By Vince Agnew, Player Engagement Insider
The guiding light from a college coach routed current Oakland Raiders wide receiver Andre to develop into a record-shattering collegiate athlete and a successful player in the NFL. Despite attending small Hillsdale College in Michigan, that coach’s backing helped the humble Illinois native gain unwavering confidence in his ability and shifted the odds of success in his favor.
During exit interviews after Holmes’ redshirt-freshman year at Hillsdale, student-athletes were required to set short-term and long-term goals like graduation, All-Conference and All-American honors. He saw a question about continuing a football career professionally after graduation and was reluctant to answer.
In the elite athletic conferences, it is common to share a locker room with players who will go on to enjoy a career in professional sports long after leaving college campuses. For Holmes, attending a Division II school in Michigan made it difficult to envision that kind of future.
Hillsdale offensive coordinator Barry Fagan saw Holmes’ hesitancy and refocused the underclassman on unearthing his potential. Holmes said that Fagan supported him throughout his college career, encouraging him to develop an NFL mentality and physicality long before the goal was tangible.
The six-foot-four-inch wide receiver’s work ethic gained momentum because he was solely focused on training, eating, studying and behaving differently to make that dream a reality.
By the time that Holmes left Hillsdale, he held school records in receptions and yardage in a career, and still has a stronghold on them to this date. However, success at any level of college athletics does not always to translate into professional sports. After a stellar college career and a spike in expectation, Holmes went unselected in the 2011 NFL Draft.
Earning an opportunity would be no easy feat for the undrafted player and he would not be immune to the adversities common to many players clinging to the bottom of rosters around the league.
“You have to do every rep of scout team, every rep on special teams,” he said. “Practice is game day. That’s part of the grind and some people just don’t pan out. But the guys that put in their work, coaches notice that and you get a shot.”
He spent his first two seasons journeying from the Minnesota Vikings to the Dallas Cowboys to the New England Patriots before landing his first real opportunity in Oakland.
Now in his fourth season with the franchise, he has amassed over 1,400 yards and eleven touchdowns—including a memorable performance in 2013 against his former team, the Cowboys, on Thanksgiving Day where he collected seven catches for over 130 yards.
“Really it’s about once you get a shot how you take advantage of it,” he explained. “Most people are going to get some sort of shot, and if you aren’t ready it might be your last.”
The sixth-year wide receiver called on the drive instilled in him by his college coach to battle his way into relevance and is now a key piece on one of the league’s hottest teams. He acknowledged that continuing success is knowing that there is always more to learn and every year has been a growing period with a specific focus for the veteran.
Holmes logged his first significant playing time at receiver in his first year with the Raiders, experience that he used to crack the rotation and play in every game during a breakout second year with the club. In his third season with the them, he focused on cultivating a winning attitude, and this season, he is continuing that as the team is exuding the confidence that they can play at their best every week and win every game.
He also credits his continual growth in confidence to veteran wide receiver Michael Crabtree. At this stage in his career, Holmes says that he and the receiver group lean on the eighth-year player because he leads others with the way he performs, runs routes with precision and plays chess with defensive backs.
After attending a small college and going virtually unnoticed in the NFL Draft, Holmes was unsure that opportunity would call, but equipped himself with the tools to be ready when the time arose. With an injection of confidence and a steady dose of support feeding his ambition, Holmes is enjoying the best times in his career and hopes that this is just the beginning.