Tucker Stephenson
Publication: Seguin Gazette
Date: October 14, 2015
There was little doubt that Texas Lutheran freshman wide receiver, and Priest Holmes son, Jekovan Holmes would be an impact player from day one.
At 6-foot and 186 pounds, Holmes possesses the size, speed, strength and mental approach that head coach Danny Padron had been searching for ever since record-setting wideout Cameron Peavy graduated following the 2013 season. Holmes also knew Padron’s system coming from San Antonio O’Connor High School, where Padron won 65 games as a head coach.
What some may not know is that Holmes also has an elite pedigree. His father, Priest Holmes, was a standout at the University of Texas and a three-time All-Pro in the NFL for the Kansas City Chiefs, also winning a Super Bowl ring with the Baltimore Ravens during his 11-year pro career.
Padron said he’s had his eye on Jekovan for quite a while, with the WR getting a ringing endorsement from current TLU backup quarterback and fellow O’Connor alum Zach Galindo prior to the recruiting process.
“We’d known him for a long time,” Padron said of Holmes. “I asked Zach, ‘Who do I need to recruit over at O’Connor?’ He said, ‘Jekovan.’
“We thought he was our No. 1 receiver coming in and a lot of freshmen try to get that level and Coach (Kyle) Ingraham and Coach Andy Padron both felt like he had a chance after looking at the video and what we need at that position.”
Ingraham, the Bulldogs’ wide receivers coach, and Andy Padron, the team’s offensive coordinator, have looked like geniuses ever since inserting Holmes into the starting lineup to open the season. Through six games, Holmes has hauled in 36 receptions for 533 yards and 11 touchdowns — a mark that is just two shy of Peavy’s single-season record set in 2013.
