It’s a little over 800 miles from the tiny town of Tappahannock, Va., to Evanston, Ill. You can drive there in about 13 hours.
But it took new grad transfer defensive tackle Taishan Holmes much longer than that to get from his hometown to Northwestern. It took him five years and four schools to become a Wildcat. And no one could be more thrilled to be where he is now.
“Excited to be back in that Purple as a Wildcat!” Holmes said by Twitter direct message on Monday night, just hours after announcing his intention to transfer to Northwestern. “I’m most definitely Blessed!”
Holmes wore purple at the beginning of his football journey, at Essex High School. But he didn’t take a familiar path to arrive at the doors of the Walter Athletic Center – which, incidentally, he’ll see for the first time this weekend on his official visit. He may be the first Wildcat in history to have played at both an HBCU and a junior college.
To fully understand Holmes, who has one year of eligibility remaining, you have to retrace his steps through all of the levels of football, from a 2,000-student rural outpost all the way to the Big Ten, through his years as a Ram, a Trojan, a Broncbuster and a Minuteman.
Holmes’ college career began at Bluefield University, an NAIA school, where he played spring football in 2018 and started chasing his dream. He then walked on at Virginia State, an HBCU, in the fall of 2018. He played his freshman season for the Trojans and started his eligibility clock.
In the summer of 2019, he transferred to a JUCO, Garden City (Kan.) Community College, and played for the Broncbusters as a sophomore. His play there managed to catch the attention of coaches from Division I UMass, who offered him a scholarship. He played two years for the Minutemen, in 2020 and 2021.
Now, he will have the opportunity to play at Northwestern, a Big Ten school and the pot of gold at the end of Holmes’ rainbow. It’s a giant leap from NAIA to the Power Five, and it’s one that Holmes achieved by taking all of the little steps in between – steps that could have derailed many other players who weren’t as focused and willing to grind.
“I believe this journey is a testament to my will and faith, always putting faith in God knowing that it is all in his timing,” said Holmes. “It also speaks to my support system, my family has been behind me 100% every step of the way and me working as hard as I can day in and day out to make them proud is the only way I can think of showing them how much I appreciate them.”
Holmes’ resume won’t wow you. His other offers since entering the transfer portal were from Marshall and a couple HBCU programs, Norfolk State and Grambling. He made just 12 tackles in eight games last season for UMass, one of the worst programs in Division I. Over Holmes’ two years, the Minutemen went 1-15 (they played just four games in 2020 due to COVID).
But as a big, run-stuffing interior defensive lineman, his job is to plug the middle, not gather statistics. The 6-foot-4, 315-pounder is confident he will be able to help a Northwestern defense that finished last in the Big Ten and 119th in the country against the run last season.
“(Defensive line) coach (Marty Long) loves the effort and grit I play with,” said Holmes. “Fast inside hands, as well as the love, passion and respect I have for the game are some of my strengths.
“I will bring to Northwestern that underdog mentality that’s stitched into my DNA, as well as a dog in the middle of that defense to wreak havoc in the backfield and hold point against double teams.”
Holmes said that he’s being recruited by the Wildcats as both a defensive tackle (for a 4-3 front) and a noseguard (for a 3-4).
“I’ve spent time playing all techniques 0-4i, whichever the job calls for that week I will prepare to be the best at,” he said.
Holmes, as you’ve probably figured out by now, has a very enthusiastic and positive attitude. That’s how you get from Tappahannock, a small, country town of about 2,500, to Chicago, the third-largest city in America. Ask Holmes for one unique thing about him and that’s what he talks about.
“I graduated from Essex High School in a class of about 80,” he said. “Not many people make it out of Tappahannock, despite the amount of talent the area produces.”
The opportunity to play at Northwestern was a no-brainer for Holmes. He received his offer from the Wildcats on New Year’s Eve and pulled the trigger on Jan. 9, without having set foot on campus.
“First and foremost, the academics played a huge role in my commitment,” said Holmes, whose degree from UMass is in Communications. “The consistency in the coaching staff was also a big draw to me. The program also has a rich history of success that I am honored to have the chance at continuing with my brothers.
“The ultimate goal is the NFL, and I believe Northwestern gives me a great opportunity to fulfill that dream.”
The NFL may seem like an unrealistic pursuit for a player like Holmes. But when you consider where he started, and where he’s been, don’t count him out just yet.
