Throughout Thomas Holley’s first two seasons as a Gator, lingering issues with his hip injury kept him sidelined more often that not.
His first year as a Gator in 2014 was cut short only a few weeks into fall camp, as he eventually had surgery to repair a labral tear in his hip. After spending his redshirt season rehabbing the injury, Holley returned to the fold for the first set of spring practices under Jim McElwain.
But during just the first day of action, Holley began experiencing some discomfort in his hip again – and from there on out was subjected to non-contact work performing exercises in the pit. He played a small role during the 2015 season, recording just three tackles in seven appearances, but by midseason issues with his hip injury returned and kept him sidelined for more than a month.
Doctors advised Holley to end his playing career – but he kept persevering. In order to continue his run at Florida – and hopefully avoid potential future issues with his hip – Holley made a key decision: lose weight and move to a different position.
So far, it looks to be one that’s paying off.
Instead of carving out a role at defensive tackle, where we could potentially risk further injury with his hip stopping runs up the middle and carrying considerable weight, Holley was made the transition to strongside defensive end. After weighing at 320 pounds last year, Holley has since dropped an eye-opening 60 pounds and currently stands at 6-foot-3, 260 pounds.
“That guy’s lost a lot of weight, hadn’t he?” Florida head coach Jim McElwain said. “He’s a guy that was on the verge of a medical because of that hip. His probably last chance to play was to lose a lot of weight, move the defensive man, it’s something he’s kind of been motivated to do as you can see he’s really reshaped his body, doesn’t even look like the same guy. I’m glad he’s out there trying.”
Gators defensive coordinator Geoff Collins can also attest to Holley’s progress.
"It's been great. He's lost a lot of weight,” defensive coordinator Geoff Collins said. “I think he's trying to turn into a body builder. I don't know what he's doing, but he looks great. Great attitude. The biggest thing for him is his health and taking some strain off of his hips.
“He’s got an ab or two. I won’t say he’s got a full six pack, but there’s a couple of them that are sticking out. So, he’s doing good.”
Redshirt junior defensive tackle Caleb Brantley has worked closely with Holley during workouts this offseason and has been a first-hand witness of Holley’s physical transformation.
"He actually got me trying to keep up with him,” Brantley said. “He eats salads all the time. I'm the one that's like, 'Bro, can you eat some real food? We're big guys.'
"It's kind of a motivational story. The doctors told him he couldn't play any more. He came out and tried to play but he always had problems with his hip. He lost like, what, 50-60 pounds? His hip's not bothering him like that anymore. After they told him they didn't want him to play, he said he loved football and wanted to play.
“He worked his ass off, doing drills trying to get back, switching positions and learning defensive end."
So far, the move to defensive end has been a productive one for Holley, a former Under Armour All-American and the No. 56 overall player (and No. 2 defensive tackle) in the class of 2014. Through Florida’s first four spring practices, Holley has seen work the second-string defense at strongside defensive end during the team’s 11-on-11 team fastball drill to begin each practice.
At that spot, Holley has displayed his athleticism and burst that made him such a coveted recruit back in the day – and is starting to look like a player who could finally make an impact in the Gators’ defensive line rotation in 2016.
"He's strong,” Brantley said. “He obviously lost weight but he's still strong up top. He can hold the point inside. He has good lean. He can dip sometimes. Pretty much what you saw inside, he's explosive the same way outside."
In Holley, Florida has a player who attacked his rehabilitation and body-transformation process with vigor and enthusiasm. Holley’s coaches and teammates have seen him bring that same type of energy to the football field so far this spring.
“He's another kid that didn't play a lot last year, but had a great impact on the defense and the team with his energy and enthusiasm,” Collins said. “He's a team-first guy. He loves his teammates, always is there for them. If something bad happens to them he puts his arm around them. If something great happens to them he's the first one that's jumping up and down with them.
"I can't say enough about the kid as far as who he is and the energy level that he brings.”
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