By: Steve Boden '16

BEREA, OHIO --  Baldwin Wallace University senior wide receiver and NCAA Division III All-American track and field sprinter Josiah Holt (Elyria/Grafton Midview) has been in the spotlight since he was in high school. This fall, as the Yellow Jackets begin preseason football camp, Holt would rather stay out of the spotlight while leading his team to an Ohio Athletic Conference title and into the 2013 NCAA Division III Playoffs.

The Elyria, Ohio native and Grafton Midview High School graduate received plenty of honors both in high school and at BW and remains extremely humble.  

"I was brought up in the type of home where my parents taught us to never get too much into ourselves," said Holt, a two-time first-team All-OAC selection (2011 and 2012) and a first-team All-Ohio preseason pick by the OhioCollegeFootball.com website (www.ohiocollegefootball.com). "Big egos did not exist in our house. I appreciate the attention and do enjoy it, but I also realize that the spotlight is something that I cannot get too caught up in."

The first game for the Yellow Jackets is on Saturday, September 14th at 1:30 p.m. against Bluffton University. This will be the last season for Holt and he will be giving it his all to achieve success this season.

"For this upcoming season, I have pushed myself and worked harder than I have ever before," said Holt, who has caught 80 career passes for 1,192 yards and seven touchdowns, rushed the ball for 331 yards and two touchdowns and averaged 28.7 yards in 52 kickoff returns with three runbacks for touchdowns. "Everything from my diet to my sleep regimen, I am doing everything I can to make sure I am at my best. The realization that this could be my last season of playing football kicked in, and I want to leave with no regrets."

"I feel like I am the strongest and fastest I have ever been, and I am really excited to see how these results carry over into this season," said Holt. "We have great tradition at BW.  Our goals are always the same -- to have fun and work hard, win the OAC title and then win the Division III national title.  Our entire team is focused on those goals."

The coaching staff and his teammates see how hard Holt works on a everyday basis and try to follow in his footsteps.

"His work ethic is just crazy," said fellow teammate and good friend Kevin Johnson (Maple Heights/Cleveland St. Ignatius), who joined Holt on the fifth place Division III All-American 4 x100-meter relay team in 2012. "He makes sure to get enough sleep to be able to lift weights and do extra drills later in the day."

"Josiah is always in the weightroom and does the extra work needed to be successful," said Head Coach Jon Snell.  "He works hard all year long, including during the summer.  He is on campus and utilizes the facilities."

"He is an excellent role model for our younger student-athletes," continued Snell. "He has not rested on his laurels [being a two-time All-OAC selection] and works every day to get better. Josiah's hard work is not lost on his teammates."

"Josiah won't be outworked and he doesn't accept anything less than a 100 percent effort," said veteran Offensive Coordinator Coach Keith Grabowski '92.  "He is a talented athlete who also gets the most out of his ability.  He can run the football, catch it and he can throw it."

"Josiah is a great leader by example and over the last year he has become a vocal leader on the team as well," said Grabowski. "People respect what he has to say, and they step up when he challenges them."

Holt learned how to be a leader as a freshman in 2010-2011 when he had to fill in for starting wide receiver Jon Myers '11 who got hurt. Meyers took him under his wing and taught him how to be a leader.

"Josiah really matured when Josh [Meyers] was hurt and learned how to become a leader at such a young age," said Grabowski. "I believe this was the point in Josiah's career where he learned how to embrace the leadership role."

"It feels great to be the leader of the team," said Holt, who is a health and physical education major. "I used to be timid, but now as the senior, I have been able to see what works and what doesn't work. I know what it takes, so I am excited to be in the leadership role."

"Josiah is more of a vocal leader now and is not afraid to confront players when they are doing something wrong," said Coach Snell.

Holt pushes his teammates to be their best in everything they do, whether it be on the football field or going to class.

"Once the season starts, I plan on kicking it to another level," said Holt. "Failure will not be accepted and neither will excuses. If we want to be the best, then we have to go to class like the best, eat like the best, sleep like the best, practice like the best, and there is not any room to let up."

