Jarrod Holt verbals to Duke

Papa_Bull · July 7, 2005

At least we got beat out by Duke rather than WVU or some other BE team.

Hard to turn down an education at Duke.

http://scout.scout.com/a.z?s=359&p=8&c=1&nid=1851499

Papa_Bull · July 8, 2005

Duke the perfect fit for Clearwater's Holt

By BOB PUTNAM, Times Staff Writer

Published July 8, 2005

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The behemoths of the offensive line are thinking men, forever processing defensive formations and alignments and calculating how to attack them. All while simultaneously obsessing about things such as which foot to move first at the snap and how to position the hips for optimum leverage.

That's why it is widely believed that those in the trenches are among the smartest players on the field.

Clearwater's Jarrod Holt supports that notion.

The 6-foot-6, 305-pound lineman may look like a big, slow brute to the casual fan, but he has proven, on and off the field, he possesses uncommon intellect. The incoming senior has a 4.2 weighted GPA and scored 1040 on the scholastic aptitude test. So it was important to him to attend a college with a strong academic reputation.

He found that with Duke University. Holt set his future in motion by committing to the Blue Devils on Wednesday.

"This is something I just wanted to get done with quickly," Holt said. "I wanted to concentrate on my senior year and wanted to know that I'm going to be at one place.

"I really liked Duke from the beginning. They were the first school that offered me, it's a great academic school and they're really putting a lot of money into their athletic facilities."

With his decision to attend Duke, Holt will extend a family legacy dating more than two decades. He is the fourth member of his family to play college football. His father, Joe, an assistant with the Tornadoes, played at Furman. His older brothers, Joe and Jon, play at Virginia and North Carolina State, respectively. Jarrod's close ties with his family were key in his college choice.

"I knew my brother (Jon) would be 15 minutes away at N.C. State if I went to Duke," he said. "I thought about going to school with him, but (N.C. State) couldn't match up academically with Duke."

Holt overcame a broken foot to average eight pancakes per game last season. College recruiters took notice and put him at the top of their wish list. He had 18 offers and went on a two-week trip this summer to visit schools such as Florida, Miami, North Carolina and Vanderbilt.

But he was hooked on the Blue Devils, especially after getting a call from former Seminole standout Ryan Fowler, who graduated from Duke in 2004 and currently is with the Dallas Cowboys.

"He was a great guy and really helped sell me on going to Duke," Holt said. "He said he would have regretted going anywhere else because of the education."

http://www.sptimes.com/2005/07/08/Sports/Duke_the_perfect_fit_.shtml