This Guy Is Nickname, Image and Likeness Deal Waiting to Happen
Last season, when people turned to Showtime at Husky Stadium, all they got was the occasional movie trailer, just a hint of what was to come. This fall, they should expect to watch a full feature film at times, something with more of a plot line.
This would in involve Lance "Showtime" Holtzclaw, No. 41 on the dial, the University of Washington football player who answers to the top nickname on the team, someone ready to launch his career and his brand.
Holtzclaw, a redshirt freshman Husky edge rusher, is one of the Huskies' more worldly players. He grew up on the East Coast in Boston, spent his last couple of high school years in the Southwest in the Phoenix suburbs, took a scholarship that brought him to the Northwest and will play much of his college career in the Midwest, in the Big Ten.
Before all of that plays out, Holtzclaw will enter the UW defensive rotation for the first time and offer a flamboyant football style that will go heavy on heroics and theatrics as this disruptive player self-dubbed "Showtime."
"I think it's something with me being extroverted on the field, with me being over here talking to everybody, being energetic and just when it's my time to go out," he said of his customized handle. "Showtime is a fun time out there and everybody's watching."
Holtzclaw is poised and ready to go, physically as well as mentally, as an exciting and excitable player coming off the edge, soon to be a fan favorite.
Perfectly suited for a name, image and likeness agreement — he certainly has the name for it — Holtzclaw says he has Showtime merchandise coming out soon, maybe stuff like T-shirts though he'd rather wait to show it off than divulge details.
Last season, Holtzclaw got sent on to the field against Michigan State for his college debut to join in a punt block attempt and the following week against Stanford to to fill in unexpectedly because veteran Zion Tupola-Fetui lost a contact lens on the field and had to come out. He can expect steady work going forward.
"Lance has been as good as he's been since he's been here," UW edge-rusher coach Eric Schmidt said. "He's really flashed at times. I think he's played more physical in the run game."
Meantime, the Huskies hope to have this younger version of Tupuola-Fetui shaking things up in the pass rush this season, backing up ZTF and Bralen Trice, as someone else who piles up sacks in bunches. He's carries a 6-foot-3, 230-pound frame now. He understands the technique. He's ready to go.
It's Showtime.
"It was something that grew up on me when I moved in the furthering of my career, when I started being in front of the camera, when I started being more verbal, things like this," Holtzclaw said. "I think it's something that sticks with me."
If so, this Showtime will be a premium channel soon, for sure.
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