Dowayne Davis and Joe Fields, two veterans on the secondary, noticed it the moment he stepped onto the field near the end of the summer. Defensive backs coach Scott Spencer sensed it while recruiting him. And wide receiver Taj Smith – he felt it.

After the force pounded Smith into the ground during a preseason practice, Smith most certainly felt it – the sheer athleticism of his opponent. He was Mike Holmes, so far the star player from Syracuse’s freshman class.

Holmes, a defensive back, made teammates’ aware of his talent in the first weeks of practice this season. After his literal impact right away on Syracuse’s top receiver, those watching Holmes in preseason camp knew this rookie’s physicality and dangerous speed could have an instantaneous effect on the team.

‘He’s real aggressive,’ Smith said about practicing with Holmes. ‘Usually we tell him in one-on-one to stop tackling people. He plays like he’s in the game.’

Holmes’ aggressiveness seems to have contributed to his earning his first start just three weeks into his college career, replacing A.J. Brown in the Illinois game on Sept. 15.

SU head coach Greg Robinson has lauded freshmen Max Suter and Holmes for displaying more maturity than most of the true freshmen.

It’s the ferociousness that stands out the most for Holmes. He’s been turning heads and slamming bodies to the ground since his arrival at Syracuse. Even against West Virginia, his defense might have outshined his speed. Holmes led the team with 13 tackles, and he supplemented his performance with a couple of bone-crushing hits.

‘My confidence has risen since the first game,’ Holmes said. ‘I was scared, I was nervous against Washington when they put me in there. But the confidence level is good – it’s up there now.’

Holmes is one of those quiet, deadly types. He carries a subdued demeanor. The cornerback’s not afraid to open up, but when going by first impressions, he’s not exactly what one would consider outgoing. Holmes professes that chess is his favorite board game, and with his small frame, Holmes looks more like a chess aficionado than one of the hardest hitters on SU’s football squad.

But the Syracuse fan base is learning otherwise. So did Rutgers receiver Tim Brown. In last week’s game against Syracuse, the wideout bobbled a Mike Teel pass. He never got a handle on the ball. Holmes slammed into Brown from behind, sending him flailing to the ground.

‘He can hit,’ Spencer said. ‘He definitely has not shied away from hitting anybody since he’s been here – we like that.’

As important as Holmes’ aggression might be his football aptitude. Senior safety Fields took Holmes under his wing when the freshman first showed up to campus in the summer. A couple of weeks into practice, Fields realized his apprentice was a fast learner.

‘You see a guy like that,’ Fields said, ‘with all that ability, you just want to get to him and make sure he understands what he has.’

Fields claimed the first time he witnessed Holmes, a two-star recruit according to Scout.com, on the field, he realized the freshman was capable of distinction.

It also helped that Holmes has the speed of a former track star and running back. The Florida native filled both roles during his years at Mandarin High School in Jacksonville. His track team was one of the best in the state. Spencer insists that Holmes was a football star who ran track in high school and not vice versa.

But his quickness could not be ignored, and Holmes found his way onto special teams as a kick returner, despite never having returned kicks in high schools.

His track skills shined through, especially against West Virginia. The Mountaineers decided to send the ball away from fellow freshman kick returner Suter, who had burned through defenses all season. Holmes proved Syracuse’s kick return game was a dual threat, rushing for 118 yards on three returns.

‘I knew it was going to happen,’ Holmes said. ‘And I was just waiting for the game when it was going to happen.’

Lately, the memories from high school days have resulted in a new motivation for Holmes. ‘In Memory of Coach Hall’ reads a band that Holmes keeps wrapped around his wrist. Hall, Holmes’ high school coach, died of an apparent heart attack at age 35, two weeks before Holmes left for Syracuse.

The high school star could not even attend his coach’s funeral. The ceremony coincided with the day Holmes was supposed to report to training camp at Syracuse. Holmes said he never thought about reverting on his decision to attend Syracuse after Hall’s death. However, Spencer mentioned it was something both he and Holmes would talk about and cope with before the start of the football season.

‘I envisioned calling him after the games,’ Holmes said. ‘And him calling me before the game and telling the guys how I’m doing. He played a big part in my high school career.’

Ultimately, the death only seemed to motivate Holmes to succeed and to compete with more intensity.

It’s uncertain how often Holmes will play throughout the rest of the year. The games he’s started were against teams that utilized speed over power, and Holmes served the role of trying to match the opponent’s quickness. Neither Spencer nor Robinson have confirmed Holmes will keep his starting role. And Holmes even remains unsure of where his future lies on the Orange defense.

Holmes has fluctuated between two positions, safety and cornerback. He admits he prefers the playmaking potential that comes with being a safety. With the praise he’s received, Holmes should expect a future somewhere on the field. The freshman, who resonated intensity since his first days of practice – the one who’s not afraid to back down from the offense’s biggest star – believes he’ll continue to leave his imprint on rival offenses.

‘It was just progressive as the weeks went by,’ Holmes said. ‘I felt that I was just as fast as these guys. I can make plays. I can guard these wide receivers. I felt like I belonged.’

Published on October 15, 2007 at 12:00 pm