Auburn Hills Avondale’s David Holloman will take his blazing speed to Indiana

David Goricki
The Detroit News

David Holloman has been operating under the radar as a running back for Auburn Hills Avondale, but that won’t be case for him when his senior season gets underway.

Holloman is coming off a strong junior season when he rushed for 1,236 yards, averaging 11.6 yards a carry, piling up 1,548 all-purpose yards and scoring 16 TDs.

David Holloman

On Thursday night, Holloman committed to Indiana, where he will play for former Michigan running back Mike Hart, the Hoosiers’ position coach.

Holloman showed his speed when at age 15 he ran a 4.39 40 at the 2019 Opening Combine in Washington, D.C., prior to his junior year.

Now, the three-star Holloman has gotten bigger and stronger (5-foot-11, 195 pounds) and ran a 4.29 40 in the World Bowl Hall of Fame National Combine in Orlando in January, winning MVP honors for his position.

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Holloman’s impressive showing at the National Combine brought more major college offers. But he settled on the Hoosiers over Nebraska, Maryland, Washington State and others.

Holloman is a freak athlete with that sub-4.30 speed, a reason he could play multiple positions in college, including special teams.

Holloman took a visit to Ohio State March 6, leaving without an offer. He also took a visit to Michigan before the coronavirus outbreak and hoped to attend Michigan’s camp this summer.

“I love Coach Harbaugh,” he said. “They know my family personally, they know my brother (Joshua) well. I really like him (Jim Harbaugh) as a coach and a man. He wanted me to come to camp this summer.”

With so much uncertainty resulting from the coronavirus outbreak, however, Holloman decided to pull the trigger now and commit to Indiana.

Holloman is following in the footsteps of his older brother, Joshua, watching him play while David was in grade school. Joshua Holloman ran a 4.26 40 in the 2014 Nike Combine in Chicago before playing at Cincinnati and Eastern Michigan.

And while David Holloman made the most of his opportunity at the National Combine in Orlando, he has also had opportunities taken away by COVID-19, saying he was invited to the Under Armour All-American Camp, which was set to take place last weekend in Cincinnati with college coaches in attendance, but was cancelled due to the pandemic.

“I perform well at camps and I feel I do a good job of showcasing my talent,” Holloman said. “It’s kind of unfortunate with what’s going on right now. All we can do is wait."

Holloman says he wants to improve on his leadership for his senior season.

“Having that type of speed has been a big asset for me,” he said. “I want to be more fluid, more agile, a better athlete. I also want to be a better leader this season.”

Holloman, who plans to study criminal justice in college, admits having his older brother helping him has also been beneficial.  

“He’s been helping me be a better player overall,” Holloman said of Joshua. “Watching film, pass blocking, catching, running, really everything, making me a better person on and off the field.”