South Carolina LB recruit Dax Hollifield convinced that playing multiple sports helped him on gridiron
May 01, 2017
Dax Hollifield is an endangered species. The 4-star linebacker, who’s one of the top targets for South Carolina in 2018, plays three sports for his high school.
From August to December, Hollifield tackles every ball carrier in Western North Carolina.
After winning a North Carolina high school football state championship, which he’s done in each of his first three years at Shelby High School, Hollifield joins the basketball team.
Once hoops season ends, he hits the track, where he runs 110- and 300-meter hurdles.
“I really didn’t think it was a big deal, me playing three sports, I think everybody should do that,” Hollifield said. “Who sits around in the spring time? You’re not going to get good.”
Growing up, that was the plan for Hollifield, who has offers from Florida, Florida State, LSU, North Carolina, South Carolina, Stanford and Virginia Tech, among many others.
Three seasons. Three sports. Specialization wasn’t even an option, like it is for a growing trend for high school athletes across the country. That, in part, is a credit to his father.
Aubrey Hollifield serves as an assistant coach for the Shelby football team. In the winter, he coaches the boys’ basketball team. Once spring rolls around, he works with the hurdlers on the track team.
“I think specialization tends to wear [athletes] out, burn them out,” Aubrey said. “There’s things that you can gain by doing other sports that you can’t gain by just practicing basketball all the time or just throwing a baseball.
“I don’t know how you practice football all the time, I guess you can do those 7-on-7 clinics, but by playing basketball you’re going to get that lateral footwork, eye-hand-coordination. By running track where [Dax] does, by running those hurdles, you’re going to get it.”
Shelby football coach Lance Ware said Dax, who carries a 4.5 GPA, is “everything you could want in a linebacker,” even though he’s not a full-time football player.
“Like none I’ve been around,” Ware said. “He’ll come in and work out with his dad on Sundays. Whatever he’s doing, he’s working to get better at it. Just like in track now with the high hurdles. Then, during basketball season and in the weight room, classroom, whatever. He’s always doing the best.”
Good genes help. Before playing linebacker, defensive end, defensive tackle and nose guard at Wake Forest, Aubrey was a three-sport star from Kings Mountain, N.C. Football, basketball and track were his sports.
“I think not specializing or doing a wealth of things is beneficial,” Aubrey said. “Like Dax, he’s not a bad basketball player, but he’s not a great basketball player. That’s not his best thing, so he has to compete real hard to do it. It teaches you to compete whenever you’re not the best one.
“Like the hurdles, he’s not the greatest hurdler out there. Most hurdlers aren’t 230-something. Most hurdlers are like 160 [pounds], so he’s having to compete against adversity that he normally wouldn’t have to compete against [in football].
“I think those are good things for him, because you’re put in a different situation.”
Fortunately, for folks like the Hollifields, the number of multi-sport athletes selected in the first round of the NFL draft might convert some of the pro specialization crowd. According to trackingfootball.com, 30 of the 32 picks in that round played more than one sport in high school.
“All these kids say they want to get recruited,” Dax said. “But they’re not doing the things to get themselves recruited.”
A 4-star prospect with a boatload of Power 5 offers would know.
“Before I was in fifth grade, I was a little, fat kid. I started playing AAU basketball and I started slimming down,” he said. “I got a tad bit more fast, could jump, more athletic. It’s helped my hips out a lot. I can move side to side great now. That’s the best thing for a football player, I think. … Basketball is the best thing for a football player, especially at linebacker or for anybody.”
The same could be said for his spring sport.
“Track, it helps me with my speed,” Dax said. “That’s all I really need is speed. If I get faster, I’ll have it made.”
May 01, 2017
Dax Hollifield is an endangered species. The 4-star linebacker, who’s one of the top targets for South Carolina in 2018, plays three sports for his high school.
From August to December, Hollifield tackles every ball carrier in Western North Carolina.
After winning a North Carolina high school football state championship, which he’s done in each of his first three years at Shelby High School, Hollifield joins the basketball team.
Once hoops season ends, he hits the track, where he runs 110- and 300-meter hurdles.
“I really didn’t think it was a big deal, me playing three sports, I think everybody should do that,” Hollifield said. “Who sits around in the spring time? You’re not going to get good.”
Growing up, that was the plan for Hollifield, who has offers from Florida, Florida State, LSU, North Carolina, South Carolina, Stanford and Virginia Tech, among many others.
Three seasons. Three sports. Specialization wasn’t even an option, like it is for a growing trend for high school athletes across the country. That, in part, is a credit to his father.
Aubrey Hollifield serves as an assistant coach for the Shelby football team. In the winter, he coaches the boys’ basketball team. Once spring rolls around, he works with the hurdlers on the track team.
“I think specialization tends to wear [athletes] out, burn them out,” Aubrey said. “There’s things that you can gain by doing other sports that you can’t gain by just practicing basketball all the time or just throwing a baseball.
“I don’t know how you practice football all the time, I guess you can do those 7-on-7 clinics, but by playing basketball you’re going to get that lateral footwork, eye-hand-coordination. By running track where [Dax] does, by running those hurdles, you’re going to get it.”
Shelby football coach Lance Ware said Dax, who carries a 4.5 GPA, is “everything you could want in a linebacker,” even though he’s not a full-time football player.
“Like none I’ve been around,” Ware said. “He’ll come in and work out with his dad on Sundays. Whatever he’s doing, he’s working to get better at it. Just like in track now with the high hurdles. Then, during basketball season and in the weight room, classroom, whatever. He’s always doing the best.”
Good genes help. Before playing linebacker, defensive end, defensive tackle and nose guard at Wake Forest, Aubrey was a three-sport star from Kings Mountain, N.C. Football, basketball and track were his sports.
“I think not specializing or doing a wealth of things is beneficial,” Aubrey said. “Like Dax, he’s not a bad basketball player, but he’s not a great basketball player. That’s not his best thing, so he has to compete real hard to do it. It teaches you to compete whenever you’re not the best one.
“Like the hurdles, he’s not the greatest hurdler out there. Most hurdlers aren’t 230-something. Most hurdlers are like 160 [pounds], so he’s having to compete against adversity that he normally wouldn’t have to compete against [in football].
“I think those are good things for him, because you’re put in a different situation.”
Fortunately, for folks like the Hollifields, the number of multi-sport athletes selected in the first round of the NFL draft might convert some of the pro specialization crowd. According to trackingfootball.com, 30 of the 32 picks in that round played more than one sport in high school.
“All these kids say they want to get recruited,” Dax said. “But they’re not doing the things to get themselves recruited.”
A 4-star prospect with a boatload of Power 5 offers would know.
“Before I was in fifth grade, I was a little, fat kid. I started playing AAU basketball and I started slimming down,” he said. “I got a tad bit more fast, could jump, more athletic. It’s helped my hips out a lot. I can move side to side great now. That’s the best thing for a football player, I think. … Basketball is the best thing for a football player, especially at linebacker or for anybody.”
The same could be said for his spring sport.
“Track, it helps me with my speed,” Dax said. “That’s all I really need is speed. If I get faster, I’ll have it made.”