It's 'Showtime': Lance Holtzclaw ready to shine on Utah's defensive line

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah defensive end Lance Holtzclaw has patiently waited for a chance — a time to shine, so to speak.

Nicknamed "showtime" in the sixth grade, the 6-foot-3, 245-pound Holtzclaw was always ready for the bright lights, or a starring role on the field.

"I used to talk and always used to act like I was a movie star, but it also didn't really catch on until later because I didn't like being in front of the camera at first, which you probably wouldn't imagine now," Holtzclaw said. "But I grew into the name, and it kind of just stuck. So I take it and I try to make it the same way that I play."

After participating in a reserve role on Utah's defensive line last season, the moment is now Holtzclaw's to capture as one of the expected stars of the defense. His offseason work has thrust him into a starting role off the edge, where he's likely the leading candidate to claim Utah's coveted "mayor" title given to the team's star pass rusher.

"I take pride in making plays," Holtzclaw said. "I take pride in my energy on the team and our energy as a whole. I take pride in our toughness. I take pride in the fact that we have pride in ourselves out here — we have pride, we're not gonna sit here and let nobody get over on us."

And though his consistent work and play has shown up in the offseason and in fall camp, Holtzclaw's team leadership has taken a bigger step forward over the last year. Already, he's one of the most vocal players on the defensive side of the ball, coaching up teammates and adding a spark of energy needed to keep the passion flowing through a new-look defense.

It was a leadership role he excelled in during spring camp, and one that was further magnified when he was recommended to testify before Congress at a Senate committee hearing over the summer. Holtzclaw lived up to his "showtime" name by serving as an ambassador for all student-athletes around the country.

In front of Senators and the many cameras documenting his every move, Holtzclaw — with the demeanor and poise of someone who was not phased by the moment — advocated on behalf of all college athletes, saying he brings a "perspective that cannot be replicated: the perspective of a student-athlete living through these changes in real time."

He told Senators of the reasons why athletes should have a voice as Congress weighs a potential bill that would provide a legal framework behind many NCAA rules, while expressing the challenges that come with the ever-changing landscape of college sports — including NIL, the transfer portal, conference realignment and eligibility rules.

"That is why the student-athlete voice must remain part of these conversations," he testified. "Decisions about college athletics should not be made solely for student-athletes but made with student-athletes."

It was a moment for Holtzclaw to not only have his perspective be heard, but to advocate for his teammates and other collegiate athletes in an elevated leadership role.

"I never thought I would be there, but I was so grateful to be there, and it was so much fun," Holtzclaw later said. "I got to sit there and felt so grateful for the opportunity to be able to just advocate for our people and everybody, all student-athletes across the board. They need a voice, man. They don't get heard in those type of rooms, and they're making executive decisions and changing things around for people like me and other student-athletes around the country, man.

"At the end of the day, we do stuff like this all the time," he added. "I've got bright stadium lights on me, I've got cameras, and I've got a bunch of people in front of my face right now. So it's kind of similar type of situation. So it kind of gets you prepared for the nerves in that way."

It was a moment that didn't go unnoticed by his teammates, either.

"It's funny how us guys work, and I would never say it to his face, like, I'm proud of you, but I seriously am," Utah quarterback Devon Dampier said. "That's such a huge step to go up there, and the people that was up there, and just for him to have the courage to speak his life and represent college football, and that type of way, that's a huge task to be asked of him. He went out there, did an amazing job. So I'm proud of Lance for doing what he did."

"Lance is made for this," linebacker Johnathan Hall added. "Lance is made for talking, he's made for speaking. His name is Showtime. He's made for the bright lights, man. I'm so glad you did that, man."

Showtime.

But Holtzclaw doesn't want his testimony before Congress to be his final act; he's put in too much work on the field to let that be the peak of his playing career. It was a seminal moment, no doubt, but he's ready to showcase that same poise under the bright lights of the football field this season as a leading pass rusher who is always evolving.

"I feel like I've grown a lot, like leadership-wise and just maturing in the game," Holtzclaw said. "I'm working on everything. I don't want to be a one-trick book by any means. I want to be able to work power, I'm working finesse, working transitions from play-action plays, so I'm gonna have a bag that's super, super deep."

If Holtzclaw is anywhere near the type of player he has showcased in practice or during the offseason, Utah's mayoral race will be one highlighted in bright lights.

"Being in a role where you're kind of a reserve or coming in secondary to the other guys, now you're in this position where you're standing there and putting yourself in the vision of coming out first and coming out super fast," Holtzclaw said. "I think that's one of the bigger things is starting off really hot and just really focusing on that leadership role, like I've been doing this whole offseason. Just sitting there trying to be a guy that guys can feed off of and just have the same energy all over the place."

Regardless of his rising star power, Holtzclaw remains committed to helping those around him so all can rise. He's waited his turn, and it's possible for others to have a similar chance through hard work.

"Being in a role where you're kind of a reserve or coming in secondary to the other guys, now you're in this position where you're standing there and putting yourself in the vision of coming out first and coming out super fast," Holtzclaw said. "I think that's one of the bigger things is starting off really hot and just really focusing on that leadership role, like I've been doing this whole offseason. Just sitting there trying to be a guy that guys can feed off of and just have the same energy all over the place."

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