Holt’s time has arrived at Virginia Tech

By Nate Crossman  |   Wednesday, March 29, 2006  |  Comments( 2 )

Virginia Tech Hokies
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For three years, Virginia Tech Hokies fans saw one thing and heard another regarding redshirt sophomore quarterback Cory Holt.

They saw how big and athletic he was, and how he'd be a perfect fit for an offense that has been the dominion of big, athletic quarterbacks for the past six years: Michael Vick, Bryan Randall and Marcus Vick, who was dismissed from the team early this year.

But they heard he wasn't picking up the offense well enough, and how he was still a project. They heard how classmate Sean Glennon was simply more ready than Holt.

So when this spring rolled around, it was assumed that Glennon would pick up where Vick left off, and Holt would battle redshirt freshman Ike Whitaker for the back-up role.

Apparently, however, the project is finished. After showing a newfound understanding of the offense early in the spring, Holt moved past Glennon on the depth chart earlier this week. Although it's not a permanent move, it's a significant step for Holt.

Holt has been somewhat of an enigma since he arrived at Virginia Tech in 2003. He enrolled in January 2004 and performed well during the spring, but lost the back-up role to Glennon in the fall. The reasoning at the time was that Glennon simply understood the offense better. Last spring he suffered a rotator cuff injury that delayed his understanding further.

Even when Glennon redshirted the 2005 regular season to gain back the year of eligibility he lost by playing his freshman year, Holt could not take advantage. In six games he completed 4 of 12 passes for 80 yards and a touchdown. When Vick was dismissed from the team, the talk was about how Glennon would fill in, not how Glennon and Holt would compete for the job.

But he always had the talent, the same kind that helped him throw for 1,738 yards and rush for 953 more and 17 touchdowns his senior year at Lexington (N.C.) High. Finally, his understanding of the game has caught up with his talent.

There is a lot of time between now and the fall, so Holt could be back at No. 2 as fast as he ascended to No. 1. But if he keeps making progress, he'll be tough to hang with and Virginia Tech Hokies fans could have another mobile quarterback to cheer for on Saturdays in the fall.
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