Linebacker mixes strength and speed

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Senior linebacker James Holt shines in offseason workouts. While some players may go through the motions or complain about the heat, Holt charges head-first into every regimen with blistering speed and consistency.

“He’s definitely a freak when it comes to stamina,” linebacker Joe Mortensen said. “I told him he’s in the wrong sport. He needs to join cross country.”

Photo by Weston White

Senior linebacker James Holt makes a hit for a tackle in the Nebraska game Saturday. Holt started as a safety but now plays linebacker and also plays on special teams

Not often does someone suggest that a linebacker belongs in a sport reserved for lanky fellows who don’t know a weight room from a laundromat. But that’s the best thing about Holt. He runs wind sprints with the defensive backs but lifts weights with his linebacking brethren.

He’s a previous winner of the team’s Iron Hawk award, given for exemplary performance in the weight room. Mortensen out-weighs Holt by about 25 pounds, but Holt trumps him when it comes to squats.

With his mix of strength, speed and natural ball-hawking ability, Holt leads Kansas with 80 tackles and a nation-leading six forced fumbles.

“He is making a lot of plays for us,” Kansas coach Mark Mangino said. Senior Darrell Stuckey has noticed too. Stuckey and Holt share a kinship because they entered Kansas the same year at the same position — safety. That spot worked for Stuckey, but Holt’s versatility moved him down one level.

Stuckey called Holt one of the smallest but most efficient linebackers in the Big 12.

“He’s a guy that will do whatever it takes to make his team better,” Stuckey said.

Stuckey and Holt see more of the field than almost any other players. In addition to their regular roles, the duo plays a lot of specials teams.

While Stuckey’s athleticism keeps him on the field, coach Mark Mangino said Holt held a trump card in versatility to almost anyone on the team.

“We’ve been able to play him out in space at his linebacker position, as well as in the box.”

Defensive coordinator Clint Bowen has the luxury of blitzing him out of the linebacker spot or off the edge. Against Kansas State and Nebraska, he was a constant presence in the opposing backfield.

No matter where he starts the play, Holt excels.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Holt said. “It’s not really much different from blitzing off the edge, you just have your hand down, and you take the outside gap. So it’s not really hard to adapt to.”

Holt’s emergence in a corps with traditional linebackers Mortensen and Mike Rivera could be for a lot of reasons.

Mangino said the Oklahoma native understood where the blocks were coming from and was fast enough to avoid them or strong enough to push through them. Stuckey said Holt’s success came from his relentless drive.

No matter the reason, it all comes back to his tireless efforts in between games and in between seasons.

“James is a very good football player for us, but I wouldn’t call him a natural,” Mangino said. “I think he’s a guy that really works at it. One of the things that sets him apart from a lot of linebackers is his intensity, his ability to go hard every snap and find the ball.”

More impressive is the fact that Holt has performed better with each game. That’s the type of conditioning that only comes with relentless offseason work.

Mortensen said that during summer workouts this year he saw Holt push himself to brink of collapsing.

“Each workout he comes and brings his ‘A’ game and he’ll really push his body to the limit,” Mortensen said. “It’s inspiring.”

— - Edited by Brenna Hawley

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