Return Specialist

Alex Holmes remembered how to buckle his chin strap.

And how to lace up his football pants. And, surprisingly, he had no trouble putting on shoulder pads.

It had been nearly two years since Holmes slapped on football gear, --but the USC-bound tight end had little problem regaining the mind-set of a football player this week.

From the minutia of lacing up cleats to the risky prospect of running a pass pattern over the middle and into a pack of linebackers, Holmes has adjusted quickly while preparing for the Shrine All-Star Football Classic.

The 6-foot-3, 290-pounder did not play last year for Harvard-Westlake High, but will start for the California team Saturday at Cerritos College.

Holmes recently completed his fifth year of high school. The extra year was necessary because an illness forced him to miss most of seventh grade, preventing him from accumulating a full years’ worth of course credit.

The result was that Holmes was thrust out of the limelight and onto the sidelines last season.

He has improved almost daily during two-a-day practices this week as California attempts to extend a 5-0 series lead over Texas.

“Everything’s back to normal for me,” Holmes said. “The first day of hitting, I was out of whack a little bit. It felt a little weird at first, but then I felt surprisingly comfortable.”

Holmes was hardly at ease last fall watching his former teammates play without him.

“I struggled at first without football,” he said.

Then came his college decision.

Holmes’ father, Michael, played defensive tackle at Michigan and wanted his son to follow him at Ann Arbor. Holmes’ mother, Katina, pushed for Stanford, stressing the importance of academics.

In the end, Holmes decided on USC. The scales tipped in the Trojans’ favor when Holmes was admitted to the Marshall School of Business, one of the top business programs in the nation.

But the deciding factor for Holmes was proximity to home. Michigan and Stanford were “too far from my family,” he said.

His parents, perhaps disappointed initially, quickly rallied behind Holmes.

“It was hard for my dad. . . . he was a Michigan [alumnus] and he really wanted me to go there,” Holmes said. “[My mom] wholeheartedly wanted me to go to Stanford. But they respected my decision and they understood my reasons.

“They’re both happy now. And I really could not be happier with USC.”

In high school, few opponents expressed joy after playing against Holmes.

Holmes wreaked havoc at Harvard-Westlake, running over would-be tacklers as a running back or tight end and stuffing the run on defense as an outside linebacker.

In 1998, his final season, he had 45 catches for 913 yards and eight touchdowns. He also rushed 26 times for 173 yards (6.7 yards per carry).

He even excelled at passing, mastering a halfback-option play that involved taking a pitch and slinging the ball as far as he could. He completed four of eight passes for 161 yards and two touchdowns.

The Wolverines went 10-4 that season, losing to Charter Oak (and current USC receiver Steve Stevenson) in the Southern Section Division VII championship game, 37-27.

With the exception of Stevenson and former Alemany quarterback Casey Clausen, now at Tennessee, Holmes played against few NCAA Division I players.

This week, he’s practiced with some of the top players in California. On Saturday, he plays against top players from Texas.

By the end of the week, Holmes will have had plenty of repetitions at tight end--he’s the only one on the California roster.

“He’s getting a lot of work,” said Jim Benkert of Westlake, coach of the California team. “Because he’s been away from [football] for so long, I think more than anything he needs confidence, which he’s getting by playing against the top players in the state. Realistically, he hasn’t played in over a year.”

Benkert knows what makes a good tight end. He coached former Westlake All-American Mike Seidman, who played in 10 games as a freshman last year at UCLA.

Benkert said Holmes and the 6-5, 253-pound Seidman are “completely different football players.”

Seidman is more explosive off the ball, but Holmes’ size could be an asset.

“He’s a load,” Benkert said. “And he’s willing to learn. From a position standpoint, he’s big, he’s strong and he’s physical.”

There is little pressure on Holmes to play right away at USC. Returning starter Antoine Harris is a solid blocker who had eight catches for 98 yards and a touchdown last season. Regardless, USC tight ends coach Brian Schottenheimer is eager to see Holmes on the football field.

“From what I’ve seen just watching him walk around here and seeing him on film, he’s got tremendous potential based on his size,” Schottenheimer said of Holmes, who has begun summer workouts at USC. “He’s a hard guy to move because of his girth and leg strength.”

Schottenheimer did not rule out Holmes playing next season for USC, which will employ more formations with two tight ends.

Holmes, who used to weigh 300 pounds, credits working out with Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson last year.

During their first workout, at Dickerson’s home in Agoura, they sprinted up Dickerson’s steep driveway 18 times.

Holmes felt a sense of accomplishment when he finished the sprints. Then Dickerson ordered 18 more--backward.

“I got to about the eighth one and then my legs went out,” Holmes said. “It was pathetic.”

Holmes quickly dropped to 280 pounds before adding 10 pounds of muscle. His body fat is 17%. The three- to four-hour workouts with Dickerson have paid off.

“It’s the greatest thing a high school athlete could have,” Holmes said of his relationship with Dickerson. “He’s a maniac when he works out. And he’s someone I look up to very much.”

Teammates and opponents could soon be looking up to Holmes. If things continue to work out for him.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

* WHAT: California-Texas Shrine All-Star Classic

* WHEN: 7 p.m. Saturday

* WHERE: Cerritos College

* TICKETS:

$15 reserved, $10 and $8 general admission

* FAST FACT: California is 5-0 against Texas

* PLAYERS TO WATCH:

QB Zac Wasserman (Westlake), TE Alex Holmes (Harvard-Westlake), FB-LB Pat Norton (Hart), LB Jordan Lampos (Westlake), OL Steve Nevarez (San Fernando).