From potential goat (the bad kind) to Cocktail Party hero, Jeremiah Holloman is rising quickly for Georgia
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It looked like one of the biggest blunders of 2018.
Jeremiah Holloman did exactly what Georgia fans envisioned he’d do when he signed with the program’s 2017 class. That is, make a big-time catch on a back-shoulder throw from Jake Fromm, shake off a cornerback and take it to the house. It appeared to be a perfect way for the sophomore to record his first SEC touchdown.
If only it were that easy.
You see, Holloman to that point still had yet to earn his first college start. He was a week removed from recording his first career touchdown. In the midst of celebrating the biggest play of his young career, Holloman forgot one thing — the ball.
Replay showed that Holloman made the ever-careless mistake of dropping the ball at the goal line before he was well into the end zone. It was at a critical point of the game with Georgia clinging to a 2-score lead at Mizzou. A completely unforced turnover could have been a 14-point swing.
This one of Jeremiah Holloman (@Obey_Classics) will make @HomesByHolloman proud pic.twitter.com/JcsRWqueVW
— Dayne Young (@dayneyoung) September 22, 2018
After a lengthy replay review, the touchdown ruling was upheld. But still, the message was received.
“He was great. He understood. He just hadn’t been around in moments like that,” Smart said on the SEC Coaches Teleconference. “To be honest, he didn’t even realize that he had done it. It’s one of those things that you’ve got to really drive home with kids today. They’re thinking about what they’re gonna do when they score instead of scoring first.
“He was embarrassed and he was upset and like he had let the team down.”
It’s been a month since Holloman’s near-epic blunder. It’s safe to say he hasn’t let the team down since then.
Holloman is coming off the best game of his career, which happened to coincide with Georgia’s biggest win of the year. His 2-touchdown performance helped fuel the Dawgs’ 36-17 victory against Florida. And perhaps most importantly, he didn’t drop any of those balls on the goal line.
“He bounced back well. He’s worked really hard,” Smart said. “He’s always been a really high-quality kid that works really hard.”
Holloman worked hard to become the replacement for 6-4 Javon Wims, who led the Dawgs in receiving in 2017. Fromm loved targeting Wims in the corner of the end zone. Wims has an inch or two on Holloman, but the sophomore quickly developed a knack for making impressive one-on-one plays in the end zone.
Part of that could be the fact that Holloman learned under Wims as a freshman, and the two still talk every day. Holloman asked Wims how he mentally prepared for big games. Whatever advice he received paid dividends for Georgia.
On Saturday, Holloman got his first career start. He promptly rewarded Smart’s faith in him by delivering a pair of touchdown catches, the second of which put the Dawgs ahead for good.
Fromm's fantastic fade* puts Georgia back on top.
*please excuse the alliteration pic.twitter.com/0Q33JikHwZ
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) October 27, 2018
Gary Daniel’s reaction said it best.
“Wow.”
Wow, that throw. Wow, that catch.
Also wow, Holloman’s phone, which he said had 200 text messages waiting for him after helped the Dawgs put the kibosh on the Gators … just two months after he changed his phone number the first time.
Holloman’s ability to win a one-on-one battle and catch a back-shoulder throw was only part of the reason he broke out and filled a significant need for the Georgia offense.
“He’s really a good vertical threat. He’s not just a back-shoulder guy,” Smart said. “He’s very explosive. He was a great track athlete coming out of high school, and he’s gotten more and more confident at the receiver position as he’s played.”
As fortunate as Holloman to have the rare combination of breakaway speed and next-level size, he said the unnatural process of becoming a student of the game is why his star is rising. That was after a freshman season in which he was buried on the depth chart.
Now, Holloman is one of the key weapons that Georgia will take into the unofficial SEC East championship against Kentucky this weekend. He’ll try to continue his playmaking ways against a Wildcats defense that’s tied for first in the country in scoring. Kentucky enters Saturday having yet to allow anyone to eclipse the 20-point mark this season. Georgia, on the other hand, hit at least 36 points against every East defense it faced this year.
Even though Saturday’s 36-point performance was technically Georgia’s worst offensive output against a divisional foe in 2018, in many ways, it felt like its most impressive. Having someone convert on third down in the red zone like Holloman certainly helped. It’s not a bad time to be clicking offensively.
The Dawgs seem to have found their depth in the passing game. It was actually tight end Isaac Nauta who was the team’s leading receiver on Saturday. He was the fifth different Georgia player to lead the team in receiving yards in a game this year.
Maybe it’s Holloman who steps into that role this Saturday. Georgia wouldn’t mind a few more catches in traffic from the emerging sophomore. If Holloman could have his first 2-game stretch of multi-touchdown performances, it would go a long way toward helping the Dawgs earn their second consecutive trip to Atlanta.
In other words, Holloman has plenty of reasons to hold on to the ball until he reaches pay dirt on Saturday.
Connor O'Gara is the senior national columnist for Saturday Down South. He's a member of the Football Writers Association of America. After spending his entire life living in B1G country, he moved to the South in 2015.
