running full speed all the time."
The staff made the decision to
redshirt Holmes after the August
training camp last year. Adding to
Holmes' sting was that freshmen St.
Brown and Sanders had moved ahead
of him in the rotation.
"These were the type of talks I was
having with my dad, who really kept
my head on," Holmes said. "Because at
first I was like, 'Man these young guys
that came in here, they're getting some
of the reps that I should be having.'
"What I told myself was, 'I can't
worry about other people. I have to
worry about myself and better myself
as a player.' … It wasn't until about
halfway through the season that I
finally just stopped worrying about
other people and started to just worry
about my own game.
"It was hard at the time, but I just
looked it as a year for me to get bigger,
faster, stronger, work on my game. I
just took it as a blessing in disguise. It
was a really humbling experience all
of last year."
A product of the Fort Lauderdale
(Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas powerhouse
program, one of Holmes' assistant
coaches there was Pro Football Hall
of Fame wideout Cris Carter, who
referred to Holmes as "the next big
thing" to come from Aquinas.
During the spring, Hunter became
the centerpiece of the receiving corps,
including the top downfield threat,
while Holmes is working toward
getting to where Hunter was last year
as a junior, when he caught 28 passes
after nabbing only seven the year prior.
"He's got top-end speed, elite
speed," Kelly said of Hunter, who ran
a 4.43 this winter but possesses better
"football speed" than Holmes at this
point. "He can compete with the very
best in the country.
"Corey is trending that way. He's not
there yet. He's got to play with more
confidence and attack the football a
little bit more aggressively."
It's part of getting up to football
speed. ✦
Notre Dame
PaNoramic
Puzzle
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