Arizona Football Commit: Defensive Tackle Justin Holt is All Heart

Dec 31, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Wildcats linebacker Scooby Wright III (33) with offensive lineman Carter Wood (66) and defensive lineman Reggie Gilbert (84) against the Boise State Broncos in the 2014 Fiesta Bowl at Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

We’ve brought you introductions to many incoming Arizona Football freshman commits, mostly from the offensive side of the ball. Today we venture to the defensive line, and a player who is starting another Wildcat Legacy on the team..

You have got to love Justin Holt; there’s no reason not too! He is all heart: for his family, for his many friends, for his hometown, his future college and of course football. The way he approaches and plays the game he loves so much is admirable.

I’m always curious as to how or why a commit chooses to commit to Arizona, so I asked Justin, ‘When did you know you were going to the University of Arizona?’ “It was a long-term thing,” he said, “during spring ball, my coach Dennis Bene talked to me about the schools that wanted to see me. They were top 10 schools, and I thought about it, I don’t think I could have gone to any other school.

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Does Justin’s last name Holt ring a bell? It should! Justin was born a Wildcat, both his mother Lisa (UA Softball walk-on) and his father, former Arizona football player Julius Holt (linebacker 1981-1982), are graduates of the University of Arizona. Julius was asked electronically by Richard Obert of AZCentral.com for a statement regarding his son’s commitment, “Tears of joy for the Holt family.” The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree in his very close family.

When I say Justin is all heart, he isn’t just all heart, his heart belongs to Tucson. He mentioned some of his Salpointe Catholic high school peers cannot wait to get out of Tucson, and he honestly doesn’t get it, “Tucson is home for me, I just don’t want to go outside of Tucson.”

There are other reasons he chose Arizona, “I love all the sports and the fans are always into the teams. The football coaches are going in the right direction and Coach Rich Rod, he’s doing a really great job, pushing the kids to work hard, pushing them to be the best they can be to make it a great program.”

Next: Football

Dec 31, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Wildcats head coach Rich Rodriguez reacts against the Boise State Broncos in the 2014 Fiesta Bowl at Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Football

Arizona Wildcats

Playing football comes naturally to Justin who stands six-foot-three and weighs 300 pounds plus or minus a few.  He benches 350 pounds and squats 500 pounds. His high school coaches teach him a lot and he appreciates them, “Coach Bene is my Head Coach and Coach Beneir is my defensive coach, I want to thank them for all they do.”

He has a pre-game ritual that begins the night before a game, “My dad always tells me, ‘see yourself making plays’ and I do that the night before game day and before the game.” Then on game day, “I put on music on the bus or locker room, clear my mind, my dad sends me a text message with final pointers and final tips. It’s just about getting focused. When I play, it’s whatever comes naturally to me.”

During Justin’s Arizona campus visit, he remembers quite clearly a moment in the weight room, “I went in there to a camp thing, they took us in the weight room. Scooby was working out hard, he works really hard.” It was quite clear that he was extremely impressed with his work ethic, and was truly inspired.

"Senior year on the rise"

Justin is going to be presented with his Adidas All-American Blue Grey jersey during the pregame of next Friday night’s high school game.  According to dad Julius Holt, “Only 90 players across the country are selected to play in that game.”

There are two key athletes who caught Justin’s eye; one is Ndamukong Suh, who plays defensive lineman for the Miami Dolphins. “I like the way he plays, I am not looking forward to causing problems, you need a motor non-stop, his emotion, it’s there on every play. I am an emotional person, I really don’t like to lose, video games, wrestling my sister, football games, I don’t like to lose.”

That’s a good thing Justin, Arizona fans agree!

The other athlete he pays special attention to may be a little surprising, it’s not a football player, it’s world champion boxer Floyd Meriwether. For a second there, I forgot who I was talking too, a future defensive lineman for the Arizona Wildcats! We could use one right about now. Justin uses replays of Meriwether’s fight prep as a way to gear up for his games, “I watch videos of him preparing for a fight, I watch how he prepares.”

