by Sports Xchange

The cousin of Jacksonville Jaguars running back Fred Taylor, Holmes has been a consistent deep threat for the Buckeyes since stepping into the starting lineup during the later stages of his redshirt freshman season. He is a fluid runner with the burst to get to top speed instantly. He began his career as a flanker, but came into his own as a junior after shifting to split end.

Holmes was a three-year starter who helped Glades Central High School to state titles his sophomore and junior years and a 12-1 record his senior season. He had 33 receptions for 970 yards (29.3 avg) and ten touchdowns during his final season. Holmes was named the MVP of the Outback Steakhouse All-Star Game after making five catches for 121 yards and a score. He also played in the California-Florida All-Star Game.

The three-sport star also lettered in basketball and ran track. The track team won the state title his junior year and the basketball team was runner-up his senior season. His 4x400 meter relay team won the state title his junior and senior years.

Holmes committed late to Ohio State in 2002 and the coaching staff decided to redshirt him to allow Holmes time to acclimate to college life. He saw minimal action during the first half of the 2003 campaign before a season-ending injury to Drew Carter forced the staff to insert Holmes at flanker for the final four games. He responded with 32 catches for 549 yards (17.2 avg) and seven touchdowns, adding 30 yards on seven punt returns.

Holmes started every game at flanker in 2004. He led the team with 55 receptions for 769 yards (14.0 avg) and seven touchdowns, earning All-Big Ten Conference second-team honors. He averaged 23.2 yards on eight kickoff returns and 10.7 yards on 20 punt returns with a score. He amassed 1,188 all-purpose yards and recorded a pair of solo tackles.

Holmes collected first-team All-Big Ten honors as a junior. He shifted to split end and again led the Buckeyes with 977 yards and eleven touchdowns on 53 receptions (18.4 avg). He totaled 141 yards on eleven punt returns (12.8 avg) and 239 yards on eleven kickoff returns (21.7 avg). Holmes also registered 1,357 all-purpose yards per game.

In 36 games at Ohio State, Holmes started 28 times. He finished fifth in school history with 140 receptions for 2,295 yards and third with 25 touchdown grabs. He returned 38 punts for 385 yards (10.1 avg) and a score, adding 19 kickoff returns for 425 yards (22.4 avg). Holmes rushed three times for 18 yards and recorded three solo tackles. He touched the ball 200 times during his career, gaining 3,123 all-purpose yards.

ANALYSIS

Positives: Has very good balance, timed speed, change of direction agility, second level quickness and explosiveness through the route...Shows good muscle tone and has room on his frame to add more bulk...Quick learner who needs minimal reps to retain...Good worker in all areas (training room, classroom, practices)...Has a very quick release with the shiftiness to avoid and the strong hands to defeat the press...Can separate in an instant and if the defender hesitates, Holmes will immediately change gears and beat his man...Accelerates well out of his breaks to get separation and does a very good job of maintaining that speed throughout his runs...Very athletic turning his body to track the ball and excels at making adjustments to make the low, high, behind, and over-the-shoulder grabs...Tracks the ball in flight well and times his leaps to make the grab at its high point...Has soft, natural hands and very good extension to pluck and snatch away from the frame...His burst lets him eat up the cushion and get on top of the defender before his opponent has a chance to recover...Shows quick stop-and-go action and is the type that can take a short throw, make the initial tackler miss and turn it into a long gain... Scrappy cut blocker who gets into the second level looking for targets to hit (has better strength than his size indicates).

Negatives: Needs to add more bulk to his frame...Tends to lose focus at times, as he tries to turn and run before properly securing the ball, which has led to some fumble problems ...Lacks the size to be relied upon for the tough catches in a crowd working in the red zone...Gets frustrated when his moves do not work and can be taken out of his element when facing the more physical cornerbacks (does not like contact running his patterns)...Showed good improvement as a junior, but needs to add some more route running moves.

Holmes has a short but well-built frame with room to add more bulk. He has good lower body and calf muscle definition, split high and long legs. He has valid feet and explosive acceleration, as he consistently gets on top of cornerbacks in one-on-one confrontations in the deep secondary. His speed and flexibility are evident in his ability to escape the press due to his burst off the snap.

Despite his size, Holmes has the functional strength to break some tackles and shows good urgency competing for the ball. He gets in and out of his breaks without having to gear down and once he gets past the line of scrimmage, he quickly eats up the cushion. He generates fluid lateral agility to redirect and shows very good shiftiness to elude.

