Football players are everywhere, it is just a matter of finding them. Head coach Rich Rodriguez appears to have a pair in former Dodgers baseball players.
Being a collegiate head coach isn’t easy, and finding talent that can help you compete at a high level is certainly a tough challenge. For Arizona Football, I’m sure head coach Rich Rodriguez hopes he has that talent in a couple of former Dodgers baseball players.
Meet Malcolm Holland, sophomore defensive back, and Donavan Tate, the 26-year-old freshman quarterback. Two great athletes that took similar paths in trying to become professional baseball players, they now share similar paths as they come to Tucson.
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Both Holland and Tate played for the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, however, the two did not play with each other at the same time. Holland played in the minor leagues between 2011 and 2014, before switching to football, it was an experience he feels has helped him with his transition back to the sport.
“The four years I experienced playing minor league baseball was an experience that I would do all over again even though I didn’t make it to the majors. The biggest factors that I’ve taken away from the time spent in pro baseball are dealing with adversity and learning about preparation,” Malcolm said. “Many things are out of your control in the minors so you learn very quickly that you must train your mind to not get caught up in the upper management decisions and control what you can control. This has helped me coming back to football because I’ve been out of the sport for about four years so I knew the transition would be difficult, especially at a position like CB.”
As Holland hung up the baseball glove, for a pair of football ones, him coming to Arizona was an easy choice! “For me, it wasn’t a rigorous process at all. Going to high school in AZ (Hamilton High- Chandler, AZ) I had always been a fan of UofA. I had a lot of buddies go here and each one of them loved their experience at the school”, Malcolm said. “From a football standpoint, the fact that Coach Rod was here was just the icing on the cake, being that he was someone I’ve always respected dating back to his WV years. He pushes his players to always raise the bar and he loves to compete and win. Couldn’t ask for anything more.”
“Instead of listening to the outside noise, I stick to my journey & keep getting better day in & day out. It’s hard to stick with a mindset like that especially in this day & age where people want everything right now.”- Malcolm Holland
Now having been with the team a couple seasons, Holland is certainly an older and mature, player. Given his past experiences, it has definitely helped to give him a great perspective, something he hopes that will give him an edge in 2017. “Instead of listening to the outside noise, I stick to my journey and keep getting better day in and day out. It’s hard to stick with a mindset like that especially in this day and age where people want everything right now.”
As for Tate, we know he had some off-field troubles as well as some injuries that derailed his baseball career, but has since gotten his life back on track and is ready for his second chance.
Fast forward to 2017, and the special bond that Holland and Tate have shared by both playing for the Dodgers Organization, they will finally become teammates, but now in football.
“Donavan and I have been able to chat a lot since he’s touched down in Tucson and it’s been refreshing. We’re outliers in the sense that there aren’t many people out there that have gone through a process like this, so the fact that we get to experience it together is awesome and encouraging”
So far as we approach the start of the 2017 season, it appears both players have been doing some things in camp. While Tate gets acclimated to playing football once again, Holland has a great opportunity to see an increased role on defense, especially with Dane Cruikshank getting reps now at safety.
Lorenzo Burns is emerging as the likely starter at corner, part of what prompted Dane Cruikshank's move to safety. https://t.co/VEE1iIMrjd
— Zack Rosenblatt (@ZackBlatt) August 17, 2017
The defense as we’ve seen, could certainly use some more help. Holland returns after having seen some action last year with the Wildcats as a reserve cornerback, but primarily with the special teams. Holland registered eight tackles (all solo). Coming into 2017, he just wants to help out any way he can.
“From a personal standpoint, I’m just going to do whatever’s asked of me. Whether that’s to produce on special teams or step in at corner, I’m going to prepare like I always do, and do whatever job is asked to help this team win ball games.”
Holland also feels the Wildcats are going to rebound, “From a team aspect, I feel that we are going to shock a lot of people. I don’t know another team that works as hard as us,” Holland said. “Our strength and coaching staff has done an amazing job & I feel that this will show during the season week by week.”
As for Tate, he has a ways to go, as he competes with the likes of Brandon Dawkins, Khalil Tate, and Rhett Rodriguez, however, the ability is there. Tate was once a four-star athlete that had committed to North Carolina to play football, before getting drafted third overall by the San Diego Padres in 2009.
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At Zona Zealots, we cannot wait for the official kick-off to the 2017 season, and wish the best for both Malcolm and Donavan! Bear Down, Arizona!