ACE HOLLEMAN: Catching on

[PonyPride]

Ask around at one of the SMU Mustangs' preseason practices about which young players are catching the attention of players and coaches, and one of the first names mentioned — often the first name mentioned — is that of freshman WR Arrius "Ace" Holleman.

At 6-foot-3 and 208 pounds, Holleman stands out among the Ponies' posse of pint-sized pass catchers. But it's not just his size that makes the freshman from Lubbock's Monterey High School draw the attention of those around him. He also has shown the ability to make catches on a number of different kinds of routes, and is starting to grasp the concepts behind head coach June Jones's Run-and-Shoot offense.

In SMU's offense, the receivers are required to read and react to what defenses do in front of them. When run correctly, the quarterback and receivers make the same reads and adjust routes accordingly, even without audible communication. That complexity is a far cry from what was asked of Holleman at Monterey.

"I only ran three routes in high school," Holleman said, "the fade, the slant and the hitch — that was it."

Cornerback Kenneth Acker said that one thing that separates Holleman from some young receivers is his physical play. Holleman not only has the speed to get downfield, but he also has shown the strength and willingness to block downfield and a veteran's ability to turn his body between defenders and oncoming passes, making it virtually impossible for a defender to knock the ball away, much less intercept the pass.

"I never did that in high school," Holleman said. "I ran deep, the ball went up and I went to go get it — I relied on my speed. But you can't always do that here. The coaches told me I have to be more physical."

Holleman said he didn't receive a lot of private instruction on how to use his body to protect the ball from defenders. Instead, he called upon his ability in another sport.

"It's kind of natural to me, actually," he said. "It's like basketball, where you shield a guy from the ball to grab rebounds. That's basically what I'm trying to do."

For all of his size and strength and speed, playing receiver is ultimately about catching passes, in which Holleman has shown considerable ability. He has outrun some defenders for passes, jumped over defensive backs and even mixed in the occasional one-handed grab with his big-but-soft hands. All of his early success, however, has not assured him of a starting spot, or even guaranteed playing time.

"I have no clue," he said when asked where he stands in the Mustangs' receiver rotation. "I have made some plays, but I'm learning. I'm not playing special teams, so it all depends on what they think of the way I'm playing receiver."

It's too early to make any final determinations, but so far, Holleman has forced lot of people to pay attention to him in his first preseason camp at SMU.

[Otto]

Good stuff, Pride. Thanks for catching up with him.
Can't wait to see him play.
Go Ponies!

[Corso]

Wait until this guy has worked with Mel de Laura for a couple of years. He has promise now, but he's going to be a beast!

[ponyscott]

He is a physical WR who knocks the DB's off their positon at the line, instead of trying to juke them out of position...he is a manchild also....much more mature mentally and physically than most of the freshmen Footballers. He is the real deal.

[One Trick Pony]

I saw him first lol

[SMU 86]

I saw him first lol

I guess you do have the honor of being the first SMU fan to point him out as someone to keep our eye on. I have to give that one to you OTP.

[One Trick Pony]

I saw him first lol

I guess you do have the honor of being the first SMU fan to point him out as someone to keep our eye on. I have to give that one to you OTP.

May have been the pass that no one gets at practice out of the corner of my eye that got my attention.

[Chuck Norris]

I saw him first lol

I guess you do have the honor of being the first SMU fan to point him out as someone to keep our eye on. I have to give that one to you OTP.

Check my posts from December of last year...

[One Trick Pony]

I saw him first lol

I guess you do have the honor of being the first SMU fan to point him out as someone to keep our eye on. I have to give that one to you OTP.

Check my posts from December of last year...

Bastad! Lol

[One Trick Pony]

[quote="One Trick Pony"]I saw him first lol

I guess you do have the honor of being the first SMU fan to point him out as someone to keep our eye on. I have to give that one to you OTP.

Check my posts from December of last year...

Highschool?

[SMU 86]

I saw him first lol

I guess you do have the honor of being the first SMU fan to point him out as someone to keep our eye on. I have to give that one to you OTP.

Check my posts from December of last year...

I was talking about at SMU practices playing against college players. OTP gets the accolades.

[Chuck Norris]

I guess you do have the honor of being the first SMU fan to point him out as someone to keep our eye on. I have to give that one to you OTP.[/quote]

Check my posts from December of last year...[/quote]

I was talking about at SMU practices playing against college players. OTP get the accolades.[/quote]

I definitely agree...someone saying Holleman will probably start his freshman year while playing in high school and only receiving about 2 balls a game and not being committed to SMU is way less significant than someone saying you should watch out for this kid after several weeks of practice...

[One Trick Pony]

Yawn

[SMU 86]

I hear you Chuck, but OTP said it after the first practice not several weeks.

[Chuck Norris]

I hear you Chuck, but OTP said it after the first practice not several weeks.

You're too nice...I can't even pick a fight with you.