Wake Forest transfer CB Gavin Holmes signs with Texas

Wake Forest Demon Deacons transfer cornerback Gavin Holmes committed to and singed with the Texas Longhorns on Wednesday during the early signing period.

The rising junior originally planned to visit Penn State in January, but opted to shut down his recruitment early after spending time on the Forty Acres during the last visit weekend before the dead period.

In early December, the 5’11, 175-pounder became the first public portal offer from the Longhorns in this transfer window in a sign that secondary coach Terry Joseph has identified the boundary cornerback position as one in need of experienced depth with the pending departure of D’Shawn Jamison

From Metairie (La.) Archbishop Rummel, Holmes was ranked as a consensus three-star prospect and the No. 113 cornerback in the 2020 recruiting class, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. Holmes chose Wake Forest over offers from Colorado, Louisiana-Monroe, Nicholls State, Northwestern State, Old Dominion, Southeastern Louisiana, and UTSA.

In 2020, Holmes appeared in three games with one start, finishing the season with three tackles and an interception. As a redshirt freshman, Holmes played in 13 games with 19 tackles, three tackles for loss, four pass breakups, one interception, and one forced fumble. In 11 games this season, Holmes recorded 23 tackles and nine pass breakups.

So Holmes is an experienced player with solid production and a verified 4.52 40-yard dash and 37-inch vertical leap in high school, more than adequate athleticism to play a position that demands it.

After entering the portal, Holmes also announced offers from Arkansas, Virginia Tech, Tulane, Houston, Memphis, Kansas, Ole Miss, Washington, Baylor, West Virginia, Old Dominion, Oregon State, Vanderbilt, Mississippi State, Penn State, and Cincinnati, putting him quickly in demand from a handful of Power Five programs.

But landing the first visit from Holmes put the Longhorns in a strong position in his recruitment and the Texas staff was able to close quickly with Holmes. Looking forward to the spring and the 2023 season, the depth chart immediately makes Holmes the favorite to win the starting job over a talented but relatively inexperienced player like Terrance Brooks, who passed Jamier Johnson in the rotation prior to Johnson’s entrance into the portal and commitment to Indiana.