COVINGTON, Ga. —  Jeremiah Holloman saw a camera pointed his way on Thursday night prior to Newton High’s scrimmage against Woodland.

The four-star prospect was stretching, but when that lens had the senior lined up, he flashed a “U” that befits the football program at Miami. That’s the program now led by former Georgia coach Mark Richt.

Holloman is rated as the nation’s No. 23 prospect for the Class of 2017 at receiver. (Jeff Sentell / AJC)/Dawgnation)

“I like doing it,” Holloman said. “It is cool.”

The nation’s No. 23 receiver has been told by Georgia that a scholarship will be waiting for him when he’s ready to decide. Georgia might only take four receivers this year, but if it gets commitments from big names like Nico Collins and Mark Webb, Jr., there will still be room for Holloman.

“Georgia has said that and continues to say that,” Holloman told DawgNation on Thursday.

The 247Sports Crystal Ball has 19 predictions on Holloman and 95 percent of those reflect him going to Georgia. That said, the Hurricanes are emerging as a serious contender. He said he speaks with Richt and receivers coach Ron Dugans almost every day now.

He felt the Hurricanes have made the biggest jump of late among the schools in his Top 12.

“It would have to be Miami,” Holloman said. “From them offering me later than all these other schools they have definitely been doing their thing talking to parents and all that stuff. They have been taking care of business. I’m just ready to get down there for a visit.”

That’s not because of the Richt factor, but another former Georgia element. That would be Deejay Dallas. Dallas was once committed to Georgia but is firmly committed to Miami. He’s a super recruiter for the program in the same vein that five-star safety Richard LeCounte III is for Georgia.

Holloman played with Dallas and LeCounte on Cam Newton’s 7-on-7 football team this summer. Dallas and Holloman have trained together to be on that team for months and their relationship is strong.

Don’t look for him to commit anytime soon. It sounds set in his mind that he won’t make a commitment until at least mid-October. He wants to take a few of his official visits first.

Four-star receiver Jeremiah Holloman would be a welcome addition to Georgia’s 2017 class at any time. (Jeff Sentell / AJC)/Dawgnation)

“If not before it will be somewhere around November,” Holloman said. “Somewhere in November.”

There is a possibility he waits until the U.S. Army All-American game to announce his decision.

He said his attraction to Georgia continues to gain in strength.

“It just gets better and better every time I go up there,” he said. “Just from talking to the players and getting a better connection with the guys up there. If I end up going there I will be able to play them all side-by-side.”

The Bulldogs see him in a role that was held by one of their all-time greats at receiver.

“They just want me to be that guy,” Holloman said. “They want me to be like A.J. Green back in the day. That athletic guy who is that big who is crisp with his routes and just being there to dominate defenses in the SEC and lead them to a national championship.”

Holloman felt Georgia, Miami and Tennessee would be the three schools among his offer group that he could see himself having the most fun playing for.

It is clear his choice is fluid right now. He said he doesn’t even name a private leader in his head and then let other schools try to silently knock off after a visit or a conversation with a recruiter. He’s going to let what he sees on his official visits shape his process.

But there is no denying the bond he has with the commits at Georgia. He said the Class of 2017 for Georgia would be the hardest group of peer players to tell he won’t be playing with them on Saturdays.

“Those are the guys it would be really tough to break off from,” Holloman said. “We have got a real good bond. We do everything together just hanging out and stuff. That will be hard to tell those guys I’m going to go do my own thing if I decide to go somewhere else.”

He also shared the following decisions he’s made with his recruiting:

  • Holloman knows two official visits. That’s to Notre Dame for the Michigan State game on Sept. 17. He will also take another official to Miami on Oct. 8 for the Florida State game.
  • He sounds like another in-state prospect who feels that an official visit to Georgia would be an unnecessary trip. He said he’s been to Athens more than 10 times and knows the Georgia program better than any other school.  He wants to use his official visits for trips he can’t easily accomplish on his own.  This is rapidly becoming the norm rather than the exception for elite Georgia prospects.
  • He still plans to enroll early. That will complicate his decision (much like the one made by Isaac Nauta last December) if he waits until the U.S. Army All-American game to announce his choice. That will require Holloman to go through the application process at multiple schools in order to enroll early. There are second-semester deadlines to comply with.
  • Miami and Tennessee are recruiting him the hardest right now.
  • He still speaks to Tennessee coach Butch Jones every day. “He tells me how practice is going and all that stuff,” Holloman said.
  • He’s confident that there will always be a spot for him at both LSU and Georgia.

 

Jeff Sentell covers UGA football and UGA recruiting for AJC.com and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Follow him on Twitter for the latest on who’s on their way to play Between the Hedges. Unless otherwise indicated, player rankings and ratings are from the 247Sports Composite.