Long before Santonio Holmes was the hero of Super Bowl XLIII with his toe-tapping touchdown to take the lead over the Arizona Cardinals, he was a nightmare at the high school and college ranks. Ohio State recruited him out of Belle Glade, Fla., in 2002. He redshirted that season when the Buckeyes went 14-0 and won the national championship. Over the three years he played in college, Ohio State went 29-8.
Holmes had 140 receptions for 2,295 yards and 25 touchdowns in three seasons, which was good enough to make him the Pittsburgh Steelers’ first-round pick in the 2006 NFL Draft. The quarterback who helped get him there was Troy Smith.
Smith won the Heisman the season after Holmes left and had a number of good wide receivers around him during his time there, but one stood out above the rest.
“I got to Ohio State, and a different type of beast came through those doors from Belle Glade, Florida,” Smith said via the Not Just Football podcast with Cam Heyward. “I’ve always said the same thing. Santonio, as far as the number one wide receiver, the best I’ve thrown to…It could be five people on him, and he still think he’s open.
“That’s why I loved him to death. I knew he was gonna be a safety blanket. I knew that rain, sleet, hail, or snow Santonio wanted the ball, and he was gonna get open.”
Below is just one of the many touchdowns the two connected on while at Ohio State.
Smith also heaped praise on Ted Ginn Jr., a childhood friend of his who was also at Ohio State. He called him the best gadget receiver but admitted that Holmes was built a little different. Along with Ginn and Holmes, Smith had Roy Hall, Bam Childress, Brian Robiskie, Anthony Gonzalez, and Brian Hartline to throw to while at Ohio State. All of those players made it to the NFL.
Santonio Holmes didn’t have the longest tenure with the Steelers, but the four seasons he had left an impression. He only eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark one time, in 2009, but he will forever be etched in Pittsburgh lore for making one of the best plays in Super Bowl history.
