Washington Huskies head coach Jedd Fisch and offensive coordinator Brennan Carroll are looking for weapons for quarterback Will Rogers to throw to this season. With the departures of all of Washington’s top pass catchers from last season: Rome Odunze, Ja’Lynn Polk, Jalen McMillan, Germie Bernard, Jack Westover, and Devin Culp, the Huskies will be replacing nearly all of their receiving yards from last season.
The current group of receivers includes Cal transfer Jeremiah Hunter, Giles Jackson, Denzel Boston, and a bevy of unproven but talented players. The coaching staff’s decision to flip Vincent Holmes from safety to wide receiver is an important choice for not only the team, but for Holmes’ career. The coaching staff appears to have seen something that led it to believe he would be a better fit on the offensive side of the ball.
Holmes was recruited as a safety by Kalen DeBoer’s staff, but he played on both sides of the ball for San Jacinto High School, who utilized him at wide receiver on the outside in an X-type role and in the slot. The traits that make Holmes an interesting developmental wide receiver are very clear on his film.
He dominated the high school level with excellent straight line speed that allowed him to be a high-level deep threat. He displays excellent body control and his ability to track the ball shows why he was also highly coveted as a safety.
However, Holmes has a lot of developing to do on the offensive side. He doesn’t run anything resembling a full (or even half-full) route tree and mostly dominated because he was so much faster than anyone else on the field. As a vertical threat Holmes will bring an element to the Husky offense that is much needed.
Updated mid season highlights! @Coach_Galliano @CoachMorrell3 @PlayerProMorgan @CoachShephard @CoachJuice6 https://t.co/jwGBkruVMn
— vincent holmes (@vincentholmes18) September 21, 2022
Jackson has the same breakneck speed but at his smaller size he can’t take advantage of it the same way the 6-feet tall Holmes can. As he continues to transition to the offensive side, Holmes will have a lot to work on. His catch technique in high school was often sloppy and wide receivers coach Kevin Cummings will surely do a lot of work with him when spring camp rolls around.
There shouldn’t be an expectation that Holmes sees significant playing time in the near future, but there is a scenario where he does get on the field for some gadget or shot plays where Carroll asks him to utilize his speed. With the move to receiver, it seems that the coaching staff is willing to be patient with him and believes in his overall talent, and since Holmes briefly tested the waters of the transfer portal before opting to return to UW, he appears to trust the staff’s plan for his development.