A.J. Holmes Jr.

Anthony "A. J." Holmes Jr. (born November 7, 2003) Coming out of high school, Holmes Jr. committed to play college football for the Houston Cougars over other offers from schools such as TCU, Kansas State, Washington State, SMU, and Virginia.

College career Houston During his freshman season in 2022, Holmes Jr. notched six tackles with half a tackle being for a loss. In the 2023 season, he appeared in 12 games with three starts, where he totaled 21 tackles with four and a half going for a loss, and two and a half sacks. During the 2024 season, Holmes Jr. tallied 40 tackles with eight and a half being for a loss, and two sacks. After the season, he entered his name into the NCAA transfer portal.

Texas Tech Holmes Jr. transferred to play for the Texas Tech Red Raiders. In week 2 of the 2025 season, he notched four tackles with two being for a loss, a sack, a pass deflection, and a fumble recovery in a blowout win over Kent State. In week 6, Holmes Jr. recorded two sacks in a win versus Kansas. In week 7, he recorded a sack against Arizona State. For his performance during the 2025 season, Holmes Jr. was named a first-team All-American by Pro Football Focus.