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WR Santonio Holmes (Super Bowl XLIII MVP)

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Cleveland PD

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Holmes heads to NFL:
Ohio State receiver Santonio Holmes surprised no one by announcing on the field after the game he will leave for the NFL. The redshirt junior is an almost certain first-round pick and could be the first receiver selected in the April draft.
"I think it's the right time for him to go," OSU coach Jim Tressel said. "I always tell my guys if you're going to be a first-round pick you should go, and he's going to be a first-round pick."


"Santonio Holmes has taken a lot off my shoulders," quarterback Troy Smith said. "He's going to be missed. But it's time for him to step up and go to the next level because he's done everything he can here."
In his final game, Holmes caught five passes for 124 yards.
 
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Cleveland PD

1/3

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[FONT=arial,sans-serif][FONT=arial,sans-serif]Holmes' lack of adoration is an unsolved mystery [/FONT][/FONT]

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[FONT=arial,sans-serif][FONT=arial,sans-serif]Monday, January 02, 2006[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=arial,sans-serif][FONT=arial,sans-serif]Bill Livingston[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,sans-serif][FONT=arial,sans-serif]Plain Dealer Columnist [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,sans-serif][FONT=arial,sans-serif] Tempe, Ariz. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,sans-serif][FONT=arial,sans-serif] - Today's Fiesta Bowl will probably be the last college game for Santonio Holmes, so let us celebrate him, as long as it's not excessively. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,sans-serif][FONT=arial,sans-serif] That, of course, is not usually a concern with Ohio State's fickle fans, only with the stunted men with whistles in their mouths who seem determined to bind and gag college players whenever they feel the urge to act like kids. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,sans-serif][FONT=arial,sans-serif] Holmes has been overlooked by the football-hype machine, which always goes running after the new, such as Ted Ginn Jr., the Buckeye with college football's best speed; or the restored, such as Notre Dame, now that coach Charlie Weis has righted the program; or the safe and shopworn, such as the Fiesta Bowl plotline that pits Notre Dame's offense against Ohio State's defense. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,sans-serif][FONT=arial,sans-serif] Holmes has played three sterling seasons as a wide receiver and kick returner, steadily moving up the all-time Ohio State lists (third in touchdowns, fifth in receptions, sixth in yardage). [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,sans-serif][FONT=arial,sans-serif] OSU recruited Holmes on the chance he could win a Biletnikoff Award as college football's best receiver. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,sans-serif][FONT=arial,sans-serif] That didn't happen, and now, as a senior academically but a junior in eligibility, with a family to support and a chance in some forecasts to be the first wide receiver taken in the NFL draft, Holmes should probably sing "Auld Lang Syne" and not the alma mater after today's game. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,sans-serif][FONT=arial,sans-serif] "Some people don't realize just how good Holmes is, but we certainly do," Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said. "In some ways, Santonio is like Michael Jenkins before him. He's quietly building a reputation as one of Ohio State's best." [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,sans-serif][FONT=arial,sans-serif] Holmes isn't more popular with fans in part because he is from Florida and not a home-grown. He is also a single father of two boys, which is no one's business but his, although the judgmental make it theirs. It could even be as dumb as the hairstyle he wears. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,sans-serif][FONT=arial,sans-serif] We now know he played this season - not a series, not a game, the whole shebang - with a sprained foot that Ohio State kept secret. He would limp in the locker room, but not on the field. "I had to block it out," he said.
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[FONT=arial,sans-serif][FONT=arial,sans-serif] Holmes has led the Buckeyes in receiving the past two years. Ginn, the early-season Sports Illustrated cover phenom, caught three touchdown passes and scored another on a kickoff return. Holmes caught 10 TD passes. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,sans-serif][FONT=arial,sans-serif] Opponents adjusted over time to the raw speed of Ginn. Holmes is as subtle and crafty a receiver as OSU has had since maybe Cris Carter. Holmes can change pace and get a step on the defensive back. With Ginn, it is always the fastball. A coverage guy can anticipate that and hang with him, provided there is heat on the quarterback. Holmes has enough gears in and out of cuts to slap a roll-cage on him and run him on an oval track. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,sans-serif][FONT=arial,sans-serif] He was viciously booed in Ohio Stadium when he fumbled two kicks, losing one, against Michigan State. "But he scored two touchdowns to help us win the game. And he sure bailed us out chasing down some of those balls in Ann Arbor," Tressel said. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,sans-serif][FONT=arial,sans-serif] Ginn had his own troubles with sun and wind that day. A lot of hands were reaching for one of Ginn's bobbles and only Holmes' belonged to Ohio State. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,sans-serif][FONT=arial,sans-serif] Holmes' hustle kept the Buckeyes in that game and made possible the comeback that made quarterback Troy Smith a legend at Ohio State. Holmes' 26-yard touchdown reception on a post pattern in the final minutes made possible the victory that was sealed when the team's third receiver, Anthony Gonzalez, made "The Catch" in the final seconds. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,sans-serif][FONT=arial,sans-serif] Holmes received one of the most unjust penalties of the season after his late touchdown against the Wolverines. He split linebacker Prescott Burgess and safety Brandent Englemon. Worried that the ball would be stripped from behind, he leaped over the goal line like a skyrocket on July Fourth. The 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct forced the Buckeyes to kick off from their own 20 and gave Michigan the ball near midfield. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,sans-serif][FONT=arial,sans-serif] But it was a smart play, the same as a similar goal-line geyser that kept Michigan State's Eric Smith from punching the ball out. "It's a problem because it's not enforced the same way everywhere," Holmes said. "There's one guy who can do pretty much whatever he wants on the field, diving into the end zone all the time - Reggie Bush at Southern Cal. No one penalizes him. Getting into the end zone at this level is hard. You might catch 15 passes and not get a touchdown." [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,sans-serif][FONT=arial,sans-serif] Holmes' jumps seem to be a way to get above it all. Up there, nothing can touch him - not the boos, not the puny rules that try to suppress the human tendency to celebrate achievement, not the stench from the Maurice Clarett era that briefly hovered over OSU again Sunday. They should sky- write his name in the record book. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,sans-serif][FONT=arial,sans-serif]To reach this Plain Dealer columnist: [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,sans-serif][FONT=arial,sans-serif][email protected], 216-999-5754 [/FONT][/FONT]
 
