Khaled Holmes is one of two USC players, along with T.J. McDonald, who will be taking part in the Senior Bowl this week in an effort to shine in front of NFL scouts.
Prior to heading to Mobile, Ala., for the week-long event, Holmes was honored at a dinner on January 16 as the winner of the Jess Hill Award, presented by the San Gabriel Valley Trojan Club to a deserving student-athlete who represents the USC motto of “Faithful, Scholarly, Skillful, Courageous, Ambitious.”
Holmes was a three-year starter for the Trojans -- he played right guard in 2010 and center from 2011-12 -- and was named All-Pac-12 first team in 2012.
Holmes had a cumulative 3.31 GPA at USC, received a bachelor’s degree in spring of 2011 in communications and finished his master’s degree in communication management in fall of 2012.
“It’s an incredible honor to receive this award,” Khaled said while accepting the award. “To be the first brothers to win the award is pretty awesome.”
Khaled’s brother, Alex, had been named the Jess Hill Award winner in 2005 after his career as a USC tight end. Alex Holmes was in attendance at the dinner, as was former USC fullback/tight end Rhett Ellison, who now plays for the Minnesota Vikings, and the award was presented to Holmes by current USC running backs coach Kennedy Polamalu.
“This night showcases how real the Trojan family is,” Polamalu said. “You have Alex and Khaled, two brothers who have won this award. Their sister, Theodora, is married to my nephew, Troy, who also played at USC. Then you have Rhett Ellison, whose dad, Riki, was my teammate when I played at USC.”
It was Alex Holmes who summed up the night with the tribute to his brother when he said, “Khaled is the most impressive person I’ve ever met in my life.”
Holmes (6-foot-4, 310) was ranked as the No. 2 senior center by Mel Kiper of ESPN in his most recent position rankings.
