call’ and he gave me an offer,” he said. “Then immediately after that the receivers coach from Utah hit me up and told me to give him a call too and so when I did that, they offered.”

“I think that when it’s all said-and-done Utah’s going to be up there with my top schools because just in the conversations that I have had with Coach Guy Holliday, he’s a really cool guy,” he said. “He told me that they needed a speed-guy; he said that I could go in and make a big impact immediately. He said they have big-bodied receivers, but they lack speed and he felt good about my ability.”

“When I talk to BYU, the receiver coach talks to me about playing and making an impact right away,” he said. “In the first conversation that we had he told me how they were going to use me. The thing I like about them is that they are confident in me, the coach is a straight-shooter, and if I went there I would be playing instantly.”

“With Nevada, I had talked to the coach the day before and he said they had wanted to offer me in the spring because they wanted to see me in person,” he said. “But after I had received (BYU, Utah and Tulane) he messaged me on twitter and was like ‘hey, call me.’”

“I was feeling good about myself because a lot of big-time schools said that they were going to come through in the spring because they wanted to see me in person,” he said. “I think this is starting to spark my recruitment because other schools are starting to get in touch with me like West Virginia, Mississippi State and Oregon now.”

“Stanford is my ultimate dream school,” he said. “That would be a no-brainer for me, but my little brother is a huge TCU fan and that would be cool because it’s 20-minutes from my house. There are some schools like Stanford that if they offered me would be in high-consideration for me, but I am just going to weigh my options out and take a lot of visits.”

What’s Next:

Now that schools are starting to compete more with each other to win his favor, Holmes wants to capitalize on a productive spring and land some more offers before making any decisions. He said that he’ll be looking to make a visit to both Utah and BYU very soon. Holmes also said that he is hoping to land a few more offers over the spring from schools that are a little closer in proximity to his family, though distance is not a deal-breaker in his final decision.

Rivals Reaction:

Holmes is being recruited heavily as a slot receiver but has the speed to create separation on the outside. You’re not going to see him as the go-to guy to win a jump ball on a fade in the red zone, but he can burn a nickelback 40 yards downfield. He is a competitor with his school’s track team in the 100, 200, and 4x100 relay team and schools are enamored with his top-end speed. He says that his communication has been highest with Utah and BYU, so it seems for now that if he were not to get another offer, playing in the Pac-12 with the Utes is the most attractive option for Holmes.