John Holmes (football player)
Johnny Holmes (born March 1, 1986 in Rockledge, Florida) is an American football linebacker and former defensive back for the West Virginia Mountaineers.
Early life
John Holmes attended Rockledge High School and was a standout linebacker. He recorded 70 tackles, 10 sacks, 8 pass break-ups, and a fumble recovery as a senior. He was also given Florida Today All-Space Coast and Class 3A all-state honors while being named the Orlando Sentinel Brevard County defensive player of the year. He was also given all-Space Coast honors in track.
Collegiate career
As a freshman in 2005, Holmes saw little action, but it was mostly on special teams. He only had one tackle on the season.
In The Spring of 2006, Holmes moved to spur safety from linebacker. The transition helped the 6'3", 230-pounder in the long run. He started the season off with a five tackle game against Maryland, then followed it up with four tackles and a sack against Mississippi State. He then had four tackles and a seven-yard sack against Louisville and was the leading tackler on the team with nine tackles against Rutgers. In the Toyota Gator Bowl against the Georgia Tech football team, Holmes recovered a fumble on a kickoff that setup the go-ahead score for the Mountaineers. He totaled 48 tackles on the season, 5.5 of those for losses, and included three sacks. He also had one forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and a pass break-up. Holmes shared time with junior Ridwan Malik at safety.
Entering the 2007 season, Holmes was moved back to linebacker as he gained the appropriate weight. In the third game of the season against Maryland, Holmes recorded five tackles which was a season-high at that point. Against Syracuse at the Carrier Dome, Holmes recorded six tackles, which then became his season-high total. Holmes set the bar even higher the next week against Mississippi State with seven tackles and a fumble recovery. In the 38-31 victory over Louisville, Holmes sacked quarterback Brian Brohm, forcing a fumble that teammate Eric Wicks ran in for a touchdown. In the final game of the season, the 48-28 victory over the Oklahoma Sooners in the Fiesta Bowl, Holmes recorded four tackles.