South Carolina commit Jaquel Holman moves up to four-star status
On3 Director of Scouting and Rankings Charles Power has been high on South Carolina linebacker commit Jaquel Holman for some time and the Blackville (S.C.) Blackville-Hilda standout has officially reached four-star status in the company’s latest rankings overhaul.
Formerly ranked a three-star prospect, the 6-foot-1.5, 200-pounder is now ranked the No. 231 overall prospect and No. 21 linebacker in the 2025 class, according to On3, and the No. 5 prospect in the state of South Carolina.
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“Holman looks like an exciting prospect, and I think has a lot of signs of being kind of an under-the-radar in-state gem in the state of South Carolina,” Power said. “He’s one who, I think first came on my radar earlier in the offseason, just seeing his name bubble up just with impressive game performances and just kind of in showcase performances.
“I mean, I think when you go back and watch his junior season, there’s no question he is a big-time athlete on Friday nights. Plays at a smaller high school at Blackville-Hilda. And really never comes off the field. And I think projects on defense and just really makes plays in every phase. Love his play speed, love his range. He shows physicality.”
With Holman’s bump up in the On3 rankings, he is now also a four-star prospect in the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average for the four major recruiting media sites.
Holman, who previously was the No. 647 overall prospect and No. 71 linebacker in the country according to that system, is now ranked the No. 374 overall prospect and the No. 37 linebacker in the class.
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Holman plays both ways in high school, never really coming off the field. He rushed for 1,600 yards and 26 touchdowns last season on offense.
“He has the indicators of a prospect who could blow up,” Power said last month. “And I think the more we learn about him. It seems to be the better and better it looks. Which those are the kind of prospects, I think, just from my time doing this. Especially when you’re dealing with a state like South Carolina that has athletes that kind of tend to maybe bubble up at different rates. Especially guys from smaller schools.
“I think Jaquel Holman has a lot of those characteristics that we’ve seen. Xavier Legette was similar – he was impressive. And honestly, I think Holman probably has more kind of outward positive indicators this early in the process.”
