Tag: Jimmy Holiday

Jimmy Holiday transfers to play for former Vols’ offensive coordinator

Wide receiver Jimmy Holiday transfers to play for former Vols’ offensive coordinator.

Tennessee sophomore wide receiver Jimmy Holiday entered the NCAA transfer portal on Dec. 5.

Holiday has committed to play for head coach Tyson Helton at Western Kentucky. Helton served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Tennessee in 2018 under head coach Jeremy Pruitt.

Helton has compiled a 32-21 record and is 3-1 in bowl games during his tenure as Western Kentucky’s head coach since 2019.

The 6-foot, 205-pound Holiday appeared in 31 games from 2020-22 for the Vols, recording seven receptions, 111 yards and one touchdown. Holiday totaled six rushing yards one attempt.

He returned 19 kickoffs for 407 yards.

Holiday came to Tennessee from Madison Central High School in Madison, Mississippi.

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Jimmy Holiday to play wide receiver for Tennessee

Jimmy Holiday to play wide receiver for Tennessee.

KNOXVILLE — Tennessee kicked off fall training camp Monday at Haslam Field.

Following practice, Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt met with media to discuss his team ahead of the 2020 season.

One topic of discussion was freshman Jimmy Holiday. Holiday enrolled early at Tennessee in January. The 6-foot, 196-pound freshman played quarterback at Madison Central High School in Madison, Mississippi.

Jimmy Holiday
Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire

Holiday went through two spring practices at quarterback before the coronavirus pandemic canceled college athletics. Following Monday’s practice, Pruitt discussed Holiday playing wide receiver for the Vols this season.

“Jimmy is going to play wide receiver this fall,” Pruitt said. “It is something that he wanted to do, he felt like he would have an opportunity to get on the field faster there.

“He is a guy that you obviously can jump in at quarterback, and he’s still taking some snaps there. He is going to take most of his snaps at the wide receiver position this fall.”

Jeremy Pruitt discusses Tennessee’s quarterback competition

2020 Tennessee football.

KNOXVILLE – Tennessee opened spring practices Tuesday.

The Vols have a lot of competition at the quarterback position entering Jeremy Pruitt’s third season as Tennessee’s head coach.

Returning signal-callers include redshirt senior Jarrett Guarantano, redshirt sophomore J.T. Shrout and sophomore Brian Maurer.

Pruitt discussed the unit following Tennessee’s first spring practice.

“If you look over the last half of the year, Jarrett did a lot of really good things to help us win football games,” Pruitt said. “J.T. did some things in the South Carolina game and in the UAB game that helped us win. Brian showed some promise at times. All of these guys are going to continue to improve. We have good competition there. Jarrett is a guy that has played a lot of ball.

“When you look at all three of those guys, there are a lot of positives that they do. We have to eliminate a few mistakes that we made last year. With another year in the system, that is something that we are working on.”

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Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire

Freshman early enrollees Harrison Bailey and Jimmy Holiday also enter Tennessee’s quarterback competition in 2020. They are joined by Maryland transfer Kasim Hill who did not play last season due to NCAA transfer rules.

“We have a couple other quarterbacks in that room,” Pruitt said. “Harrison Bailey, Jimmy Holiday, Kasim Hill, they are taking the same amount of reps too. We have to figure out who our first, second and third quarterback is. They will have a chance to do that throughout the spring. That’s for every position.

“In this business, you’re only as good as your last game, whether you are a coach or a player. There always needs to be competition so everyone will be at their best.”

Jersey numbers announced for Tennessee early enrollees

2020 Tennessee football.

KNOXVILLE – Tennessee kicked off spring practices Tuesday.

Jersey numbers have been announced for four freshman early enrollees.

Quarterbacks Harrison Bailey and Jimmy Holiday have joined defensive lineman Dominic Bailey and offensive lineman Cooper Mays in enrolling early at Tennessee.

Below are jersey numbers for Tennessee’s 2020 early enrollees.

Numbers for Tennessee’s 2020 early enrollees

  • 10 Jimmy Holiday
  • 15 Harrison Bailey
  • 59 Dominic Bailey
  • 63 Cooper Mays

Spring football will conclude with the annual Chevrolet Orange & White Game at 4 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 18 in Neyland Stadium.

The Chevrolet Orange & White Game will be broadcast live on SEC Network+ via WatchESPN.com and the ESPN App.

Admission and parking is free for the Chevrolet Orange & White Game and gates will open at 2:30 p.m. ET. Vol Village in Lot 9 will open at noon.

UT welcomes four early enrollees

2020 Tennessee football.

KNOXVILLE — Tennessee has officially welcomed four freshman early enrollees for the Spring 2020 semester.

The Vols’ new additions will have the ability to take part in spring practices.

UT press release:

The Tennessee football team and head coach Jeremy Pruitt welcomed four true freshmen early enrollees to campus this month as the first members of the 2020 recruiting class to arrive on Rocky Top.

All four scholarship student-athletes are enrolled in classes, officially on campus and are eligible to participate in workouts and spring practice.

The quartet includes: defensive lineman Dominic Bailey (Baltimore, Md./St. Frances Academy), quarterback Harrison Bailey (Marietta, Ga./Marietta), quarterback Jimmy Holiday (Madison, Miss./Madison Central) and offensive lineman Cooper Mays (Knoxville, Tenn./Knoxville Catholic).

