What Eli Holstein is Bringing to Alabama: 'They’re Getting a Kid Who is Addicted to Work'

Holstein's high school head coach details what the recent Crimson Tide commit has to offer at the next level.

The play that best encapsulates Eli Holstein wasn’t made by his rocket right arm. If you are looking for one of those, click play on his highlight tape and marvel over the array of dimes and deep balls to streaking receivers.

Zachary (La.) High School football coach David Brewerton can break down any one of those throws. However, when it comes to describing the recent Alabama commit, he has a different highlight in mind.

Brewerton points to the opening drive of a district game against rival Central High School last season. After leading Zachary’s offense into the red zone, Holstein zipped a bubble-screen pass to a receiver who caught it and began making his way upfield before having the ball jarred loose by a defender. The fumble popped up directly to a Central linebacker, who appeared to be off to the races down the field for a touchdown return.

Holstein had other plans.

Following the turnover, the 6-foot-4, 225-pound quarterback sprung into action, chasing the defender down before stripping the ball loose and recovering it back for his team. Two plays later, Zachary scored a 70-yard touchdown en route to a 47-14 victory.

“Just that play right there encompasses what he’s all about,” Brewerton said. “Eli didn’t fumble the ball or throw an interception. It was something that he could have just easily watched unfold. That’s not him. He wasn’t going to allow that to happen. That’s something that I promise you the guys who play around him feed off of. The rest of that game wasn’t even in question because of that play.”

Alabama isn’t recruiting Holstein for his tackling ability, but it won’t mind if he brings that combination of athleticism and determination to Tuscaloosa in a few months. If the past three years are any indication, Brewerton believes the Crimson Tide should expect nothing less.

“They’re getting a kid who is addicted to work,” Brewerton said. “His attention to detail and his desire to be prepared is something that I’ve never really experienced as a high school coach before. Any free time he has, he spends it trying to become a better quarterback.”

Holstein committed to Alabama on Tuesday, giving the Crimson Tide its long-awaited passer in the 2023 class. The former Texas A&M commit is rated as the No. 54 overall player and No. 8 quarterback in the nation, according to the 247Sports Composite.

While not exclusively a pocket passer, Holstein does most of his damage with his arm. During his junior season last year, he completed 65.2% of his passes for 3,228 yards and 30 touchdowns with six interceptions while leading Zachary High School to a 15-0 record and a Louisiana Class 5A title.

That being said, opposing defenses can’t sleep on his ability to pick up yards with his legs. Brewerton compares Holstein to Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, stating he is more than capable of tucking the ball and running for big gains the situation calls for it.

Holstein backed up that comparison earlier this month at the Elite 11 camp in Las Vegas where he set a SPARQ score record for quarterbacks by posting a 133.56. He accomplished that feat by recording a 4.64 time in the 40-yard dash and a 4.19 time in the shuttle. He also threw a 45.5 power ball and posted a 38.3-inch vertical.

“Holstein is not only functionally mobile, where he can make plays in the pocket and avoid pass rushers, but he can be the type of runner an offensive coordinator actually designs plays for on occasion," Sports Illustrated’s director of recruiting, John Garcia Jr. said. "Think Tim Tebow in college, at least in principle.”

Josh Auzenne | WAFB

While his recent production should see him continue to rise in the national rankings, Holstein has yet to ascend to five-star status among the top recruiting services. Part of that is due to the depth of this year’s quarterback class, which features can’t-miss talents in Tennessee commit Nico Iamaleava, Southern California commit Malachi Nelson and uncommitted Dante Moore.

There’s also that other notable quarterback out of the state of Louisiana — Arch Manning.

According to Garcia, Holstein’s talent would put him in contention to be the nation’s top quarterback in most years. This cycle, he’s been largely overshadowed by a passer in his own state. Manning is the unanimous No. 1 player in the 2023 class and arguably the most-hyped recruit in college football history.

To complicate matters further for Holstein, Manning is considering Alabama as well as Georgia and Texas as his top three schools. The Crimson Tide will continue to recruit the New Orleans native in addition to Holstein. In fact, both quarterbacks will be in Tuscaloosa, Ala., to visit the Crimson Tide during the second weekend in June.

The attention surrounding Manning has to be at least a little aggravating for Holstein, who put up better numbers last season while playing against the state’s top competition. While Holstein hasn’t expressed any frustration about his underrated status, his head coach has a hard time believing he doesn’t carry some sort of chip on his shoulder.

“I don’t know how he wouldn’t when [Manning] is all you hear about,” Brewerton said. “But that’s the beauty of Eli, he isn’t going to let any of that affect him. All he did was go win 15 games and win a state championship in the highest classification in Louisiana."

Holstein certainly isn’t intimidated by Manning’s presence. His commitment to Alabama came less than a week after the nation’s No. 1 passer announced his upcoming trip to Tuscaloosa. In fact, competition is one of the driving factors that drew Holstein to the Crimson Tide.

“When you talk about Nick Saban and you talk about the Crimson Tide football program, you’re talking about a program that makes no bones about the fact that they are chasing perfection at all times,” Brewerton said. “For a kid like Eli who handles himself in that manner, that’s a strong draw. He wants to be a part of that, and he has the mindset to fit in perfectly over there.”

Holstein will become a part of the Crimson Tide’s process soon enough. A 4.0 student with a 28 score in the ACT, he is set to graduate high school early and enroll at Alabama next January. From there, Brewerton expects him to waste no time competing to fill the starting role which is likely to be vacated by projected top-five pick Bryce Young.

“He’s a sponge, man,” Brewerton said of Holstein. “He loves being in the film room and being in meetings. He loves just learning the game. He’ll be like a little kid on Christmas morning when he gets his hands on that playbook. They’re going to love him.” 

Gallery: Eli Holstein

© Michael DeMocker / For The Daily Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK

Photo | Eli Holstein's Instagram account, @eli_holstein10

Photo | Eli Holstein's Instagram account, @eli_holstein10