Kasey Holliman is a senior offensive lineman for Brantley County High School and will enter his second straight season as a starter for the Herons. Head coach Geoff Cannon said Holliman started all 11 games last season as the team’s center, but will be moved to left tackle for the 2022 season. The truth is, Holliman could play anywhere on the line, wherever he is needed, because that’s the kind of player he is, according to his coach.
“Kasey is a program kid,” said Cannon. “He is a coach’s son who is completely dedicated to the game, to our program, and is as hard-nosed and hard-working a kid as you will find.”
Holliman is also a team leader for the Herons, and Cannon said that when the team begins to lose focus and tune out the coaches’ message, that’s when he calls on Holliman.
“If there is an issue in the locker room that I need to get corrected, I will call on Kasey to take care of it, and he always does,” said Cannon.
Holliman’s father is Brantley County offensive line coach AJ Hendrix, who said that as solid as Holliman has become now as a starting high school offensive lineman, he really had to work hard at it.
“Kasey was born in Florida and grew up as a chunky kid,” said Hendrix.
The family moved to Brantley County when Hendrix was offered a job there as the line coach. Holliman was in the fifth grade at that point, and that’s when Hendrix said his son began to change.
“When Kasey first started out playing football, he was a typical offensive lineman, short and stocky, but in the sixth grade, he started to thin out a little bit, and he moved to tight end,” said Hendrix.
Hendrix said that one day, Holliman asked him about the possibility of playing college football.
“I’ve never lied to my kids, so I told Kasey that he just didn’t work hard enough and run enough and that he would have to really change his approach and work harder,” Hendrix said.
Then, COVID-19 hit. That’s when the players had to take it upon themselves to do the work at home to stay in shape, and that’s when Holliman began to take a workman’s attitude to making himself better. According to Hendrix, Holliman dedicated himself to a steady weight lifting program at home and then took advantage of a training program from Cannon.
“Coach Cannon sent out these phenomenal workouts that all of our players without access to the standard weights could do with things around the home,” Hendrix said.
He said that Holliman began to follow that program along with his own workout regimen. Holliman also started eating four times per day and getting what both Cannon and Hendrix called “championship sleep,” which was sleeping at least 10 hours per day. All these changes began to shape a whole new Holliman.
“It really opened my eyes how much he wanted it and how everything really mattered to him,” said Hendrix.
Now, the same player that went into COVID-19 as a 5-foot-7 tight end was now 50 pounds heavier, but as a leaner, stronger football player, and Cannon took notice.
“I saw a player who transformed himself through getting that 9.5 hours of sleep, following the workout program we sent him, as well as doing his own thing and taking his nutrition seriously,” said Cannon. “That’s because he knew that he had to work harder than the next guy to get to that point, and he wanted it.”
Now, Holliman is walking around at 240-250 pounds.
“He went from being this chunky kid to now being the strongest player on our team, and he wears that like a badge of honor,” said Hendrix.
So, how is it being Holliman’s father as well as his O-line coach?
“Oh, I coach him hard, no doubt about it, but I know with his mentality he can take it,” said Hendrix.
Cannon agreed.
“He can take the hard coaching without getting offended, and that’s a trait of the really good football players,” Cannon said.
All of this hard work, tough love, and dedication has put Holliman into a sacred group: the Herons’ 1,000-pound club.
“Kasey lifts 300 pounds on the bench press, has a 475-pound squat, and a 265-pound power clean for a total of 1,030 pounds for the three lifts,” Cannon said.
Hendrix said Holliman has worked hard to reach this point.
“He has earned everything he has got,” Hendrix said.
What about that desire to play college football? Hendrix said he doesn’t know the answer to that right now, but does know one thing: “Some colleges will be very fortunate to have him because he is not afraid to be coached hard and to do whatever it takes to be successful.”
I think we can see Kasey Holliman has proven that already.
