University at Albany junior Victor Holt plays the defensive position called "star," and gave a performance worthy of the name at Stony Brook this past weekend.
Holt, a junior college transfer, had 12 tackles, two interceptions, a half-sack and a pass breakup in the Great Danes' 48-31 victory Saturday over the Seawolves for the Golden Apple Trophy.
For his efforts, Holt was named Coastal Athletic Association Co-Defensive Player of the Week, sharing the honor with Bryant junior linebacker Drake Lusk.
Holt, who is 6-foot-3 and 202 pounds, explained the star position is a combination of linebacker and safety that allows him flexibility.
"You can really let your abilities show from this position and I'm just grateful to be in the position I am," Holt said.
The Great Danes (4-3 overall, 2-1 CAA) return to action at two-time defending champion Rhode Island (4-3, 1-2) at noon Saturday in Kingston.
Holt described star as a "strenuous" position that's also fun. On one play, he could be the deep safety. On another, he'll cover a slot receiver. UAlbany head coach Tom Perkovich and defensive coordinator Matthew Scott will also put Holt in the box to defend the run.
"He can do a lot, right?" Perkovich said. "He can obviously play the run, he can cover people. That's what you want that guy to do, and that's not an easy skill set, right? He can blitz. He's had sacks on blitzes. He's a big, long kid who runs well and can do all those things for you."
Holt ranks second on the Great Danes with 46 tackles, including three sacks.
Perkovich said the star position is very similar to strong side linebacker, also known as the "Sam," just given a different name. However, the position has evolved as offenses work to spread the field more than ever.
"The difference is, a lot of people are in the 4-2-5 defense now," Perkovich said. "You don't have that true Sam linebacker like you did when people were all in two-back offenses. That (star position) has got to play on the perimeter with all the one-back offense and stuff like that."
Retired Alabama coach Nick Saban coined the term "star" to describe the position when he was a Cleveland Browns assistant coach under Bill Belichick in the early 1990s.
"The star really is the Sam, so he wanted an S-word for that position," Saban told AL.com in 2012. "When you put six guys in the game, whether it's a sub linebacker or a sixth defensive back, we had nickel, dime, dollar. Different money terms. So we just started calling that the money position."
Holt played star as a freshman at Lackawanna College in Scranton, Pa. two years ago. Last season, Lackawanna employed him as more of a safety.
"I'm very happy that I got put back in that star position this year," Holt said. "You need to be fast to run with slot guys, of course. You need to be a physical type of guy that can come down in the run game, make some plays. You've got to have that grit, have that dog in you."
Perkovich recruited Holt, who grew up near Scranton, out of high school when Perkovich was still the head coach at Division III Susquehanna. George Pachucy, one of Perkovich's former players, coached Holt at Mid Valley High School.
Holt said he opted for junior college to improve his grades and his college offers. He chose nearby Lackawanna, known for a strong football program that has produced NFL players Bryant McKinnie (Vikings), Ji'Ayir Brown (49ers) and Jermaine Eluemunor (Giants), among others.
"We really liked (Holt) and, when he came back around, we watched, obviously, his film for two years of college," Perkovich said. "He really improved and it was a no-brainer for us."
After Holt earned his associate's degree, he got a call from Scott, who brought him to UAlbany for a visit. Holt announced his commitment last April.
"It was a beautiful place, felt nice," Holt said. "I'm extremely happy that I committed here and I'm able to play for the UAlbany Great Danes."
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