All-Decade Ohio State Football Dream Team (2005-2015)

Wide Receiver No. 1: Santonio Holmes (2003-05)

Santonio Holmes distinguished himself as elite amongst a great deal of guys with exceptional skill sets. During Holmes’ tenure at Ohio State he was on the same roster as guys like Michael Jenkins (leading receiver in Ohio State history), Ted Ginn Jr., Anthony Gonzalez, Brian Robiskie and Brian Hartline. As far as I can remember (and I’m a 90’s kid), no freshman besides Holmes has ever been named a starting wide receiver for Ohio State.

Holmes didn’t just start during his freshman season, though. He was the second-leading receiver on the team, only behind senior and 3-year starter Michael Jenkins. Displaying the same speed he did in high school when he was a letterman in track, Holmes went on to lead the team in receptions in 2004 while having 30 more receptions and 410 more receiving yards than Ted Ginn Jr., the team’s second-leading receiver.

Before opting to forego his senior season and take his  talents to the NFL, Holmes was the leading receiver again in 2005 while becoming a first-team all Big Ten selection for the second straight season. To this day, Holmes has the sixth-most pass receptions (140) and sixth-most receiving yards (2,295) in Ohio State history.

Next: Devin Smith