Andrews quarterback Holloway preparing for switch to wide receiver at collegiate level
Andrews – Tucker Holloway is determined – maybe even destined – to play football collegiately.
And during the past few months of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Andrews senior has been a staple at Hugh Hamilton Stadium, preparing for his final season with the Wildcats and his eventual expected transition from quarterback to wide receiver at the collegiate level.
“Over the past few months and all through quarantine, I basically have spent as much time as I could working every day on wide receiver stuff because I knew that that’s what I want to go do in college,” Holloway said. “That’s what I’m working toward.”
Holloway recently caught the eyes of college scouts and recruiters at the Under Armour Elite Upperclassmen Showcase in Johns Creek, Ga., where he participated in wide receiver position drills and was a top performer in the 40-yard dash, with his time of 4.63 seconds tied for fourth fastest among the prospects at the event.
“It (the showcase) was a great opportunity, just to be there and a great experience,” Holloway said. “Just being around that atmosphere with kids who have offers from every Power 5 school. There were a ton of five-star kids there, so it was cool to be in that atmosphere and compete with kids who are where I want to be in the next year. I’ve already gotten some traction off of it with some college coaches so I was just blessed to be invited.”
Holloway, who prides himself on being a great all-around athlete, already had many of the attributes needed to be an impactful wide receiver thanks to his participation in other sport at Andrews – hand-eye coordination learned from basketball and explosive foot work gained from his experience as a championship long jumper in track and field.
But the senior has used the months of quarantine to fine-tune the other aspects of receiving, practicing his route-running, foot work and catching on the daily.
“I’ve worked a ton on speed work and foot work to try and get to the top of my routes and in-and-out of breaks fast,” Holloway said.
“Getting my hands to be one with my feet and my eyes as I’m running my routes and just working hard on the little things that make the great route runners in college and the NFL so good. The growth that I’ve seen since quarantine has been insane. Every day that it was sunny outside I was at the field, working on footwork, running routes.”
Earlier in the year, Holloway was able to spend time learning from another high school quarterback that transitioned to wide receiver in college – Super Bowl XLVII champion and three-time Pro-Bowler Anquan Boldin.
“It was amazing,” Holloway said of getting to learn from Boldin. “He is an outstanding man and teacher. I learned a lot from him and it was just really cool to learn from someone who has accomplished so much in the game. He knew how to do the little things right.”
Holloway said he still plans on playing quarterback for the Wildcats his senior season, but Andrews coach James Phillips hinted that there may be some offensive packages where Holloway is lined up out wide.
“I use Tucker at quarterback because he’s such a dynamic weapon,” Phillips said. “He knows that what we do with him at quarterback, he has the chance to make plays. And I’m not saying that we haven’t schemed some other offensive sets where he could potentially be in a wide receiver position. We’re just trying to use him in as many ways possible.”
With uncertainty swirling around his final fall sports season, Holloway plans to continue putting in the time and hard work, trusting that everything will work out the way that it is intended to.
“I’m just going to keep working, doing what I’m doing and hope that the Lord opens the door for me to go play college football,” Holloway said of his outlook. “It would mean a lot. Sports aren’t what I’m defined by; at the end of the day it’s not what makes me happy or sad. But to be able to go compete (collegiately) and do what I love, because that’s what my passion is, that’s what I love. That would definitely be a dream come true.”