Turns out Lubick is gold, Jerry!!!!
Things usually have a way of working out for the best. When Baylor receiver KD Cannon announced that he would forego his senior season at Baylor to enter the NFL, Coach Matt Rhule had something up his sleeve - a sales pitch that would grab the attention of one of 2017's most talented uncommitted receivers.
"The coaches, when they talked to me, they all mentioned that they need somebody to come in and replace KD, and that was really an honor to me, that they believed I could come in and be that guy and contribute the way KD did," Gavin Holmes told SicEm365 on Sunday.
2017 BAYLOR FOOTBALL COMMITMENT LIST
When he decommitted from the Iowa Hawkeyes in November, Holmes didn't know anything about Matt Rhule and had never even been on Baylor's campus. So how did Baylor get from being an unknown quantity with an unknown coach to landing Holmes?
Well, for starters, Rhule brought in Coach Matt Lubick, with whom Gavin had previous formed a relationship while being recruited by Oregon. Then, Coach Joey McGuire came on board.
"I'd known Coach Lubick, but the guy who reached out to me first was Coach McGuire. I've talked to Coach McGuire, Coach Bell, and Coach Lubick all pretty frequently," said Holmes. This weekend, Gavin and his parents got their first real taste of what Coach Rhule brings to the table, too.
"He gave a speech and it was really pretty insane. You can tell that he's passionate and that he's hungry, and he wants to win and, you know, turn this program back to how it was - a big-time program. And all his assistants - he's instilled that in them, and they all have the same mindset."
According to Holmes, his recruitment ends this evening with a six o'clock announcement that he has committed to Baylor.
"I could not be more certain about my commitment," Gavin said prior to his announcement. In fact, Holmes is so sure of his decision, he and his family decided that there was no point in waiting even one more day to announce. "After my visit and talking to my parents, they both loved it, and my dad just said I may as well do it tonight, because I knew where I was going and I didn't want to waste anymore time."
Don't expect the incoming freshman to take any time off from the playing field, either. Holmes sees it as a great advantage to himself and his fellow commits that every Baylor football player will be learning a new offense this year.
"I don't plan on redshirting. I plan on coming in and playing and contributing immediately. The coaches told me that's what they need me to do, and I plan on doing it. I'm obviously gonna have to come in and compete but, what I love about this situation is that it's a new offense, and everyone is going to be starting from the bottom, at the same place. It's really a cool situation."
With his eye on immediate playing time, Gavin is acutely aware of his own areas of strength as a player, as well as areas in which he will strive to improve.
"My speed, getting the ball in the open field, making the most out of my opportunities - those are my strengths. They want me to play inside and outside," he explained. "I would say my biggest area of improvement, like every receiver, is just getting off the press. I'm good at it, but I'm definitely not perfect, especially being a smaller receiver. I need to continue to work on everything, but that's probably the biggest area where I can improve."
Like other recent commits, Gavin is eagerly anticipating his role within a resurgent Baylor program.
"I really just want to be a part of it. Everyone is going to have their eye on the program."
"The coaches, when they talked to me, they all mentioned that they need somebody to come in and replace KD, and that was really an honor to me, that they believed I could come in and be that guy and contribute the way KD did," Gavin Holmes told SicEm365 on Sunday.
2017 BAYLOR FOOTBALL COMMITMENT LIST
I plan on coming in and playing and contributing immediately. The coaches told me that's what they need me to do, and I plan on doing it.
When he decommitted from the Iowa Hawkeyes in November, Holmes didn't know anything about Matt Rhule and had never even been on Baylor's campus. So how did Baylor get from being an unknown quantity with an unknown coach to landing Holmes?
Well, for starters, Rhule brought in Coach Matt Lubick, with whom Gavin had previous formed a relationship while being recruited by Oregon. Then, Coach Joey McGuire came on board.
"I'd known Coach Lubick, but the guy who reached out to me first was Coach McGuire. I've talked to Coach McGuire, Coach Bell, and Coach Lubick all pretty frequently," said Holmes. This weekend, Gavin and his parents got their first real taste of what Coach Rhule brings to the table, too.
"He gave a speech and it was really pretty insane. You can tell that he's passionate and that he's hungry, and he wants to win and, you know, turn this program back to how it was - a big-time program. And all his assistants - he's instilled that in them, and they all have the same mindset."
According to Holmes, his recruitment ends this evening with a six o'clock announcement that he has committed to Baylor.
"I could not be more certain about my commitment," Gavin said prior to his announcement. In fact, Holmes is so sure of his decision, he and his family decided that there was no point in waiting even one more day to announce. "After my visit and talking to my parents, they both loved it, and my dad just said I may as well do it tonight, because I knew where I was going and I didn't want to waste anymore time."
Don't expect the incoming freshman to take any time off from the playing field, either. Holmes sees it as a great advantage to himself and his fellow commits that every Baylor football player will be learning a new offense this year.
"I don't plan on redshirting. I plan on coming in and playing and contributing immediately. The coaches told me that's what they need me to do, and I plan on doing it. I'm obviously gonna have to come in and compete but, what I love about this situation is that it's a new offense, and everyone is going to be starting from the bottom, at the same place. It's really a cool situation."
With his eye on immediate playing time, Gavin is acutely aware of his own areas of strength as a player, as well as areas in which he will strive to improve.
"My speed, getting the ball in the open field, making the most out of my opportunities - those are my strengths. They want me to play inside and outside," he explained. "I would say my biggest area of improvement, like every receiver, is just getting off the press. I'm good at it, but I'm definitely not perfect, especially being a smaller receiver. I need to continue to work on everything, but that's probably the biggest area where I can improve."
Like other recent commits, Gavin is eagerly anticipating his role within a resurgent Baylor program.
"I really just want to be a part of it. Everyone is going to have their eye on the program."
Never miss the latest news from SicEm365!
Join our free email list