Jevon Holland’s sports journey that started in Coquitlam is now taking him to Miami, Fla., where he’s to become the new star safety for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League.
Holland was selected 36th overall by the Dophins in Friday’s second round of the NFL draft. He declared his intention to opt out of his junior year at the University of Oregon last November and became the first Canadian selected in the annual harvest of top college football players.
In his two seasons at Oregon, Holland was credited with 72 solo tackles, nine interceptions and 19 pass deflections. He elected to sit out last season to protect his health as several college leagues decided to play on despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
Holland is the son of former CFLer Robert Holland, who retired as a BC Lion in 1997 then did some coaching for the team. Jevon spent his first eight years in Coquitlam before moving to the Oakland area with his family. He played touch football with Coquitlam Minor Football and soccer with North Coquitlam United.
In Oakland, Holland became a star at Bishop O’Dowd high school, rising to the 13th-rated safety in America in his senior year. He was recruited to the University of Oregon in 2017.
Friday, Holland’s name was announced by Rock and Roll Hall of Famers, the Isley Brothers.
In a post on Instagram, Dolphins’ coach Brian Flores is seen telling Holland in a phone call, “Just so you know, I’m a safeties coach at heart, so I’m gonna be on you pretty good.”
Holland was nonplussed.
“Whatever the coaches want me to play, I’ll fill that job for them,” he told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. “I’m here to help the team win in any shape or form.”
