At 5’8” 170 pounds, Central Connecticut State (CCSU) running back Rob Hollomon will never be confused with a bruiser like John Riggins or Christian Okoye.
But what was Jimmy Johnson’s famous credo? “Speed kills.”
Jimmy must have seen Hollomon play.
Hollomon, who starred at West Catholic, will graduate as CCSU’s all-time leading rusher. Barring injury, he will be the first Blue Devil to rush for 1,000 yards in three seasons. The “blink and you missed him” back also has a good chance of graduating as the second leading scorer in program history.
“We run a multi offense: some spread and some under center,” explained Hollomon. “My teammates and coaches do a great job in putting me in position to have success. The team works hard and we jell together so that we have a good understanding of where everything is going to be.
“My coaching staff does a great job with schemes and game planning to put me in good position to get the ball and do what I do best.”
Last season, Hollomon lead all of 1-AA in multi-purpose yards per game. He not only put up over 1,400 on the ground, but he snagged 26 passes while serving as a dangerous return weapon.
“Barry Sanders is one of my favorite running backs and I try to model him somewhat,” Hollomon noted. “In today’s game, I like LeSean McCoy and Darren Sproles. I try to watch the different things that they do with cuts and reads. A lot of what they do, I try to incorporate into my game. But at the end of the day, I try to be the best Rob Hollomon I can be.
“The way I try to stay injury-free is with my vision and my strengths: my speed, my shiftiness, my agility. I try to stay away from as much head-on contact as possible,” Hollomon concluded.
Hollomon has won the Northeast Conference Player of the Week twice this season. He snagged it on September 29th, when he ran for a career-high 236 yards in CCSU’s 38-14 rout of Rhode Island. The Philadelphian had two touchdown runs of over 50 yards.
More significantly, Hollomon claimed the award four weeks earlier when CCSU upset Towson- last year’s national runner-up- by a 31-27 score. Hollomon got 280 yards on his 36 touches, and scored the game winning touchdown with 36 seconds left.
“We worked hard all year to try and get ready for each and every game. And we played hard. It was a great, collective team win,” Hollomon deflected credit on the Towson victory. “Our coaches put a great scheme together.”
District 12 fans remember Hollomon as the standout runner on one of Southeast Pennsylvania’s most dominant high school teams. As a senior, Hollomon scored an astounding 36 touchdowns as West Catholic went 14-2, losing in the PIAA AA title game by one point. The Burrs scored 49 or more points in nine straight games that season. Both of their losses were by a single point.
“It was great having that type of level of talent to play with in high school. We pushed each other every single day to be our best and it showed in the games. I miss them a lot,” Hollomon admitted, “but they are all doing well.”
One player who got a front row seat to West Catholic’s success was Brandon Hollomon- Rob’s younger brother by two years and a future standout at West in his own right. Brandon followed Rob to CCSU, where he plays wide receiver and special teams.
“It’s good having my little brother with me. You have somebody with you, in everyday life, that you have been through so much with,” Hollomon observed. “I can rely on him on the field. He gives me confidence on and off the field. I give him confidence. I try and lead him in the right direction because I have already been there and did a lot things before him.”
Rob Hollomon spent a post-graduate year at Cushing Academy in Northern Massachusetts, a year that served him well. “I started to learn how to be away from home since I was about six hours away,” Hollomon said. “I learned how to become a man and mature: to be on my own and how to handle business by myself.”
After spending his freshman year at Kent State, Hollomon transferred to CCSU, where he has established himself as one of the nation’s premier triple threats as a runner, receiver and returner. The game plan for playing the Blue Devils is simple: Key on Hollomon and stop the run. But that is a heck of a lot easier said than done. Hollomon also doubles as one of the Blue Devils’ leading pass catchers, with 29 grabs through his first nine games.
“I spend a lot of time in the offseason working on catching passes and running routes because, at the end of the day, I am a natural running back. Running back is what I do. But in order to get to the next level, I need to become more versatile,” Hollomon realizes. “Every day on the field, I’ll be working on receiver routes and working on returns.”
The next level is a very real possibility. Hollomon is generating Draft buzz and if the NFL doesn’t pan out, there is speculation that he would be an excellent fit for the Canadian Football or Arena Leagues. Through it all Hollomon, the CCSU co-captain, remains focused on finishing his collegiate career strongly.
“Any college player who has dreams of playing at the next level, and are this close, and they tell you they aren’t thinking about it is lying to you,” Hollomon realizes, “but I am able to have a tight grip on finishing up my college career. I know that these are the last three games that are guaranteed to me. That is what I am focused on- trying to lead my team to wins, to be the best leader I can be and finish my career at CCSU the best that I can.”
When CCSU’s season ends on November 22nd, Hollomon will turn his focus on the process needed to play in the professional ranks. Maybe during that time, he will also have the chance to reflect on one of the greatest careers that CCSU has ever seen.
Photo Credit: ccsubluedevils.com
