KU's Holt Played In All-Star Football Game

Feb. 2, 2009

EL PASO, Texas – Kansas senior linebacker James Holt participated in last Saturday’s Western Refining Texas vs. The Nation All-Star Challenge football game. Holt, competed for the Texas team, earned a start and recorded three tackles.

The Nation defeated the Texas team 27-24 in the game played in El Paso, Texas. Holt had one solo and two assisted tackles in game. He shared in a tackle for loss. His three tackles tied for sixth on his team.

“I started and played a pretty good portion of the game,” Holt said. “I was able to make a tackle for a loss and hopefully did a few things that will keep the scouts’ eyes on me. Overall, I felt like I had a pretty good performance.”

Holt spent the whole week leading up to the game practicing in front of and meeting with NFL scouts.

“The first day was a struggle because I was learning what the coaches wanted me to do,” he said. “After that, I felt good and flew around pretty well. It was a pretty good week.”

Holt missed Saturday’s Kansas football awards ceremony due to the game. At the ceremony he was honored as the team’s defensive player of the year, while also picking up the Willie Pless Award, given annually to the team’s tackle leader. Holt had 105 tackles for KU in 2008.

Holt capped his Kansas career by being named All-Big 12 Second Team by the league’s coaches and First Team by the Associated Press. The 6-3, 226-pounder from Altus, Okla. earned Insight Bowl Defensive MVP honors in his final game at KU.