A Package Deal
Now the question looms: Who added the better Holker?
Mike Brohard
Coaches have a love-hate relationship with the transfer portal. It can take away, but it can also provide a necessary ingredient recruiting a high school player cannot.
The ability to fill a specific hole, even a need. Sometimes both with one clean swoop.
Colorado State not only needed a tight end, it needed one with experience. The Rams found Dallin Holker.
“He adds maturity. That was a very young room for us last year, and Dallin’s a guy who’s a little bit older, he’s married, he’s very focused,” CSU head coach Jay Norvell said. “He’s a great student of the game. He’s been in the office every day in the afternoon; I’ve had to kick him out a couple of times. That’s the kind of focus we need at that position.”
The Rams were young there last year, and the position room lost two players. They were returning Jordan Williams, who played as a true freshman, so in addition to Holker, the Rams spotted Vince Brown out of the juco ranks, too. When the transfer portal opened, they found Holker immediately, someone who had played for three years at BYU and been solid. He was also highly productive in the Air Raid system in high school, catching 97 passes for 1,766 yards and 22 touchdowns as a senior.
He fit perfectly. His size, 6-foot-5, 240 pounds, is ideal. He’s physical and blocks well. He runs better than one might expect, the coaches say.
“It’s a unique position for us. We look for long, athletic guys, kinda like power forwards in basketball,” Norvell explained. “We really love this recruiting cycle because we identified Dallin Holker from BYU, a guy who’s played significant snaps. He had a great high school career, but also played significant snaps in college. He’s a really athletic guy, with a really excellent feel for space and route running. He’s mature, he’s married.”
Did Norvell mention Holker’s married?
He is, which turned the football staff’s pursuit of him into a joint venture with Colorado State’s track team.
The first call quarterbacks coach Matt Mumme made was to Holker. Then he called Holker’s high school coach. It became very clear early on this was a two-for-one deal, as his wife, Taye Raymond Holker, is not just a track athlete, but a very good one.
“When I first talked to his high school coach, Ed Larson, he said he’s a guy who’s already been on a mission and he’s married, and his wife is a trackster,” Mumme said. “I was, ‘oh, really? Is she any good?’ He said she’s really good.
“My first call when I got back off the road was to the track coaches and asked them if they’d take a look at Taye, and they said, of course. I thought maybe they’ll let her come on the team and be a part of it. I never expected it to be like what it was. They called back and said Matt, we want her here.”
For good reason. Taye can sprint, but her specialty is the long jump. In the history of the program, the Rams have only had one female long jump 20 feet or better (indoors and outdoors), Olympic bronze medalist Janay DeLoach. At BYU, Taye had surpassed 20 feet outdoors and was 19-plus indoors.
Still, the timing was abnormal. The track team wasn’t exactly looking to add, but they were prepared to if the right person came along.
“We had aid available. We were kind of keeping our eye out for a semester transfer, but they’re kind of rare,” sprint coach J.J. Riese said. “You need a pretty special situation for it to happen, because most people don’t transfer at semester. It’s a little odd. But we were looking, and when Mumme had reached out to Ryan Baily, from what I remember it was these folks are a package deal, do you have interest?
“She can do a lot of things. She runs a good 100, runs a good 200 and she’s a good long jumper. Her versatility fits in with what we look for. We figured she could come in and be a top-20 kid, that was pretty straight forward. She’s jumping at her PR level.”
This very much was a package deal, which not every school understood, nor did every school have the room. The two coaching staffs couldn’t be more appreciative of how the other made it easy to work well in tandem.
“That was huge. Even when we first met Norvell’s staff at a holiday gathering, right off the bat those guys were awesome,” Riese said. “They seemed really keen on if there were situations we could work together, they’d be willing. That’s been the case so far.”
She thinks it’s her -- ‘let me give you my number’ -- but I asked what her number was. She still thinks she was the one who got her way.”Dallin Holker
The Holkers were both looking for a fresh start, Dallin in general, Taye because her jumps coach had left BYU. Both were born and raised in Utah, and as a young couple – they’ve been married nine months – they were looking at a big move early in their married life. It had to fit, make sense. Every aspect.
“I think it was huge. I remember Coach Mumme was the first person we talked to when the transfer portal opened; real early, like 7 a.m.,” Dallin said. “We immediately got done talking to him and we told him the deal. As soon as we were done with our call, he called the track coach and the track coach called Taye. It was a really big deal for us. Coach Mumme was super excited when he called us and told us they had a scholarship for Taye. It’s a hard time period for track, a weird period. When we were talking to other schools, they didn’t have available spots. It came down to Utah and Colorado State that both had openings for us to go there.
