Ole Miss signs EDGE DeeJay Holmes, one of nation’s top pass rushers

OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss signed EDGE DeeJay Holmes, one of the best pass rushers in the nation, on Wednesday’s National Signing Day. 

Putting the finishing touches on the 2023 Signing Class 🦈@fiveblock_ | #ComeToTheSip pic.twitter.com/4CNPbOgWPg

— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) February 1, 2023

The Pahokee (Fla.) High School star notched an amazing 117 tackles his senior season — and broke his school’s record for sacks with a whopping 32.5 as a senior in 2022, which also led the nation.

Holmes has football in his DNA. He is the younger cousin of fellow Pahokee legend and NFL Hall of Fame candidate Anquan Boldin. Holmes is the first Pahokee player to wear Boldin’s No. 6 jersey since Boldin did so in 1998 — and it was later retired.

The 6-foot-3, 230 pound Holmes visited Ole Miss on an official visit this past weekend, marking his last visit before signing day. Visiting Oxford and meeting new defensive coordinator Pete Golding certainly made an impression on Holmes. The Rebels look to play him as a stand-up edge or outside linebacker.

The talented Floridian was selected as the Palm Beach County Player of the Year at the Lou Groza Awards back in December, en route to helping lead his team to a nine-win season in 2022. 

Your @LouGrozaAward Player of the Year is…

@deejayholmesjr ‼️@Pahokee_MSHS @ForexxManny @Clinte103 @LK2Jr @Reese80 pic.twitter.com/AqWCLatdj5

— New Era Prep (@EraPrep) December 6, 2022

This comes after a junior year where he was named the Sun Sentinel Palm Beach County 5A-1A Defensive Player of The Year for 2021. That season he finished with 92 tackles, 25.5 tackles for loss and 19.5 sacks.

He’s the No. 64 EDGE in the Class of 2023 and the No. 110 overall athlete at any position in the hotbed of talent that is Florida. 

@deejayholmesjr gets the sack and the fourth down stop for the Blue Devils.

Simmons and friends are back out at midfield with 4:17 on the clock and a 13-point lead. @pbphighschools pic.twitter.com/KhXexK9qOC

— Emilee Smarr (@emilee_smarr) October 8, 2022

Holmes held over 20 offers, but he ultimately chose Ole Miss over Colorado, UCF, USF and Cincinnati.

Pahokee defensive end DeeJay Holmes had a dominant performance to lift the defense against Palm Beach Central. Holmes had an interception for TD and multiple sacks to lead his team to a victory. @deejayholmesjr @ForexxManny pic.twitter.com/vMpPD9uGCk

— Alex Kushel (@akushel) September 17, 2022

Welcome home, DeeJay! 

Lee Ann Herring-Olvedo

Lee Ann is the Director of Recruiting for The Rebel Walk. She is a veteran SEC sports journalist and NFL content writer. She is also the Sr. Editor for MESPORTS digital. Herring-Olvedo is a Brown University graduate who loves good cigars, good games, and a smooth glass of bourbon — not necessarily in that order.