The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1532537
2025 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ 44 THE WOLVERINE ❱ MARCH 2025 BY ETHAN MCDOWELL Julius Holly missed most of his senior season due to injury, which kept him from truly showing off the potential he began to real- ize going into his final sea- son of prep football. The Michigan commit has always had the measur- ables at 6-4, 224 pounds to be a playmaker off the edge. In the months before his senior year, Alpharetta (Ga.) High head coach Ja- son Kervin saw the future Wolverine defensive line- man improving exponen- tially. Kervin has coached fu- ture college and NFL stars like George Pickens and Marlon Humphrey during his career, and Holly's de- velopment still impressed him. "Julius probably made as big of a jump from his junior year to his senior year as any kid I've ever seen," Kervin said. Holly took four official visits last summer, leading off with a trip to Mich- igan June 7. Georgia, Ole Miss and Texas A&M hosted the defensive lineman after the Wolverines, but the SEC programs could not surpass the momentum built by U-M. The edge rusher committed June 29. Michigan offered him a great combina- tion of football and elite education, and he jumped at the opportunity. "Since that visit to Michigan, my family and I have been talking Big Blue every day, all day," Holly told On3 last summer. "Georgia was a close runner- up, and all four schools were great, but in the end it is Michigan because of the people up there. "Going into the visit, I knew about their academics and the football history, but the feeling around the people made it different." Holly's recruitment began to take off after a great performance at an Under Armour All-American camp. He picked up offers from Michigan, Georgia, Ala- bama, South Carolina and others after the event. Defensive line coach Lou Esposito traveled to Georgia to evaluate Holly in person before extending the scholar- ship. Esposito did a great job emphasiz- ing the academic and football balance at Michigan. Kervin said Holly has always wanted to use his athletic career as a "springboard" for his education. "Michigan's academic prowess and the culture they're known for really appealed to him," Kervin said. "The coaches did a good job of making him feel at home and making him feel wanted, and I think it was just a natural fit for both sides." Holly enrolled at Michigan in Janu- ary after spending the fall recovering from his injury. He did not play late in the year because his high school staff did not want to rush him back. Once the edge rusher hits the field this year, Kervin has high expectations for the Wolverine freshman. "He'll be captain material," Kervin said. "He's just one of the best kids you're going to be around." ❑ Edge Rusher Julius Holly And Michigan Are A 'Natural Fit' Holly, a three-star edge from Alpharetta (Ga.) High, picked Michigan over offers from SEC powers including Georgia, Alabama and Ole Miss. PHOTO COURTESY ON3 2025 Projection Holly showed some serious poten al for a breakout season last fall, but an injury held him back. He's a defensive lineman, so a year of development and a redshirt will likely be necessary to prepare him for Big Ten football. STATISTICS Year Tackles TFL Sacks FF 2024* 9 1 0 — 2023 57 — 8 1 2022 15 5.5 2 — 2021 13 2 0 — * missed most of the season with an injury HONORS • 2024 Atlanta Touchdown Club preseason All- State selec on. • Georgia High School Football Daily All-Region as a junior. • Georgia High School Football Daily All-Region honorable men on as a sophomore. RECRUITMENT • Pledged to Michigan June 29, 2024, a er receiving offer in May 2024. • Picked U-M over notable offers from Georgia, Alabama and Ole Miss. • Recruited by posi on coach Lou Esposito. DID YOU KNOW? • Enrolled at Michigan in January. • Also played basketball for Alphare a High. • Son of Johnell and Kim Holly. • Younger brother, Jaxon Holly, is a class of 2027 edge rusher who also holds a Michigan offer. • Born May 23, 2007. THEY SAID IT On3 director of scou ng and rankings Charles Power: "Julius Holly is an athle c edge defender. We've seen a bit of improvement over the last year-plus. I got to see him in person at the Under Armour Atlanta camp. He tested as a plus athlete at that event, running an electronic 4.71 in the 40-yard dash. He made great strides physically over the course of the last year." JULIUS HOLLY EDGE 6-4 • 224 ALPHARETTA HIGH ALPHARETTA, GA. RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ 425 40 55 ✪ ✪ ✪ – 42 54 ✪ ✪ ✪ – 45 61 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ – 37 48 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ – 31 53 INDUSTRY