Early Enrollee: Jimmy Holiday, ATH
Height/Weight: 6-foot, 190 pounds
School: Madison Central (Mississippi)
Home Town: Madison, MS
Rankings
247Sports Composite: No. 789 overall, No. 46 ATH
247Sports: No. 1,411 overall, No. 111 ATH
Rivals: 5.7 rating No. 27 ATH
Notable Offers: TCU, Florida State, Ole Miss, Mississippi State
What we like:
If you want to talk about a recruit who is criminally underrated, that’s Jimmy Holiday. I suppose the reason he’s not a four-star (other than the fact that 247Sports hasn’t evaluated him since the spring) is because he’s intent on at least getting a shot at playing quarterback in college, and he’s not the world’s greatest passer. But he’s not a bad passer by any means, either. Holiday has a good arm, and he can make some passes I didn’t know he was capable of making until I watched his tape.
But his passing ability isn’t what wows me. That’s his athleticism, speed, and just his inability to be tackled. A defender could be right on top of him, but Holiday somehow finds a way to make that defender grab air rather than jersey. Holiday can make one cut and pick up huge chunks of yards. He has a legit, laser-timed 4.38-second 40-yard dash, and it shows on film, too. If he finds a hole, he’s gone. But he’s not just a straight-line speed type of player; he’s shifty, crafty, and extremely hard to get a hand on. People keep comparing him to Lamar Jackson, and I see why.
Places to improve:
As a passer, Holiday has quite a bit to still work on. He has a lot of tools there that show promise, but if he wants to stick at quarterback and not eventually be moved to wide receiver or some skill position outside of QB, he’ll need to retool his delivery and work on his overall accuracy. He has a strong arm and can make a number of throws, but his mechanics aren’t the most sound. As an athlete and play-maker, there’s not much to critique. The places he can improve are mostly are as a quarterback.
Analysis:
Good luck keeping Holiday off the field as a freshman. Tennessee doesn’t have this type of pure play-maker on offense for next season, not one with the kind of skills he has. I don’t think he starts at any position next year, but I don’t see how you don’t use him in some way if he’s healthy. He’s absolutely dynamic with the ball in his hands, and even if he’s used just in a few wildcat packages, that will be fun to watch. His highlights are a joy to watch, and I recommend just sitting here and watching them below.
