Pitt football | QB Eli Holstein introductory media session 1/31/24

how you doing good how are you good um a year ago maybe almost to the day you were signing with Alabama what's what's it what's it like you know being uped by your choice new place you it's it's been a great opportunity since I've got here um definitely uh interesting things are happening back back in Alabama right now with Coach retired but coming up here to pits been a great opportunity meeting a bunch of of great people uh getting a new Fresh Start you know in a great Coach B which I'm really excited about was losing the you're coach at Alabama part of the reason no I before I uh enter when I entered the portal I had no idea that coach was retiring so really did play fact what were your main reasons you just wanted a new Fresh Start you I didn't really see myself you know growing in the ways that I wanted to at Alabama and I knew that I needed to you know pursue other opportunities to grow the way that I wanted to and like was the was the place you do that part of being in the portal is doing your own research looking into you know places where you might fit what did you learn about pit when you were researching this program you just a great culture that you know Jake was talking about you know there's culture not only in the locker room and in the building but you know in the city of Pittsburgh uh I've had some family members that have lived in Pittsburgh and all they talk about is how great the people are in Pittsburgh uh and it's how how the culture kind of is similar to the South you everybody's really inviting you know everybody wants to help each other put others before themselves and that's something that really interested me you looking into the offense was something that I wanted to do just what the quarterbacks have done in coach Bell's offense you know they're they're throwing it 30 40 times a game you got 300 plus passing yards but they're also running the ball themselves is something that I wanted to do they score can score a lot which sounds really good for a I'm just coming in and just learning as much as I can you going to go through spring uh see what everything goes with that um but you know I just got here so you know those guys are definitely going to be in front of me because they obviously played you know have playing experience so I mean I'm just going to come in here learn as much as I can grow as much as I can because there's a lot of things that I want to work on in my game and I feel like coach Bell coach NY everybody can help me in that aspect so I'm just going to learn as much as possible and work on affecting my game offense much different than what you you're used to yeah you know in Zachary uh back home at Zach high school you know was really balanced offense I was throwing maybe 20 25 times a year I think the most stuff I've ever thrown was 30 times a game but we had a really good running game which we able to compliment with each other same thing at Alabama you know we had a really good run game with a really good pass game that complimenting each other I've never really thrown it 30 40 times a game so that's definitely something that I'm going to have to get used to and I'm really really looking forward to and obviously the Run game is going to come with that so I'm really excited about that as well Eli what are you doing to speed up the learning curve what can you do in that for you know just throwing uh constantly with guys you know tight ends receivers uh just going over the offense uh we've gotten a packet of what the offense is going to uh look like for just a brief kind of packet of what it's going to look like so there going over that as much as possible making sure I know it like the back of my hand uh making sure I'm you know watching film with myself throwing uh speeding up footwork you know quicking up my release everything like that I know you're only there for a year but how valuable was that year learning under and all those coaches and great players and you know teams but it's it's as vable as it gets you know you got to be a coach saens you know last year you know he put a lot of a lot of commitment a lot of effort into that team that year and I was I had the opportunity to be the Scot team quarterback so I was going up against the in my opinion the best defense in the country you every day for a couple months so I got to get better as much as I wanted to you know I got to learn from Jaylen mil who had a fantastic year I got you know learn under coach ree who's a great offensive uh coordinator and just got to learn as much as possible you know learn what it takes to you know be a champion because you know those they're always Champions at Alabama it seems like so I got to see you know the work ethic that you know you do in the waight room you do in the film room you know in school just what overall what the entire staff has to do to you know take that team to the next level who was an easier quarterback for you to emulate when you're Scout J Dan or J um I I would say KJ Jefferson is a big one that I had to do I was I was live for that week because you know he's just a big old strong guy that can run and I kind of similar I'm not as big as him but uh you know just a big guy that can run and throw and I got popped a couple times here and there you know some big dudes coming to hit me so kind of brought me back to what football is really like so that was a lot of fun how do you think that uh experience of uh learning from guys you said they're Champions at Alabama so frequently how do you think that can maybe help you as a leader on and off the field just just knowing what it takes to you know Be A Champion you know just the the work ethic that you have to have the commitment and what you're doing on and off the field it's going to be a big thing to you know make sure you get to be in a champion you you said you've been throwing with guys trying to throw a lot develop that chemistry who have you been really developing chemistry with and you kind of think of some the past catch you've working with so far we've everybody's been out there throwing from theti receiving room the entire tight end room you know running backs are getting out there as well so I'm just kind of everybody's building a relationship and chemistry with everybody so it's not really certain guys is the entire room is uh getting better and getting better together which is most important quarterback growing up I always looked up to my brother um he was a quarterback at St Thomas mo in Lafayette Louisiana had all types of State records school records state championship record Rec and you know he was always somebody that I was striving to you know be as good or better than and he taught me almost everything I know of you know how to throw football being a quarterback and everything like that so he's definitely somebody