The one teammate he has pushed the most is Johnson. They met their freshman year and have been close ever since.

"We just push each other," said Holt. "Every time we do something, the one wants to beat the other. Everything we do is a competition."

"Josiah pushes me in the weightroom, and we study the playbook together," said Johnson, also known as K.J. "He makes sure we do the little things right. Everything is a game of who wants it more, so it makes it fun. I cannot wait until the season starts as we both are on the same side of the ball this year!"

Holt's incredible athletic ability and speed is what makes it so hard for opposing defenses to stop him.

"Josiah is a threat on every play," said Grabowski. "He is someone defenses must prepare for and his skill set allows us to move him around. He can line up inside or outside at receiver, go in motion and get the ball on a handoff or align him in the backfield and utilize him as a running back."

"He is one of the best wide receivers I have had a chance to coach," said Snell. "He has great speed, great hands and is a very versatile player."

Coach Grabowski thinks he has more football left in him.

"Josiah is special," said Grabowski. "He has outstanding athletic ability and backs it up with great leadership and work ethic. He's had a great career and is the best receiver I have ever coached."

BW has recorded a 22-8 record during Holt's first three seasons in the Brown and Gold and are coming off a 7-3 record last season. There is a lot of buzz and high expectations surrounding this team and Holt this year, as they are ranked 20th in the Lindy's Sports Annuals and 23rd in the D3football.com.

"I would be very dissappointed if Josiah is not one of the best players in the OAC or recongized as one of the best in the country," said Snell. "He is one of those players you need on your team to be able to compete for a OAC championship or national championship."

"I think this will be a special year for Josiah," said Grabowski. "I know he has some lofty goals for himself and his teammates, and he will continue to be an exciting player to watch this upcoming season."

"My expectations for this year are extremely high," said Holt. "When talking to the guys on the team, everyone sees the potential. I feel that our senior group is particularly strong and is one of the largest classes in the last few years. I feel like our senior and junior leaders are ready to take this team to places this program has not been for a long time, 35 years to be exact (BW last won the NCAA Division III football title in 1978)."

Baldwin Wallace has not only helped Holt on the football field but also off the field.

"BW has made me the person I am today by putting a high standard on everything I do whether it be in the classroom or on the field," said Holt. "The people of BW have helped me improve my character better than I could have imagined. Without them, I would not be half the man I am today. I have loved every second of my time here at BW."

Holt does not set small goals for himself, and he always strives for success. He always dreams big, sets his expectations high and will do everything he can to achieve them.

"The legacy I would like to leave at BW is to be the best player to ever play here," said Holt. "When I take off my Brown and Gold jersey for the last time this year, I want the people in the stands to leave Finne Stadium with no doubt that they just watched the best football player to play at BW thus far. It will be hard to do, and it will not come on a silver platter, but I am willing to do what I need to do in order for that to happen. As long as I walk away making the program and the University proud of what I have been able to accomplish then my legacy will be exactly how I wanted it to be."

"As for myself," said Holt. "I want to be the best player on the field every time I strap on my helmet. My number one goal this year is to bring that trophy [national championship] back to this campus."

Holt and the Yellow Jackets open the 2013 season on Saturday, September 14 at Bluffton University at 1:00 p.m.  The first home and OAC game is on Saturday, Sept. 21 when BW hosts OAC and Cleveland cross-town rival John Carroll University on Shriners' Day in the 25th Battle for the Cuyahoga Gold Bowl Trophy on Tressel Field at The George Finnie Stadium at 6:00 p.m.  You can learn more about the 2013 Yellow Jacket football schedule at http://www.bwyellowjackets.com/sports/fball/2013-14/schedule.

FOR MORE BW SPORTS INFORMATION, please contact Sports Information Director Kevin Ruple by telephone at 440-826-2327 and e-mail at kruple@bw.edu or Assistant SID Jeff Miller by phone at 440-826-2780 and email at jefmille@bw.edu. Fans can access the latest BW athletics information at www.BWyellowjackets.com and we invite you to join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bwyellowjackets and Twitter at http://twitter.com/bwathletics.