“It’s been awesome. It’s so fun. I feel like we have a new family here, with our teammates and coaches. It feels like a family environment. It’s fun going on a new adventure, and we know we’re meant to be here, and this is a place we need to be. It gives us a lot of confidence to go out there and do what we know we’re able to do.”
They came out together for Dallin’s official visit, but it wasn’t just catered to him. When they went to dinner, there were football coaches and a teammate. Across the table were track coaches and a few teammates Taye could meet. Both of them are members of The Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints, and the team took Dallin to the temple in Fort Collins. The young couple immediately felt Colorado State really understood the breadth of the decision they were facing.
“I knew whatever decision we made was both of our decisions. It was hard to leave Utah,” Taye said. “We both love our families a lot, and it was hard to leave them, but it was my first time moving away from home, so it was kind of fun, and it was fun I got to do it with Dallin. It’s a new adventure.
“It just felt right here. We had done a lot of praying, and when we were here, we both were like this is where we need to be, this is where God wants us to be. We could just tell that it was meant to be for us to be here. It didn’t feel as much that way at Utah.”
The decision and how it was made may be the one story where they agree. On just about every other topic, there is room for debate.
Such as how they met. It depends on who you ask.
“We took a class, human development, and it was a class we both had to take. We both knew somebody in the class – he was on the football team at BYU -- and so we both sat by him the first day of school,” Taye explained. “Dallin introduced himself to me, and on the second day of class as he was walking out and I was following, he held the door open for me and we started talking. It became a routine to walk back to the student-athlete building together after that class. I got his number and texted him for the BYU-Utah game and wished him good luck. He said let’s hang out after, and we hung out, and there it was.”
A very sweet story. And when you watch Taye rehash those early days, the way she looks at him, you believe it wholeheartedly.
It’s just not what Dallin remembers.
“Every time this story comes up, she says she was the one who did everything, but it’s not true,” he said, his smile her way countered with a roll of her eyes. “I got her number in the class. She said something about sending me something, and I said, ‘OK, can I get your number?’ She thinks it’s her -- ‘let me give you my number’ -- but I asked what her number was. She still thinks she was the one who got her way.”
Well, she kinda did. They both did.
“I wanted to help him with the assignment, and I did it extra early so I could help him with the assignment,” she said. “So, I asked for his number. He thinks he’s the one who asked for my number.”
Both are in the same major, so they take the same classes, with the exception of one due to Dallin’s minor in Spanish. What Mumme wants to know is why Taye gets better grades.
He’s not alone.
“I know. I wonder the same thing,” Dallin said. “I wonder why she doesn’t help me – ‘I do help him,’ Taye interjects –"because she gets better grades.”
“I help him all the time,” she corrects. “I just put more time into the homework than he does”.
She also believes it can be an area of inspiration for her husband. Say, if she gets the better grade, then he has to wash the dishes.
“We should make that a thing. We’re going to make that a thing,” she said. “That will force him to get better grades.”
One other item they can disagree on is who is the better athlete. Only this time, they believe the other one is right.
Taye will tell you it’s Dallin. He’s faster – but he was nervous when they raced -- and he actually could long jump back in the day. Dallin insists it is his wife.
Head-to-head, he just may be right.
“Basically, all of our fights are because we’re playing sports and we get mad at each other for being too competitive,” Taye said. “When we first started dating, we played pickleball a lot, and I would always beat him, so he’d get really mad. Then we’d just get in fights.”
Disagreements, really. A bit of jawing between two people who are very used to winning.
“What would happen is she’d get a point, and then she’d say something smart and make me mad,” Dallin said. “Then I would start talking some smack and playing a little harder, and she’d get mad too.”
He knows what the true story is, and that’s the problem. I’m not going to back down, because he knows I’m right. That’s what the problem is.Taye Raymond Holker
But it’s a fair question, and one which will actually live on until their careers at Colorado State are finished. Even longer, because Mumme has suddenly become a track fan, mainly because he’s a fan of the couple.
“I tell you what, I don’t know which one is the better athlete. I don’t know a lot about track, but she’s jumping in the 20s and a sprinter too,” Mumme said. “This couple might have some kids in the future we need to recruit. Both of them are just really smart, bright and people who are fun to be around.”
It may have been Dallin’s name in the transfer portal which triggered their move here, but Taye has the early edge when it comes to being the most productive Ram.
None of which has been a surprise. You go back a few years to her senior year in high school when she won the state championship with a state record which still stands. For the Cougars, she had surpassed 20 feet in the long jump outdoors, just missed it indoors. And her sprint times immediately helped her new team.
She had been on campus only a few weeks when she participated at an indoor meet at Colorado, but she looked anything other than the new kid by integrating with her teammates, talking to all of them and placing on the track.
