'16 GA RB Elijah Holyfield

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#280
New article up on 247 about Holyfield's weekend trip in Knoxville. Any 247 subscribers feel free to copy and paste article. Thanks and Go Vols!!!
 
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#281
“You know what you’re gonna get at Tennessee. It’s a great place,” the son of former heavyweight boxing champion Evander Holyfield told GoVols247 on Sunday after participating in a National Playmakers Academy camp.

Holyfield, the nation’s No. 190 overall prospect and No. 7 running back prospect in the industry-generated 247Sports Composite, scheduled the last-minute weekend trip to Knoxville to spend some time on Tennessee’s campus with some of Tennessee’s players on Saturday and then “get some work in” at the NPA camp Sunday. He checked both things off the list after getting in a tough workout on hot turf on sunny Sunday.

“I’ve gotten to see Tennessee a couple of times, so I’m pretty familiar with everything around here, and I like it,” he said. “I got to hang out with some players yesterday and then get in some work (at the NPA camp) today, so it’s been really good.”

Holyfield said he lost count of how many Tennessee players he hung out with over the weekend, but he said that was a good thing. Sophomore running back Alvin Kamara, a fellow Atlanta-area native, stood out among his unofficial hosts.

“All of ‘em are good,” he said. “I’ve met Alvin before, but I got to hang out with him a little bit more, which was good. I hung out with a lot of the linemen, too. I got to hang out with everybody. It was pretty cool.

“I have pretty good relationships with some of (Tennessee’s players). I’m looking forward to getting to know them a little bit more and becoming friends with ‘em and stuff like that.”

Holyfield’s trip to Knoxville came during a rare vacation week for much of Tennessee’s staff, but the 5-foot-11, 205-pound back said he “definitely” understood the situation.

“It wasn’t a big deal,” he said. “This was a last-minute trip, so it’s all good. They’re good guys.”

Holyfield said he hated to miss an opportunity to see Vols running backs coach Robert Gillespie, though. He’s admittedly developed a “great relationship” with Gillespie and said he’s excited about coming back to Tennessee in late July for a camp to spend more time with him.

Relationships with his future position coach are a “huge thing” for Holyfield — one of the top two or three things on his list, he said — so his relationship with Gillespie seems like a good thing for the Vols. Holyfield said he also really likes Georgia running backs coach Thomas Brown and Auburn running backs coach Tim Horton, but that he’s definitely developing a close bond with Gillespie.

“He’s one of my favorite coaches to talk to as a person. He’s a really cool guy,” Holyfield said. “I’ve gotten to see him coach a couple of times. I really want to get to work with him one time and see more. I like him a lot.”

The next couple of months won’t be any slower for Holyfield, who’s set to participate in The Opening and then a 7-on-7 tournament in Charlotte before squeezing in at least a few visits — Tennessee, Auburn and Georgia — before August.

Holyfield didn’t specify a date, but he said he hoped to narrow his long list of schools to “seven or eight … pretty soon,” and then he’d like to name a top-five list before the end of the summer and schedule official visits to all five of those schools.

Auburn, Georgia and Tennessee definitely seem to be near the top of his list, but Holyfield cautiously avoided specifically saying that. He also hopes to schedule trips to Oregon and USC as soon as possible.

“I’m just evaluating everything and trying to make sure and see all these places and get my mind right for getting the schools I want lined up for officials and stuff like that,” he said. “I have some ideas about some of ‘em, and some of ‘em I want to take a regular visit to before I see (whether it’s worth an official), ‘cause I don’t want to see it just one time. I’ve got to get to some places I’ve never been to before.”

“Really, I want to see some of the West Coast schools, like Oregon and USC and stuff like that. I can get to everywhere in the SEC easy, but it’s hard to get to some of those other schools.”

Holyfield said he prides himself on being an “every-down back” who can play in any situation in any offense, so a team’s scheme isn’t that important to him.

Two things very important to him, though, are honesty and his relationships with his running backs coach and strength and conditioning coach.

“One thing I like at all of the schools is the running back coach,” he said. “That’s a big thing for me, trying to develop a relationship with the person I’m gonna be around a lot. The strength and conditioning coach is important, too, for sure, and I feel like every school I’ve been to so far has been good like that. The schools that I like the most have been better in those areas, though.

“I think the thing that will separate it for me is finding people who are the most genuine about what they say, and I can really see what they say happening on the field. I think that’s the most important thing for me.”

Holyfield didn’t deny that Georgia, Auburn and Tennessee have been strong in those areas to this point.

“Georgia, it’s at home, and I like Coach Brown a lot,” he said. “I like just being around there. It’s a great city to be at, and they produce a whole bunch of running backs.

“Auburn is real close to home — almost closer than Georgia is to me. I love Coach Horton. Auburn feels like a real family vibe, and I’m really close with some of the players, also, and stuff like that.”

“Tennessee is great. Coach Gillespie is my type of guy. I really like the players, too. I’m friends with some of ‘em, and basically it’s just a great area all-around. The fans are great. There’s some of the best fans in the nation at Tennessee.”
 
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#282
#282
Rucker also said...

"He was the first person to go through every drill, continued working while others rested and took water breaks and stuff like that, and then he picked up the equipment and helped them move it after every drill. I was really impressed. You can spot a hard worker like that a mile away. It was hot on that turf today."
 
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#288
#288
"I will be back up here in July. I'm going to be at Dawg night. I'm going back to Auburn pretty soon and just grow my relationship with the coaches."
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As for the Vols, Holyfield feels comfortable with things in Knoxville including running backs coach Robert Gillespie.

"He's one of my favorite coaches to talk to as a person," acknowledged Holyfield, who made it clear his relationship with his position coach will be a huge factor in his decision. "He's really a cool guy. I got to see him coach a couple of times. I really want to get to work with him one time. I like him a lot."
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"I have some ideas about who's going to be on there and I have some that I want to take an regular visit to. I don't just want to see it one time," Holyfield said. "I have to get to some places I haven't been to before."
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VQ
 
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#289
#289
Elijah Holyfield and JoeJuan Williams spent a ton of time hanging out together in Knoxville last weekend and also were shown around Knoxville by Josh Malone, Darrin Kirkland Jr., Vincent Perry, Jack Jones and Kyle Phillips among others. However, Williams might be closest with another of the targets the Vols covet in their secondary for 2016: Nigel Warrior. Warrior and Williams be teammates at Nike's The Opening. They talk regularly and consider each other very close friends. When the coaches do return they will be looking to make the final camp of the summer, July 18, and the second Orange Carpet event, July 25, especially worthwhile.

As we reported earlier this week, Elijah Holyfield has plans to be at Tennessee on its final day of camp this summer
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VQ
 
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#290
#290
247 is at opening interviewing kids at check in. Keith Niebuhr talked to Holyfield. UGA, Auburn, Bama and TN are his top 4. Keith said that TN has made a major move with him. I don't know if he meant he said that or he got that feel from the interview
 
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#292
#292
all4vol said:
Just by the comments by 247 I would say Georgia leads followed by us jmo
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Probably. i wouldn't count out Auburn since they are picking up with him again. I think he has a brother or something on the team. It sounds like TN is in a good spot though. I would love to get him. He would be the perfect replacement for when Hurd leaves to bring that balance of speed and power.
 
#298
#298
Per Hubbs

Georgia running back Elijah Holyfield is expected in that weekend. Holyfield has really wanted to get to Knoxville for a camp because he wants to workout with running backs coach Robert Gillespie. Holyfield has made it clear that having a feel for how his position coach will work him out is important in his decision making process.
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#300
#300
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