Texas Football: Grading every portal addition for the Longhorns thus far
Gavin Holmes, CB
Texas got another productive player out of the portal to fill a need in the defensive backfield in 2023 with the former Wake Forest Demon Deacons redshirt sophomore cornerback Gavin Holmes. This was a big pickup for Pete Kwiatkowski, cornerbacks coach Terry Joseph, and the Longhorns as Holmes could come in and compete for starting reps right away at the field corner position.
With the departure of senior corner D’Shawn Jamison looming this offseason, Texas is going to see the likes of Holmes, incoming freshman Malik Muhammad, and rising sophomore Terrance Brooks compete for starting reps at the field spot.
What Texas is getting out of the 5-foot-11 and 175-pound Holmes is a capable and productive that was about as proficient as any rotational starter at the cornerback position in the ACC during the 2022 season.
According to Sports Reference, Holmes was one of 10 defenders in the ACC that registered at least nine pass breakups during the 2022 season. But only Holmes and the former Virginia Cavaliers cornerback Fentrell Cypress II were the only two ACC players that registered at least nine pass breakups while getting targeted fewer than 50 times in pass coverage in the season that was.
That goes to show just how effective Holmes was when he was actually targeted in pass coverage (43 times) in 2022.
Holmes was also very effective against the deep ball during the 2022 regular season. He was the highest-graded Power Five cornerback during the regular season among those that had an average depth of target in pass coverage of at least 18 yards. That is a group of four corners that were targeted that far down the field on average in 2022.
Predicting Texas' next transfer after S Jalen Catalon. dark. Next
The production and reliability that Holmes brought to the table for the Demon Deacons last season is something that will be impactful right away on the Texas secondary. And while there were other portal cornerbacks out there that I preferred at least a little bit over Holmes, this will still prove to be a great addition to the secondary for the next couple of years.