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link

1/3/06

Out with a bang: Holmes going pro

OSU receiver’s farewell contribution includes 85-yard touchdown catch
Tuesday, January 03, 2006

Aaron Portzline
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

<!--PHOTOS--><TABLE class=phototableright align=right border=0><!-- begin large ad code --><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE align=center><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle>
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</IMG> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=credit width=200>CHRIS RUSSELL | DISPATCH </TD></TR><TR><TD class=cutline width=200>OSU’s Santonio Holmes is dragged down by Notre Dame defenders John Carlson (89) and John Lyons. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>


TEMPE, Ariz. — When Ohio State receiver Santonio Holmes called this his "money year," he wasn’t kidding.
Shortly after Ohio State beat Notre Dame 34-20 last night in the Fiesta Bowl, Holmes announced that he would forgo his senior season to enter the NFL draft.
"It was a very difficult decision," Holmes said. "But knowing that it’s not going to be a very wide receiver-oriented draft this year, I have to take advantage of my opportunities."
During spring practice, Holmes said he would make the leap to the NFL if he put up big numbers this season.
He achieved his goal, despite an OSU offense that didn’t get rolling until midway through the season.
Last night, Holmes had five catches for 124 yards and a touchdown.
The touchdown was a money catch, 85 yards from Troy Smith with 2:21 left in the second quarter, putting OSU up 21-7.
It’s the longest catch in Fiesta Bowl history. The previous record came in the 2002 Fiesta Bowl, when Oregon’s Joey Harrington completed a 79-yard touchdown pass to Samie Parker.
On his TD catch, Holmes took advantage of Chinedum Ndukwe, who was cheating toward the line.
"(Notre Dame’s) defense was pretty aggressive," Holmes said. "We were running plays to get them to sneak up closer to the line of scrimmage. On that play, they bit pretty hard, and it was the right call at the right time."
Were NFL scouts watching?
"I’m pretty sure they were," Holmes said with a smile. "The whole nation saw this game."
Holmes spoke with coach Jim Tressel about his decision on at least two occasions, he said.
"Coach told me to make the best decision possible," Holmes said.
If the Buckeyes had lost last night, Holmes said, Tressel wanted him to wait a day before making his decision public.
Holmes also talked to his mother, Patricia Brown.
"My mother said to do what makes me feel comfortable," Holmes said, "but just go back and get your degree."
Holmes said the risk of injuries did not enter his mind last night. In the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, when Ohio State won the national championship, University of Miami running back Willis McGahee suffered a serious knee injury that cost him millions the following spring in the NFL draft.
"I went in with the intention of playing hard, of giving everything I had on the field," Holmes said. "I wanted to have my body flying around, making blocks for the other guys.
"I wasn’t thinking about being cautious. When you do that, you tend to get hurt. No, no. I wanted to put on a show."
[email protected]
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ScarletBlood31 said:
Holmes will be missed greatly. He is, in my mind, no doubt a buckeye great.
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Agreed. He has earned his draft spot. Great young man, and he is going to be a great pro. Its nice to see him to be able to take care of his family. A true Buckeye, he embraced the program and what it stands for...he's definitely one of the best all around receivers I've seen...great route runner, great hands, great speed, and one hell of a blocker
 
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Congratulations and good luck.

I believe that you made the right decision. I wouldn't have advised you to pass up "1st round NFL draft choice money" and return for your 5th year, etc. However, you still have unfinished business at Ohio State. When you have the opportunity, come back to finish your class work and get your degree. Make your children proud of you for your accomplishments both on the football field and in the classroom.​
 
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