Gonzaga (DC) opened their season on Saturday afternoon on the road at Archbishop Carroll, dominating from start to finish in a complete 35-7 win.
Despite the comfortable lead heading into halftime, four-star defensive lineman DD Holmes remained on the field through the game, helping the Eagles win the battle in the trenches as the 6-foot-6 lineman is up to 250 pounds to open his senior season.
“My confidence is pretty high on the field,” Holmes told IBG. “I’m just focused on getting a WCAC championship and winning as many games as possible.” Holmes found himself lined up both as a defensive end and stand-up edge rusher, where he and the Eagles’ front seven were able to repeatedly stifle Carroll and its rebuilding offense. Still, Holmes’s revamped frame was on full display, but he knows what he wants his film to show.
“Just overall explosive and dominant.”
The explosiveness that Holmes flashed through his junior season was why he became such a coveted recruit this summer, taking multiple official visits with Maryland, South Carolina and Florida State jockeying for position. The Gamecocks were the perceived favorite heading into June with the Terps looking to reel in the priority DC target with Brian Williams leading the charge. But it proved to be the fourth and final official visit when Holmes made his way down to Tallahassee, giving head coach and lead recruiter John Papuchis a long look.
48 hours later, Florida State emerged as the clear-cut leader for Holmes before announcing on July 1.
“That was the goal, committing before the season so I can focus on this part of the season,” Holmes added.
Maryland has kept the open line of communication with Brian Williams establishing a strong rapport with Holmes’s mom along with the Gonzaga staff. With 19 commitments, Maryland will look to bolster the trenches to wrap up the 2024 class with the ‘Noles commit still a top priority heading into the December signing period.
With game one in the books, Holmes’s stance hasn’t changed.
“I’m locked in with Florida State.”
Holmes is rated a four-star prospect and a 92 overall by On3, sitting as the 136th-best prospect in the nation.
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