Demetrice Martin like 'family' for five-star Holmes

Five-star cornerback Darnay Holmes has a top seven, but privately, the buzz has been that it's really a two-horse race between Stanford and UCLA for the Calabasas (Calif.) target.

While Holmes denied those rumors in an interview with Rivals.com this month, he said he understands why they continue to surround his recruitment.

"I would say there's no leaders for me right now," Holmes said. "Any schools that have high academics they're going to say, 'Darnay's going there' because I'm a high academic guy. So Stanford has the highest academics in the world right now pretty much for Pac-12 football, but UCLA is not far behind. So it's definitely going to be a hard decision when it comes down to it, but I just know I'm going to make the right decision when it comes."

In addition to Stanford and UCLA, the rest of Holmes' top seven includes Nebraska, Alabama, Washington, Ohio State and Arizona. Holmes says he'd like to visit all seven of his favorites before announcing a commitment on his birthday on June 23.

But the quiet buzz surrounding his interest in UCLA isn't likely to dissipate anytime between now and June for the five-star, no matter how his unofficial trips go over the next few months. And that's mostly the case because of Bruins DBs coach Demetrice Martin, who's been like family to the Holmes's for years.

"It's all a family thing with coach Meat," Holmes said. "Coach Meat can provide a lot of things and UCLA can provide a lot of things for me and my family, such as academics and just knowing him since he's been recruiting me since eighth grade. And he's been teaching me stuff that no other DB coach has showed me since I was an eighth grader. Just know that loyalty and trust is going to play a part in my decision and he's definitely playing a big part in loyalty and trust for me right now."

Regardless of what Holmes announces in June, the five-star said his recruitment may not necessarily be over after that. He's still planning on taking his official visits in the fall.

"I'm going to take my five official visits, and if something stands out, and my family wants to change and I want to change my decision, I doubt that's going to happen, but if it happens then it happens, you never know," Holmes said. "God works in mysterious ways."