“She’s a really good teammate. I think she’s got a natural personality for that,” Riese said. “She’s super personable, very positive and she’s taken to the girls rather quickly, and they’ve taken to her.”
Part of her attraction to Colorado State was the coaching staff, particularly jumps coach Maria Creech. Taye had improved at BYU, and she wanted to find a coach who gave her the same confidence. Her assessment of Creech has been on target.
Taye may have been a late addition to the roster, but she played a big role in the Rams repeating as Mountain West Indoor champions. She placed third in the long jump at 20-5.25, second best in program history behind DeLoach. Her times in the sprints have her ranked just outside the program’s top 10.
“She is an amazing coach. I could just tell by talking to her on the visit,” Taye said. “She was so nice, and you could tell she was really smart and knew about long jump, so that was really helpful in the decision that if I came here, I would be able to improve for sure in long jump because her coaching is so good.
“She’s helped a lot.”
Nobody is happier for Taye’s success than her husband, but in a fun way, it has put a bit of a target on him. She’s all-conference and already one of the best Rams ever.
She also has a second ring for her hand.
“I know. I’m feeling a little pressure,” Dallin said. “I knew she was going to do well, but they won the Mountain West indoor championship, so she has one more than me. She can’t have more than me before we leave, so we’re going to have to win some. She gets two opportunities a year to win them, so we’re going to have to do something about that. I can’t let her beat me. We have a competitive relationship, so I’m looking forward to doing what she did.”
Dallin is behind the 8-ball when it comes to his wife. She will have another chance at a ring this outdoor season, and the Rams – 2019 champs -- are looking to get back on top after finishing as the runner-up the past two seasons to San Diego State. Dallin won’t play his first game until Sept. 2, at home against Washington State.
Adding him to the attack can make a difference. Colorado State’s passing game relied a lot on Tory Horton a year ago, and it will again this season. By the end of the year, Horton was drawing extra coverage as behind him were a group of young wideouts and at tight end, Williams was making some plays but still learning.
A veteran, capable target is what they see in Dallin and what they need him to become. A certifiable threat not just across the middle but even deep.
“It’s really cool. I don’t think people understand,” Mumme said. “Even when we announced Dallin was coming, I don’t think people understand how good this kid is. He could possibly be one of the best tight ends in the nation.”
Dallin feels invigorated. He decided to transfer after three games last season, catching 42 passes for 521 yards and three scores in his Cougar career.
It’s not just a return to the offense he excelled in, but it’s the man running the show. From the first call, he had a good feeling.
“I was thinking about it the other day, seeing Coach Norvell out there and the way he coaches. I love it,” Dallin said. “We had a phone call that first day, and he asked me what schools are you looking at and talking to him. I named some of them off, and he said those are good schools, but I could tell he was getting fired up. Then he said, ‘but we’re a dang good school too.’ That always stuck with me, because I could see the confidence he had and his emotions for the game. Being out there at practice and in meetings, you can see how much energy he brings to every day. It’s someone I like to rally around and be around. I’m glad he’s the head guy here.”
As competitive as Dallin and Taye are with each other, they also serve as the other’s biggest hype person. The message Taye sent to Dallin before the Holy War is one that’s repeated every game he plays. And every time he’s on the field, she’s nervous. The game is brutal, and she finds it hard to watch when he gets tackled, but she does. When they first started dating, she could be found in the front row right behind the team bench every game.
When she’s at the track, she will find him along the fence. He’s just as nervous watching her compete, partially because he knows just how passionate she is about jumping. When the Rams were home a few weeks ago, he was especially on edge after she scratched her first two attempts. His heart was in his throat as she nailed her third. Dallin’s family had a hand gesture – index, pinkie and thumb extended, the other two curled inward – signifying, ‘I love You.’ When they find each other at competitions, that’s what they do now.
A good day or bad, they are there for each other, and nothing beats going home to someone who understands completely.
“It is so nice. That’s one of the biggest reasons why I love Dallin so much,” Taye said. “I know he understands what I’m feeling. I’ll go home and he just listens to me, and he usually has something really good to say about what’s going on just because he’s probably been through the exact same thing.”
The move has been exactly what the young couple prayed for together. A place where they could both shine, grow together and as individuals. Someday they figure it will be a fun story to share.
It may even be a story they agree on, too. It would be a nice change for them, because Taye has given up all hope Dallin will see the error in his ways.
“I don’t think he will. He knows what the story is,” she said. “He knows what the true story is, and that’s the problem. I’m not going to back down, because he knows I’m right. That’s what the problem is.”
Who doesn’t have a problem is the football team. It now has a tight end. Or the track team, which has another trophy in the case and a ring for the collection. For the Rams, it became the perfect package deal Mumme didn’t see coming when he opened the portal first thing in the morning.
That’s most certainly a true story.