Frustrated that he felt he had reached his ceiling in basketball, Thomas Holley decided to give football a try the summer before his junior year.
Roughly a year and a half later, the sport has taken him pretty far, further than he ever expected it would.
Tuesday evening, the 6-foot-4, 305-pound All-American defensive tackle, ranked third at his position and 63rd overall by Rivals.com, will step on the field at Yankee Stadium, hoping to lead Lincoln to its second PSAL City Championship division crown in three years. Later in the week, he plans to pick a college, choosing either Penn State or Florida.
“I think about it every day,” Holley said, referring to where he would be if he didn’t pick up football. “That’s my motivation, to see how far I’ve gone in such a short period of time. I look ahead to see where I could be, years from now.”
“I never in a million years thought I would be playing football or I would have the opportunity to be playing Division I football.”
This is obviously a big week for Holley, starting with the championship game and later his college choice. They are important for different reasons, he said, but equally significant.
For a moment, he wasn’t sure if he would be able to play in the game against Tottenville, after he was ejected in the semifinals for getting into a scuffle with an opponent. PSAL rules mandate any player ejected faces a one-game ban. However, the league ruled in his favor after hearing his appeal.
“This is one of the biggest moments of my life,” said Holley, who still plays basketball, though it has taken a backseat to football. “It’s definitely something I’m going to remember the rest of my life. It’s a blessing to be in this situation.”
Holley’s recruitment took off following his junior year, video of the mammoth yet quick lineman drawing scholarship offers and interest from virtually every top program in the country. And that film encompassed just eight games — the only eight varsity football games he had played prior to this season.
He has only improved. With last year’s experience under his belt, Holley has enjoyed a big senior year, leading the 12-0 Railsplitters to an undefeated season. He’s notched 60 tackles, seven sacks and a fumble recovery.
“He performed extremely well,” Lincoln coach Shawn O’Connor said. “He was double- and triple-teamed every single play, and he was still able to make plays behind the line and down the field, which is very important.”
Penn State and Florida made the final cut for a number of reasons, Holley said. They were involved in his recruitment from the outset, and their interest never waned. They are both solid academic schools known for developing talent and in need of a defensive tackle.
He enjoyed his official visits to both and felt comfortable with the coaches in place and players from the respective programs. Penn State head coach Bill O’Brien and Florida’s Will Muschamp are both expected to be at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday.
All that’s left is a decision. Holley is pretty good at those.