Running Back Transfer CJ Holmes to Walk-On at Penn State

Penn State’s running back room got a bit deeper recently.

The Nittany Lions welcomed former four-star recruit CJ Holmes as a walk-on after the Connecticut native transferred from Notre Dame per Sean Fitz of Lions247.

Holmes was dismissed from the Notre Dame team by Brian Kelly in Decemeber after he was arrested for shoplifting a North Face jacket from a local Macy’s department store.

After visiting Penn State often during his recruiting cycle that ended in 2017, Holmes settled on the Golden Domers. He visited PSU again in April post-dismissal from ND and will join his younger sister Alexis on campus after the latter signed a letter of intent in November to run track for the Nittany Lions.

Due to transfer rules, Holmes will likely sit out the 2018 season, though he did not use a redshirt last season so he will likely use it this upcoming season.

Following the 2018 season, he will still have three years of eligibility remaining and it’s not unquestionable that should he stay out of trouble in 2018 that he could be placed on scholarship going forward.

Holmes is listed at 6-foot, 200 pounds by 247Sports and brings a nice mix of speed, agility and power to a Nittany Lions backfield that could look pretty thin if Miles Sanders enters the 2019 NFL Draft.

The move is a low-risk, high-reward one on James Franklin’s part. If Holmes manages to stay out of trouble, PSU adds a talented running back with a lot of potential and eligibility remaining. If not, he didn’t count against the scholarship cap and can be replaced fairly easily.

Welcome to State College, CJ.