Penn State is ‘perfect spot’ for Holmes to pursue goals

When it comes to making decisions, Caziah Holmes doesn’t waver.

Sometimes that decision may be as simple as planting a foot in the ground and cutting upfield, and other times it may be as drastic as choosing to sign with Penn State after only one visit to Happy Valley.

One official visit, a June trip to State College, was all it took for the four-star running back to choose Penn State over a list of suitors that included the most highly touted universities in his home state: Florida, Florida State and Miami.

“I was ready to get the recruiting process over with so I could focus on football and school and getting ready to graduate [from high school] early,” Holmes said. “But also, I felt like at Penn State I was at home, and me and my parents talked about it and we just felt like it was the perfect spot for me.”

Holmes, a Titusville, Fla., native, will now trade the warmth of Central Florida for the winter of University Park as an early enrollee. As a running back from the Southeast, Holmes was recruited by Ja’Juan Seider – who Holmes said is “like a second dad” – and said that talking to him made the decision to travel north much easier.

After graduating from Cocoa High School early, Holmes will now join a crowded running back room that already includes a fellow back who played his high school ball in Florida in Noah Cain, as well as a couple of other talented Nittany Lions set to return in 2020.

The notion that he’ll have to compete for touches early in his career isn’t a deterrent. In fact, it’s a motivator.

“I already told [Seider], I don’t want anything handed to me,” Holmes said. “I’m going to have to earn it. He told me to just be ready to work. It’s exciting, knowing I’m coming in early and I get to learn from other guys who have already played, and I just want to work my butt off and get a chance to get on the field.”

But Holmes’ maturity as a decision-maker doesn’t revolve solely around his future in football. In fact, his desire to excel off the field is part of what made his fit at Penn State so perfect, because while his 1,472 yards on the ground and 19 rushing touchdowns as a senior at Cocoa were undoubtedly impressive, his 4.02 GPA is just as important to the 5-foot-11, 190-pound all-purpose back.

“I take a lot of pride in my studies,” Holmes said. “I know I can’t play football without school. I take school really seriously because football doesn’t last forever. Whenever I retire, I’ve got something to fall back on.”

Added Ryan Schneider, his Cocoa High coach, “Caziah is a well-rounded young man who has a strong work ethic and who exhibits excellence in everything he does. He has great leadership qualities that he exhibits on and off the field.”

That leadership manifested not only in Holmes captaining Cocoa as a senior, but also his commitment as a volunteer off the field. In addition to coaching football and track and field, he has volunteered in beach cleanup and cutting grass.

Holmes plans to major in either business or marketing and is looking to one day open not only his own clothing business – he said he thinks his personality would make him a great salesman – but also a homeless shelter.

“Where I’m from, you see a lot of homeless people,” Holmes said. “It’s not a bad community, it’s a good place, but a lot of bad things happen. I just want to give back, especially to the kids. A lot of kids don’t have a mom or don’t have a dad. I want them to have something better in life than being in the streets or end up being killed.”

For now, the 18-year-old will focus on adjusting to college life and improving every area of his game, chiefly blocking, he said, as he works toward the final goal of playing at the next level.

His message to Nittany Lion fans is simple: “Be ready for the show I’m coming to put on every Saturday.”

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