Thoughts on former RB target Caziah Holmes entering portal

Former top-five all-purpose running back Caziah Holmes has left Penn State and entered the transfer portal.

The former FSU football running back has become a discussion point for FSU football fans, and should Mike Norvell and the staff pursue the former target.

One thing that should be made clear is Holmes was a target of the former FSU coaching staff with head coach Willie Taggart. Holmes committed to Penn State in August 2019, before the season began and before Mike Norvell got hired in December 2019.

Holmes apparently dealt with injuries in his time at Penn State, which hindered his development and may have signaled he got passed up on the depth chart by younger players.

The former staff got Holmes on campus several times, but it wasn’t enough to win the recruitment. Is the current coaching looking to add another running back for the 2023 cycle?

They have a commitment from four-star running back Samuel Singleton, and all of their running backs on the roster have eligibility remaining after this season. Would they evaluate Holmes the same as the old staff?

I think it’s safe to say the current staff is a better evaluator of talent, so if they don’t offer Holmes it’s one of two things. They either don’t feel they need a running back from the transfer portal, or Holmes may not rank highly on their list in terms of value compared to his ranking out of high school.

Holmes ranked as the No. 188 player overall in the 2020 class. He held offers from 23 different schools, and lists at 5’11” and 217 pounds. Holmes has added roughly 30 pounds since arriving at Penn State as an early enrollee in spring 2020.

He appeared in 9 games as a freshman, with 51 carries for 227 yards and two touchdowns. He also had six receptions for 37 yards. Holmes only appeared in three games in 2021, amassing five carries for 27 yards and no touchdowns.

If the coaching staff doesn’t appear interested, these are likely a few of the reasons why.