that I've always you know looked up to strive to be but now um looking at like NFL quarterbacks college quarterbacks I feel like I kind of familiary with myself with uh Josh Allen you know just a a big quarterback you know he's not afraid to run the ball and not afraid to run through somebody which I kind of I kind of like you know it makes me excited watching him play like that you know he's always able to make big plays uh with not only with his arm but with his feet uh get the ball out quick has a lot of velocity and strong arm stuff like that so it's it's a lot of fun watching him and I try to do as much as he does as I as I came challenge of joining the quarterback room where there was you know both guys started last year and they went back and forth and now you same thing with J you guys are learning new offense with theall while you walking into that yeah I mean it's it's not challenge right now you know because we're all learning a new offense we're all kind of somewhat on the same playing field because of it's a new offense but you know those guys have you know play you know they they know what the expectation here is at pit you know with coaching our duty and everything so obviously they got an upper hand right there but you know we're all in same playing field with a new offense so it's going to be a lot of fun you know this this offseason wearing the offense and spring what we're going to be able to do you mentioned Josh Allen so can pit fans expect to see you using your legs that much if you um um yeah you know I like to run the ball I'm not not afraid to run the ball um did a lot in high school which was a lot of fun for me but um it's it's it's within coach Bell's offense coach Bell always talks about hey you know if you don't have what you want take off you know you can run too it's not just you have to sit back there and try to find somebody to throw it to you can you can take off and I'm sure there's going to be some design Runnings you know just Zone read stuff like that which which is something that I've always done did in high school so I'm really looking for you mentioned family a couple times just how important is family to you eness family means everything to me um you know I've always looked up to grandparents pa uh dads uncles brother um just how much family is involved in with each other I mean my entire family lives in Bat Nerge so I was around them my entire life you know just going to going to games with my um tailgating with my family going to each other's houses for pretty much everything uh we were always together so you know I'm always going to take into consideration what they think and just you know my job or my goal is to you know just make my family proud you know take that hting uh last name to the next level and kind of just do the best I can to honor I I Le on my a lot with this you know especially my brother as well CU you know my dad was a pun at LSU you know it was kind of the whole college football landscape but it's it's a little different now but um my brother was he was a Louisiana Tech um so I'm always communicating with them seeing what they think um I would always bring my brother on some like recruiting visits when I was coming out of high school kind of seeing what he thought because you know he he was he had been through it um he was kind of like our little lie detector kind of guy he kind of knew being honest with me and stuff like that so I was it was really uh easy to get some information from uh my dad and my brother on what I should be doing what I should be looking at you use that Li detector on you at all um I'm sure he has a little bit he's probably gotten me in trouble with it a couple times Eli what have you told your family about Pittsburgh um it's it's a lot like home uh and I'm going be honest with you I don't know why but 20° here feels like 40 45 de back home I guess it's something do with humidity so it's it's not as cold as I thought it would be but it's it's still definitely cold but uh we got a lot of great food up here I'm you know being from bat new Louisiana and I got high expectations on food especially with how good my mom can cook but I got a a lot of great places to eat here a lot of great things to do uh you don't have to just sit in your room and do nothing you can go out and do some stuff you know have some fun with other people and some teammates and um just how great the people here are you know that everybody's I haven't met one person that's rude or anything like that you know everybody's helpful always putting other people before themselves and just want to help out as much as they can about your brother and your dad's name how much older is your brother than you my my dad's name is uh Scott holin and my brother is Caleb holin he's 22 so about three and a half four years old he done playing football yeah he's uh he's at uh LSU right now uh trying to get into Ved school getting some interviews right now to get meded school you arve here and you know offensive coordinator was just hired right before he came in and he's out on the road recruiting and how have you been able to build a relationship with him since he got yeah I mean obviously over the phone you know he's been texting the entire quarterback group chat you know kind of keeping up with us telling us what we need to do you know throwing wise getting guys out there but on the weekends he's here so we're able to you know see him you spend some time with him like that how's it been for you just building a relationship with your skill guides you got you guys coming in with you also a lot of returning players if receiver running back tight end what's that been it's been great you know with the news guys you know I kind of similar to them and what position I'm in and they coming in as a new guy so we've been able to bond over that but all the guys that are older and have been here for a while they've all taken us in kind of shown us shown us the road show us how things go and just everybody's come together much what else surprise I will say how good the food is it definitely suris there's a lot of great places to eat around here um didn't have high expectations I'm going to be honest with you coming from the south you know and some great food but I've had a lot of great things to doar down here your commitment photo was taken in the snow uh is that the most snow you had seen coming from the south that was the first time I had ever seen snow me and my little sister uh we had to take a picture in the snow that was our first time playing in the snow she got to throw a lot of snowballs at me got throw at my dad uh hit his back a couple times had a lot of fun but yeah that was that was me my this his first time ever experiencing family and what what's your sister's name her name is Mary Grace Mary Grace thank you thank you very much thank you thanks a lot thank you