Inside The Huskies

Showtime Takes His Game from UW to Utah

Edge rusher Lance Holtzclaw, with the great nickname, joins the Utes.

Dan Raley

Lance Holtzclaw shows off his personality as a freshman.
Lance Holtzclaw shows off his personality as a freshman. / Skylar Lin Visuals

"Showtime" has taken his football show on the road, turning up in Salt Lake City.

On Sunday, former University of Washington edge rusher Lance Holtzclaw -- a fun-loving self promoter who answers to one of the better college football nicknames in Showtime -- revealed he will move through the transfer portal and play for Utah and the defensive-minded Kyle Whittingham next season.

In a straight-up trade of defenders, Holtzclaw goes to the Utes just six days after the Huskies picked up a commitment from former Utah defensive tackle Simote Pepa.

In terms of size, these players are not even close -- with the willowy Holtzclaw filling out a 6-foot-3, 224-pound frame compared to Pepa's massive 6-foot-3, 340-pound physique.

While they surely play different positions, Holtzclaw got bogged down some in Montlake because he didn't have more muscle to become a starter or more of a steady rotational player to match the athleticism that makes him an intriguing player.

Typical of how Jedd Fisch's staff used him, Showtime drew just one snap near the end of the game against USC, but he broke through to put pressure on then-Trojans quarterback Miller Moss and forced him to throw an errant fourth-down pass in the end zone to wrap up a game the UW won 26-21.

"We put him in on fourth down with fresh legs and a great pass-rush skill set and he just got after the tackle and got after the quarterback," Fisch said. "What a way to end the game."

A third-year sophomore, Holtzclaw appeared in 26 career games as a reserve for the UW, including all 12 this season, and accumulated 13 tackles, 2 sacks and a fumble recovery.

Raised in Boston but finishing up his high school football career in Mesa, Arizona, Showtime committed to Jimmy Lake's Husky staff, signed with Kalen DeBoer's coaches and wound up playing his last of three seasons in Seattle for Fisch's group.

Holtzclaw is the latest in a handful of former Huskies to turn to Utah in recent years, following redshirt freshman wide receiver Taeshaun Lyons, who appeared in four games for the Utes and caught one pass this season; linebacker Josh Calvert, who just used up his six-year eligibility this past season; and safety Brandon McKinney, who went from Husky reserve to 10-game Utes starter in 2021.

For the latest UW football and basketball news, go to si.com/college/washington

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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