“I’m thrilled to have these four young men join our program and be enrolled in classes for this semester,” Pruitt said. “They will be eligible to participate in workouts and spring practice, and they will be able to get a head start on adjusting to college life in the classroom and on the field. These men all have tremendous character and the leadership qualities we are looking for when we recruit Volunteers. They all have bright futures at the University of Tennessee and they are ready to get to work along with the rest of our team.”

Dominic Bailey showcased his skills in the 2020 Under Armour All-American Game earlier this month, totaling five tackles and a sack for Team Savage. He starred at St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, Md., as a senior in 2019, anchoring a defense that allowed only 4.8 points per game for a team that finished with a No. 4 national ranking according to MaxPreps.

Harrison Bailey wrapped up an outstanding career for Marietta (Ga.) High School, leading the team to its first state championship in over 50 years. A four year-starter, he finished his career with 11,700 passing yards to rank fourth in Georgia history. He participated in the All-American Bowl.

Holiday participated in the 2019 Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game after leading Madison Central (Miss.) to a 9-3 record.  He passed for 3,507 yards and 37 TD and rushed for 3,568 yards and 51 TDs in three seasons.

Mays is the son of former Tennessee All-SEC offensive lineman Kevin Mays, and paved the way for Knoxville Catholic to amass for 2,360 rushing yards in 2019 and a Division I Class 5A Final Four appearance. He participated in Nike’s “The Opening” and comes in as the sixth-ranked center in the nation according to 247Sports composite.

The Tennessee football team wrapped up the 2019 season with an 8-5 record after defeating Indiana, 23-22 in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl. The Vols will take the second-longest winning streak (six games) in the nation into the 2020 season.

Tennessee welcomes early enrollees on campus

2020 Tennessee football.

KNOXVILLE — Just over two weeks after the early signing period, four new Tennessee Volunteers are on campus to officially begin their UT careers as early enrollees.

The team’s official Twitter account posted a video on Sunday welcoming three of the four early enrollees in the 2020 class.

Former Knoxville Catholic offensive line standout and Tennessee legacy Cooper Mays highlights the video, as the four-star prospect was a longtime commitment and instrumental in bringing in several other signees in this class.

Along with Mays, four-star defensive tackle Dominic Bailey moved to Knoxville after an impressive outing at the Under Armour All-America Game on Thursday.

Former TCU commit Jimmy Holiday was the third early enrollee to step on campus on Sunday, and the Madison, Miss. speedster comes to Tennessee as a quarterback, despite being listed as a three-star athlete on the 247 Sports Composite.

One player not included with the three that moved in on Sunday is Marietta High School quarterback Harrison Bailey, who many believe can be the signal-caller of the future for the Vols.

The No. 4 rated pro-style passer in the 2020 class, Bailey put up gaudy numbers in his high school football career, and is delayed in getting to campus after being in San Antonio for the All-American Bowl on Saturday.

Bailey did not participate in the game with an injury, but will get a jumpstart on his Tennessee career in spring practice along with his three other fellow freshmen.

Tennessee finished 2019 with six straight wins and an 8-5 record. The Vols will carry plenty of momentum into 2020, along with a new crop of Vols in the 2020 class.

Recruiting Player Profile: Jimmy Holiday

Recruiting Player Profile: Jimmy Holiday

KNOXVILLE – As Tennessee football brings in new talent during the Early Signing Period, Vols Wire is releasing player profiles on each individual that signs with UT.

Find out recruiting ratings, key skills, stats and which other programs had offers on the table for each Tennessee signee.

Jimmy Holiday may not be the highest-rated player in Tennessee’s signing class in his position, but he is certainly the fastest.

With a laser-timed 4.38 40 time, Holiday flipped from TCU to Tennessee, and signed with the Vols on Wednesday as an early enrollee. A three-star prospect out of Madison, Miss., Holiday is listed as an athlete by the 247 Sports Composite. He comes to Tennessee, however, as a dual-threat quarterback.

TCU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Memphis and Nebraska were in the mix for Holiday’s signature. In his career at Madison Central High School, Holiday carried the ball 144 times for over 1,200 yards and 20 touchdowns. His tape earned a comparison to Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson from Tennessee signing day analyst Charles Davis.

While he is not a top prospect on Tennessee’s board in terms of star rating, UT fans ought to keep an eye on the 6-foot, 185 pound speedster as he enrolls early to get a jump start on Jim Chaney’s offense.

Stay tuned to Vols Wire for more player profiles on each Tennessee signee during the Early Signing Period.

Jimmy Holiday commits to Tennessee

Jimmy Holiday commits to Tennessee.

2020 University of Tennessee football recruiting
2019 Early Signing Period — Dec. 18-20
National Signing Day — Feb. 5

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KNOXVILLE — The 2019 Early Signing Period for football is underway. The Vols are in the process of completing its 2020 football recruiting class.

Below is the Vols’ latest signee for the 2020 recruiting class.

Jimmy Holiday

Madison Central High School (Madison, Mississippi)

Quarterback — 6-foot, 185-pounds

Committed on December 18, 2019

2020 recruiting class signing dates

The 2019 Early Signing Period will take place Dec. 18-20 and National Signing Day will be held on Feb. 5.

The Vols’ 2020 commitment tracker can be followed below.

The University of Tennessee Volunteer’s 2020 football recruiting class tracker

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