Andrews – Former Andrews quarterback and Rabun Gap (Ga.) wide receiver Tuckey Holloway started his fourth of July Weekend with a bang by verbally committing to Virginia Tech University on July 3.
Holloway had offers from 11 schools and was talking to several more, but narrowed down his choices to Virginia Tech and Iowa State before ultimately committing to the Hokies. For Holloway, it came down to the way he was treated on his official visit to the campus, and a greater potential chance for playing time early in his college career.
“They really wanted me more than any other place, any other school,” Holloway said. “The way they treated me and my family when we were on our official visit, they knew mine and my family’s names. It was stuff like that, you could tell they really wanted me there. …
“I’m not going to have anything handed to me, but knowing that I’m going to be able to compete, and if I can go out there and do my job that I can get on the field earlier than a lot of other places I can go.”
After playing quarterback at Andrews for three seasons, Holloway transferred to Rabun Gap in August and reclassified to the Class of 2022. Before COVID-19, Holloway was planning to stay at Andrews, using camps to showcase his skills at wide receiver while suiting up under center for the Wildcats.
The pandemic changed that. The camps were canceled, and he decided transferring would be the best decision for both his football future and life after football. Rabun Gap played in the fall, and despite being just across the state line in Georgia, participated in the N.C. Independent School Athletic Association playoffs, where the Eagles fell to Charlotte Christian in the Division I state championship game.
While he doesn’t spend much time in Andrews anymore due to his commitments at Rabun Gap, he still takes pride in his hometown. On recruiting visits, he would tell coaches he was from Andrews instead of the Georgia private school.
“It’s a cool thing to think about that,” Holloway said. “Not a lot of people have done it and just to be thankful for my time, I have friends and memories that will never leave me from Andrews, so I’m very thankful to represent them.”
Last season Holloway had 587 yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns as well as 19 tackles and two interceptions on defense playing as a defensive back. At 6-foot-3, Holloway is tall and long, and his 4.40 second 40-yard dash time means he’s quick breaking out of his routes and getting separation from defenders.
“I think everything points to him being a very successful college wide receiver,” Rabun Gap head coach Joe Sturdivant said. “This year I think he’s going to do a lot better than last year. I think he’s going to continue to grow and a big part of this is going to be his work ethic in the weight room. He’s gotten stronger and faster and I’m really excited for him.”
After a year filled with Zoom calls before a brief rush of on-campus visits after the dead period ended in June, Holloway is looking forward to a mostly normal final high school season.
“I think that’s something people get ahead of themselves when they get recruited,” Holloway said. “They’re so excited about college that they forget that high school is some of the best days as far as athletics that you’ll ever experience. The biggest thing is I just want to embrace this time that I have with my teammates and friendships I’ve built.”