Next: Family is where the heart is for Justin

Holt Family in Peoria – Lisa Holt

Family

Justin grew up in a very tight knit family. Not only does he strive to be a good son, he also makes it a priority to be the best big brother a little sister could have, “My little sister, Julia, I try to spend as much time with her as I can,” he said “She gets on my nerves..that’s her job..I get over it because I understand.”

Julia is an eleven-year-old sixth grader, there are six years between them, but he told me he still wrestles with her, she must be one strong young woman! She plays softball, and this weekend, Justin will be traveling east toward Peoria Illinois to “support my sister.”

Hey, Justin, I need a big brother.

Justin’s Granpa Hank has passed on, and he misses him a lot, but he still has his Grandma Francis. Francis is a major motivator in his life, he really respects her opinion. “She wants me to compete, it makes her happy,” he said, “She’s a really big part of my life. She comes down every Thursday with my uncle from California to watch my games.”

Justin Holt and his Grandmother

His family spends time together when Justin isn’t practicing or playing football, “We watch Law and Order together, go to movies, my dad and I every Sunday go to Rusty’s on Grant to watch football together, mom takes me shopping and then we go out to eat.”  Justin invited Arizona fans to join him and his father Julius at Rusty’s to watch Arizona games.

We cannot forget to mention his uncles, “Uncle Van Brandon, another person I really look up to. I call him uncle, but he’s my God Father. He’s a big part of my life. He gives me a lot of advice on my academics and football.” He went on, “Uncles Lamont and Rickie Hunley really look out for me too. Family means a lot to me.”

Cool fact: Justin is a surfer!

When Justin visits his family in California, he also goes to the beach, “Bolsa Chica, I surf, I started when I was little. When I was seven, my mother got me lessons. I have two boards, a long board, and a short board, but I mostly use my long board,” he added, “It’s fun!”

Next: Friends, Justin has a lot of really great friends!

Sep 3, 2015; Tucson, AZ, USA; Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Nate Phillips (6) and wide receiver David Richards (4) (front) celebrate after scoring a touchdown during the third quarter against the Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners at Arizona Stadium. Arizona won 42-32. Mandatory Credit: Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports

Friends

Justin Holt cares a lot about his friends, and he has plenty of friends who he feels support him and help him be the person and football player he is.

James Wilson is a friend Justin has known a long time, “Since 6^th grade, we are really close, he’s always with me, he’s always got my back. He is going to the University of Arkansas, I’ll be happy for him.”

Then comes Tommy Garcia, “I really got close to him in high school,” he said, “Taylor Powell is at NAU and I want to play against him, then Kevin James, Kevin Camble, we go to his house and we hang out, his mom cooks for us and takes care of us, we play video games together.”

He continued, “I also can’t forget Oscar Quiros, Dillon Eickmeyer, and Dom Salaz.”

"BIG"

Honestly, Justin cannot say enough about all of his friends, and he wishes those who want to leave Tucson luck, and those staying, he cannot wait for them to come to his games at Arizona, “I have a lot of friends in Arizona.”

I asked who else he knows in his 2016 football class, “I keep in touch with Sean, DeVaungh, Khalil, Colacion and more. And at the combine, I met Michael Eletise, I talked to him a little bit, he’s a nice guy. He plays!

RELATED STORY–> Future Arizona Wildcats Commits Score TEN Touchdowns in Rival Game

"The future."

In Closing

Justin knows exactly what he wants to major in, “Computer Science, minor in music. I like Hip Hop, Rap, and R&B.”

Justin Holts message for Arizona Wildcats fans is heartfelt, “Looking forward to getting in there and becoming part of the program. I am looking forward to being around all the recruits in my class.  I want to be the best player for them I can be.”

Holt assures us the Wildcats D-Line is going to be fine, “Those guys behind them [the injured players] are ready to play, everybody is going to war, and everyone is working hard to get back to where they were.”

It’s not surprising, Justin is very social, and you can either meet up with him at Rusty’s, follow him on Twitter @juice__50, or cheer for him next season.

BEARDOWN JUSTIN! Thanks for letting us all get to know you and thanks for sharing your heart.

Next: Future Arizona Wildcats Commits Score TEN Touchdowns in Rival Game