Penn State will be giving former Notre Dame running back CJ Holmes a second chance to play college football. The former Irish running back will join the Nittany Lions this fall and is reportedly enrolled at Penn State now. He will be eligible to play for Penn State beginning this fall. The news first broke on a Lions 247 message board.
Holmes will be walking on with Penn State after being dismissed by Notre Dame last December. Holmes was given the boot from South Bend following a shoplifting arrest at a Macy’s department store. As noted by One Foot Down, Holmes has a sister at Penn State who will be running track for the school.
Holmes appeared in eight games as a freshman for Notre Dame last season, in which he carried the football eight times for 32 yards. Although Penn State is looking to replace Saquon Barkley, the running back situation is likely to be handled primarily by Miles Sanders, which means Holmes is most likely going to provide some depth early on at the position before he gets any chance to contribute in a meaningful way.
Holmes is not without potential, however. The former four-star recruit (according to Rivals) was the fifth-best running back in the Class of 2017 and he was the second-ranked player in Connecticut. If he manages to stay out of trouble and embraces this opportunity extended to him by James Franklin and Penn State, the Nittany Lions may have picked up a nice player that could eventually play a role in the offense.