There’s a storm coming. Well, actually the storm is already here and it’s been here for a while. Like a host of other football fans, you have probably slept on Jeremiah Holloman, rising senior wide receiver at Newton High School.
But you won’t be able to sleep through this hurricane forever. Holloman’s off-season has seen the young receiver transition from a three-star to a four-star recruit, earn top performer at MVP Camp, get offers from the University of Alabama, UGA, Auburn and an unimaginable number of schools you’ve heard of.
“It felt great,” Holloman said about earning the top performer honor. “I’ve been working behind closed doors. People always slept on me and actually having the chance to come out and showcase my talent it was great.”
With his success, Holloman has gotten a lot of positive response, but also some negative. All of which, he’s used to.
“I’ve been dealing with people hating on me since I was younger,” he said. “People never wanna see you shine and I’m so used to it I just gotta brush my shoulders off.”
Holloman, who is also a track and field star, winning a state championship in the triple jump last year, fell in love with football at a young age. He says he’ll continue to do track and field in college, adding that he doesn’t love it as much as he loves football, but uses the sport to get better at football. It was in a game at the Georgia Dome, when Jeremiah’s mother, Oneida Holloman realized her son had great potential.
“Honestly, in rec ball I knew he was that good,” Oneida Holloman said. “He played a game down at the Georgia Dome and he was phenomenal so I just knew he was that good. This kid was jumping up, stretching, reaching and snatching balls out the air. He was in elementary school. It’s a gift from God.”
“Ever since rec I’ve always been able to separate myself from the people around me. Ever since then I just kept that mentality and every time if I feel like someone is on the same level as me I separate myself from them,” Jeremiah Holloman said.
Scout.com has Jeremiah ranked as the second best receiver in Georgia and the 32nd best in the country. Jeremiah Holloman is as humble as ever, taking it all in and continuing to work hard.
“I’ve been taking it the same way. I still have a lot of time to think about my decision, right now I’m just practicing on getting myself better,” Jeremiah Holloman said.
“It’s new,” Oneida Holloman said regarding the attention her son has been getting. “As long as he stays humble, it’s a blessing actually because he has worked very, very hard for this so it’s a blessing.”
Since his eye-catching performance at MVP Camp, the college offers have been rolling, as if they weren’t already.
“What matters most is the education first and foremost,” Jeremiah Holloman said. “Then second I want it to be a school where they consider building me more as a young man instead of a football player. I would like to be in a great atmosphere, somewhere that my family feels comfortable with.”
Jeremiah Holloman always believed in himself and you can tell that in his demeanor, though he’s not arrogant about it, he presents himself in a calm, confident manner. The way Steph Curry has the eye of the tiger, Jeremiah Holloman has it too. Or maybe it’s just the eye of the storm that’s about to hit the county.
“This whole time just staying humble and going through the phases; just getting better,” Jeremiah Holloman said. “Every time I see someone doing an extra rep I gotta go harder than them and just keep myself to my word and I always saying, ‘I’m gonna grind and grind and grind.’ And then getting after it.”
“It’s amazing,” Oneida Holloman said. “I’m still in awe because even though I knew he was this phenomenal football player back in rec ball, just watching the degree to which he developed, it’s amazing. The coaching staff has been amazing and they’ve put in extra work with him, but he’s really developed himself. So it’s amazing to watch this. It’s like prayers being answered.”
Jeremiah Holloman says that he gets his work ethic from both his parents. Oneida Holloman adds that it’s something she and her husband instill in all of their children.
“We’ve always told him, anything you do, if you’re gonna do it, do it 100 percent or don’t do it. It’s a waste of time. Let somebody else who wants to do it, get out there and do it. That’s something that we’ve always told all of our kids. If you’re gonna do it, put your all into it or it’s a waste of time, don’t do it,” Oneida Holloman said.
Next, Jeremiah Holloman says he wants to graduate, his main priority, but he also wants to have a chance at winning a state championship and finally to leave a legacy behind at Newton for people to aspire to.
His senior season is coming. Batten down the hatches. The storm isn’t over yet.
