Newton’s Banks sees Holloman's potential at wide receiver ... and punter

Jeremiah “J.J.” Holloman was ready to put his ankle sprain behind him, see his first full workload as a junior against Rome and lead his Newton Rams team to a third-consecutive victory to open the 2015 season.

It was a neck-and-neck game between the two prep foes and Rome held a 33-28 lead over Newton with 28 seconds remaining. The folks in northwest Georgia were ready to celebrate an important victory to an eventual nine-win team.

It was a game in which Newton head coach Terrance Banks recollected Holloman to be a “total beast.” Consequently, Holloman had his moment to shine as quarterback Romario Johnson found the current Bulldogs’ newcomer down the field for a 77-yard post route.

The Rams claimed a 35-33 victory and headed back home in pure elation. Holloman was the Rams’ star that night with a performance of 139 yards and three touchdowns on seven receptions.

In addition, it served as validation for college programs to pursue Holloman after they were given a first impression during multiple seven-on-seven tournament victories throughout the previous summer.

Holloman put on a couple of eye-popping performances, according to Banks.

“Who was that?,” one unspecified college coach asked as the 6-foot-1 wideout began to make some plays.

From then on, Holloman began to build nationwide interest and put himself on the recruiting radar. Holloman opted to commit to Georgia nearly 15 months after the recruiting process began, and the interest in the program stemmed from the first Division I offer he received.

“Coach (Kirby) Smart is the main reason why he’s at Georgia,” Banks said. “Alabama gave him his first offer before Georgia did but the person that gave him that offer was Coach Smart. At the end of the day, that’s why he’s at Georgia. If Coach Smart is still at Alabama, then we aren’t talking about J.J. Holloman being a Bulldog.”

Holloman was a member of the 2017 class, which ranked as the third-best nationally and includes three other wide receivers – Mark Webb Jr., Trey Blount and Matt Landers – who will enroll with the program in June. It was the first full recruiting class under Smart and arguably Georgia’s best in quite some time as it addressed numerous weaknesses, including on the offensive perimeter.

Smart was a part of the group that came away impressed with Holloman nearly two years ago and sees more of the same after observing the mid-year enrollee during offseason workouts and meetings.

“I think the biggest thing he brings is the toughness factor,” Smart said. “That’s the demeanor that we need, a guy that’s going to go out there and hit you and hat you up. I really like that about the guy. He doesn’t really care what other people think. He doesn’t look around at the other guys. He’s focused on ‘I’m going to give you all the effort I can.’”

Holloman participated in his first spring practice Tuesday, along with fellow early enrollees Richard LeCounte III, Deangelo Gibbs, Monty Rice, D’Marcus Hayes and Jake Fromm.

Banks has kept in touch with Holloman with his collegiate career beginning and said it’s far from a typical high school routine. Banks indicated that one of the main issues for the newcomer thus far has been building a rapport with the upperclassmen. Nonetheless, that is being combated with seven-on-seven practices, which allows Holloman the opportunity to build more relationships and learn Georgia’s playbook.

With practice now underway, there are some qualities that Holloman possesses that could give him an early opportunity, some of which are aside from receiving.

“He’s close to being a complete receiver,” Banks said. “What he will bring from day one is that he’s going to be physical with anyone. I think that attitude is something that he can bring. The best compliment that I can give him is that he’s the kind of wide receiver that will be the difference in a run play going for 4 yards and 10 yards. He’ll attack that defensive back on every play.

“He’s also an emotional guy that can get everybody going. At Newton, he became a leader in the weight room and always bringing the energy and juice.”

Banks believes in his receiver’s abilities and thinks he can have a long career. After a brief pause, Banks said that he sees Holloman becoming a potential high-level draft pick. As his career gets underway at Georgia, there are some minor facets of the game that the freshman could improve upon in order to reach that point.

Holloman creates problems for opposing defenses on quicker passing routes. But Banks believes that in order for it to translate to the college game, some work on intermediate to deeper routes may be beneficial due to Newton not having to vary its passing game to that extent.

Smart indicated Tuesday that Holloman could contribute early on Georgia’s special teams’ unit. It was assumed Smart was referring to the different coverage units. Banks believes he could do so in a different area, however, as Holloman received plenty of work as Newton’s punter for multiple seasons.

Holloman averaged 39.2 yards per punt in his senior campaign with his longest boot standing at 62 yards. With Marshall Long not yet returning from injury, could Holloman make his way into spring competition with Columbia transfer Cameron Nizialek for the role?

“I actually think that he has NFL punting ability,” Banks said. “If Georgia needed a punter, and needed to try him, then they could conceivably save a scholarship and have him punt, that’s how good he is. He’s also an extreme athlete, other teams are going to think twice about rushing or send nine guys down field. In his senior game against Lowndes, they sent all nine guys back and he catches it, takes two steps, and runs for about 82 yards.”

This story was originally published March 22, 2017 at 1:12 PM with the headline "Newton’s Banks sees Holloman's potential at wide receiver ... and punter."