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TideSports.com - Holcombe ready to tackle bigger role
Holcombe ready to tackle bigger role
Terrin Waack | Special to TideSports.com
Gary Cosby Jr. | The Tuscaloosa News
One smudge. Two smudges.
After a streak of black was smeared under each eye, heād look in the mirror, make a face and give a curt nod once he was satisfied with what he saw.
Keith Holcombe was ready to play some football.
āWhen heād walk around the corner, heād have that look in his eyes of, āOK, itās on, boys. Here we go,āā Hillcrest High School assistant coach OK Bryant said.
Currently in the midst of his 20th season with the Patriots, Bryant was Holcombeās linebacker coach and defensive coordinator at Hillcrest since Holcombe was a young ninth grader called up to varsity. Bryant still laughs whenever he remembers how his star linebackerās white jersey was always streaked black by the end of a game.
Now a sophomore at the University of Alabama, Holcombeās ways have not changed. The 6-foot-4, 227-pound defensive bulldozer still wears his signature eye black. He played a career-best game last weekend against Kent State, recording six total tackles en route to being named a player of the week, all while painted up.
Defensive lineman Jonathan Allen didnāt notice Holcombeās art, but best believe fellow linebacker Reuben Foster did.
āOh boy, Keith Holcombe is a whole ānother animal,ā Foster said.
The reasoning behind the paint is simple. Growing up, Holcombe said his father, Danny, always preached, āIf you look good, you play good.ā Thereās no reason to not trust the advice either. Danny played at UA as an offensive lineman under late coach Paul W.āBearā Bryant from 1980-82.
Besides, Keith Holcombe feels he has to improve his intimidation factor somehow, and the eye black is a start.
Although Holcombe doubts opponents are scared of him, his teammates believe otherwise. Allen doesnāt miss how fast Holcombe flies around any offensive player on his way to the ball. Then, once he does reach his target, Allen thinks Holcombe hits just as hard as Foster, Alabamaās leading tackler.
āI donāt know about that,ā Holcombe said. āReubenās a freak of an athlete. I try to hit as hard as him, but if I do that I might break my body in half.ā
Holcombe has proved heās unbreakable, though.
At the age of 9, Holcombe was diagnosed with diabetes, and he has refused to let it hinder him.
āBased on how he plays, you couldnāt even tell he has diabetes,ā Allen said. āYou have to give him a lot of credit. He deserves a lot of credit for that.ā
Itās a part of who he is, and thereās no way around it. So, Holcombe mounts his insulin pump underneath his shoulder pads and just plays ball.
Still amazed by this, Bryant only recalls the pump coming out one time during his entire Hillcrest career. Thankfully for Bryant, Holcombeās mother, Kendra, was there, leaning all the way over the sideline fence to fix her boy up.
āOnce the pump came back on, it was like Keith was in la-la land and all of a sudden he was right back with us,ā Bryant said. āHe came up to me like, āCoach Bryant, can I go back in?āā
And Bryant let him.
This is the same boy Bryant would take snack breaks with during practice to make sure his insulin levels stayed balanced ā and because Bryant liked the little juice boxes with a straw that his mother packed.
There was a trust built. Keith knew his health, so much so that he was confident enough to pick up another sport collegiately: baseball.
Bryant sees the impact he makes with each decision. He stops at nothing to follow his dreams.
āHeās affecting other people who have that condition or have had an adversity in life,ā Bryant said, āproving that they can overcome those things and accomplish everything they want as long as they trust their heart and work hard.ā
Right now, Holcombe is in football mode and wonāt talk baseball. He acknowledged itās a challenge being a two-sport athlete, but he knew what he was getting into when he signed up for it. He just feels blessed for the opportunity.
The flip will switch in January. Then, the No. 42 linebacker becomes the No. 18 outfielder.
Heāll still wear eye black, though.
Holcombe ready to tackle bigger role
Terrin Waack | Special to TideSports.com
Gary Cosby Jr. | The Tuscaloosa News
One smudge. Two smudges.
After a streak of black was smeared under each eye, heād look in the mirror, make a face and give a curt nod once he was satisfied with what he saw.
Keith Holcombe was ready to play some football.
āWhen heād walk around the corner, heād have that look in his eyes of, āOK, itās on, boys. Here we go,āā Hillcrest High School assistant coach OK Bryant said.
Currently in the midst of his 20th season with the Patriots, Bryant was Holcombeās linebacker coach and defensive coordinator at Hillcrest since Holcombe was a young ninth grader called up to varsity. Bryant still laughs whenever he remembers how his star linebackerās white jersey was always streaked black by the end of a game.
Now a sophomore at the University of Alabama, Holcombeās ways have not changed. The 6-foot-4, 227-pound defensive bulldozer still wears his signature eye black. He played a career-best game last weekend against Kent State, recording six total tackles en route to being named a player of the week, all while painted up.
Defensive lineman Jonathan Allen didnāt notice Holcombeās art, but best believe fellow linebacker Reuben Foster did.
āOh boy, Keith Holcombe is a whole ānother animal,ā Foster said.
The reasoning behind the paint is simple. Growing up, Holcombe said his father, Danny, always preached, āIf you look good, you play good.ā Thereās no reason to not trust the advice either. Danny played at UA as an offensive lineman under late coach Paul W.āBearā Bryant from 1980-82.
Besides, Keith Holcombe feels he has to improve his intimidation factor somehow, and the eye black is a start.
Although Holcombe doubts opponents are scared of him, his teammates believe otherwise. Allen doesnāt miss how fast Holcombe flies around any offensive player on his way to the ball. Then, once he does reach his target, Allen thinks Holcombe hits just as hard as Foster, Alabamaās leading tackler.
āI donāt know about that,ā Holcombe said. āReubenās a freak of an athlete. I try to hit as hard as him, but if I do that I might break my body in half.ā
Holcombe has proved heās unbreakable, though.
At the age of 9, Holcombe was diagnosed with diabetes, and he has refused to let it hinder him.
āBased on how he plays, you couldnāt even tell he has diabetes,ā Allen said. āYou have to give him a lot of credit. He deserves a lot of credit for that.ā
Itās a part of who he is, and thereās no way around it. So, Holcombe mounts his insulin pump underneath his shoulder pads and just plays ball.
Still amazed by this, Bryant only recalls the pump coming out one time during his entire Hillcrest career. Thankfully for Bryant, Holcombeās mother, Kendra, was there, leaning all the way over the sideline fence to fix her boy up.
āOnce the pump came back on, it was like Keith was in la-la land and all of a sudden he was right back with us,ā Bryant said. āHe came up to me like, āCoach Bryant, can I go back in?āā
And Bryant let him.
This is the same boy Bryant would take snack breaks with during practice to make sure his insulin levels stayed balanced ā and because Bryant liked the little juice boxes with a straw that his mother packed.
There was a trust built. Keith knew his health, so much so that he was confident enough to pick up another sport collegiately: baseball.
Bryant sees the impact he makes with each decision. He stops at nothing to follow his dreams.
āHeās affecting other people who have that condition or have had an adversity in life,ā Bryant said, āproving that they can overcome those things and accomplish everything they want as long as they trust their heart and work hard.ā
Right now, Holcombe is in football mode and wonāt talk baseball. He acknowledged itās a challenge being a two-sport athlete, but he knew what he was getting into when he signed up for it. He just feels blessed for the opportunity.
The flip will switch in January. Then, the No. 42 linebacker becomes the No. 18 outfielder.
Heāll still wear eye black, though.