Earlier in his career, Holmes was disciplined and sharp in his routes, but needed to add some moves and refinement. Since moving to split end, he demonstrates very good set up and body control with quickness out of his breaks. With his explosive separation agility, if the cornerback hesitates, Holmes is capable of changing gear and immediately beating his opponent. He is much more effective stemming and stabbing to set up the defensive back. His body control allows him to settle and break without having to throttle down.

Holmes shows a smooth weave, good leverage, quick transition and acceleration through his speed cuts when running his patterns. He has very good stop-and-go ability and the deep speed to consistently take the ball long distances. He did a much better job of reading coverages and adjusting his runs in 2005 than he did in the past. He carries the route depth and settles instinctively, sliding properly to create lanes.

Holmes's ability to sink his hips and transition quickly lets him accelerate through his cuts and burst away in attempts to get open. He shows good ability to pull and elude on vertical routes. He has excellent deep speed and the ability to maintain it. He maintains balance squeezing through tight spaces and will not flinch or be concerned about taking on punishment to make the catch in a crowd.

Holmes consistently finds the open area when attacking the deep zones. He gets downfield rapidly and can track, adjust and jump to get to the off-target throws. Whether the ball is high, low, behind him or over the shoulder, Holmes has the natural hands to pluck and snatch the ball. He needs to protect the ball with his body better, as he has had a history of costly fumbles whether catching or returning the ball (nine fumbles in 36 games). While Holmes showed improvement in 2005, he did have problems keeping his focus in the past. Most of his misjudgments came on short throws, as he tends to look to run before having the ball secured.

Because of his size, he is not really much of a factor inside the red zone. He has the burst, but will need to add more strength to gain positive yardage after the catch at the next level, but showed better leg drive in 2005. When given a free lane, he will win almost every foot race after the catch. He has the vision and instincts to break free from the crowd and is best when eluding on the move. He has that second gear that allows him to grab the short throw, make the initial tackler miss and turn that catch into a big play.

Holmes is a functional cut blocker with enough strength to handle defensive backs in the second level. He has good hand usage and shows willingness, but does not have the size to be much of a factor in pass protection (bigger defenders can push him into the pocket or run over him). He won't back down though, getting into position and positioning his hands to at least sustain for a few moments when blocking in-line.

Before the 2005 season, Holmes relied more on his pure speed to elude after the catch. He showed great improvement as a route runner in 2005 and better consistency looking the ball in and securing it before turning upfield (only two fumbles as a junior). He has great body control and leaping ability and proved he could turn a short play into a big gain thanks to his valid feet and pure speed. He will still lose focus at times, leading to drops of easy passes, but if you look at his birth certificate, you will see that he still has time to mature mentally and physically.

INJURY REPORT

2004: Sat out most of the third quarter vs. Marshall (9/11) after getting shaken up by a helmet-to-helmet hit on a punt return, but returned to action at the start of the fourth quarter.

CAREER NOTES

Ranks fifth in school history with 140 receptions, topped only by David Boston (191, 1996-98), Cris Carter (168, 1984-86), Michael Jenkins (165, 2000-03) and Gary Williams (154, 1979-82)...His 2,295 yards receiving rank behind Jenkins (2,898), Boston (2,855), Williams (2,792) and Carter (2,725) on Ohio State's all-time record list...His 25 touchdown catches are surpassed only by Boston (34) and Carter (27) in school history...Gained 3,123 all-purpose yards, becoming the twelfth Buckeye to gain over 3,000 yards in a career...Had at least two receptions in thirty consecutive games.

AGILITY TESTS

Campus: 4.45 in the 40-yard dash...315-pound bench press...475-pound squat...305-pound power clean...37-inch vertical jump...32-inch arm length...9 5/8-inch hands.

HIGH SCHOOL

Attended Glades Central (Belle Glade, Fla.) High School, playing football for head coach Willie Bueno...Three-year starter who helped Glades Central to state titles his sophomore and junior years and a 12-1 record his senior campaign...Had 33 receptions for 970 yards (29.3 avg) and ten touchdowns during his final season...Named the MVP of the Outback Steakhouse All-Star Game, after making five catches for 121 yards and a score...Also played in the California-Florida All-Star Game...The three-sport star also lettered in track and basketball...The track team won the state title his junior year and the basketball team was runner-up his senior season...His 4x400 meter relay team won the state title his junior and senior years.

PERSONAL

General Studies major...Single, has two sons: Santonio III and Nicori...Son of Patricia Brown and Santonio Holmes, Sr...Second cousin of Jacksonville Jaguars All-Pro running back Fred Taylor...Born 3/03/84...Resides in Belle Glade, Florida.