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Jevon Holland subbed out and proceeded to the medical tent before walking to the locker room.
It was the second quarter on Dec. 17 at Highmark Stadium, where the Miami Dolphins were playing the Buffalo Bills. Holland, a Dolphins safety, was questionable to return with a neck injury.
Holland had started all 14 games to that point of the season, and this was only the second game he didn’t participate in 100 percent of the snaps.
The second half began. Holland was back. He was donning a neck roll, scanning the Bills offense. Holland admitted on Dec. 19 that it was difficult to play with the neck roll. He couldn’t look left or right. But he wanted to be on the field to help his team.
On Buffalo’s first possession of the first half, Holland tackled Bills quarterback Josh Allen. Then, with 6:12 left in the third quarter and the Bills deep in their own territory on third down, Holland spied Allen, tackling him at his ankles. Holland pumped his fist after the play. The Dolphins forced the Bills to punt.
Team captains make plays like this. @HollywoodVon gets it back for Miami.
📺: #MIAvsBUF on @NFLNetwork
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/OppdDaKY2o pic.twitter.com/EfAnL6xszb— NFL (@NFL) December 18, 2022
Plays like this permeate Holland’s highlights. Against the San Francisco 49ers on Dec. 4, Holland sprinted from the right side to the left, tackling Christian McCaffrey to force a fourth down. Against the Steelers on Oct. 23, with Pittsburgh at Miami’s 30-yard line, Holland recorded an interception with 3:06 remaining, returning it 33 yards. Against the Detroit Lions on Oct. 30, Holland posted a season-high 12 tackles, including one on D’Andre Swift in the second quarter, showcasing his closing speed to force a fourth down.
It may not fill up the stat sheet every game, but Holland’s impact is evident. Not only is he a full-time starter, but he’s already a team captain in just his second season, alongside Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, wide receiver Tyreek Hill, left tackle Terron Armstead, defensive lineman Christian Wilkins, linebacker Elandon Roberts and cornerback Xavien Howard.
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Teammates, coaches and family members aren’t surprised at Holland’s trajectory. His professional approach, along with his gifted football skill and knowledge, make him one of the league’s promising young defensive backs.
Big play by the captain of the Dolphins defense!
Jevon Holland intercepts Kenny Pickett late in the 4th quarter.
🎥 @NFL | @MiamiDolphins pic.twitter.com/bvHgYaMk0b
— The Athletic NFL (@TheAthleticNFL) October 24, 2022
“It’s been a huge part of my success understanding that you have to take care of business before anything else,” Holland, who returns to Highmark Stadium for an AFC wild-card matchup Sunday, told The Athletic in a phone interview. “It’s set me up to understand the process of how to train properly, how to approach day-to-day work, making sure I’m doing the things necessary for me to stay consistent and keep on playing at a high level.”
Nestled in the lower mainland of British Columbia is Coquitlam, the sixth-most populous city in the province. It’s also Holland’s birthplace. The formative years of Holland’s childhood were spent in this suburban city, including his introduction to football.
Holland’s football journey begins with his father, Robert, who played six seasons in the Canadian Football League. Robert won a Grey Cup in 1993 with the Edmonton Elks and earned all-CFL status in 1994, when he tallied eight interceptions. He also had stints with the Birmingham Fire in the World League of American Football and the San Francisco 49ers.
Robert began coaching Jevon’s brother, Jamirr, when Jamirr was eight years old. Jevon saw the interaction between his dad and brother when it came to football, watching film, breaking down schemes, drawing up plays, learning the strategy. He believed this was normal.
“He was just so attracted to sport,” Robert said.
Jevon attended numerous games in which Jamirr played. But he didn’t watch a lot of them. Instead, he was playing with other kids at the game. In their Coquitlam neighborhood, whenever someone was playing a sport, Jevon participated. Whenever the Hollands went to Toys R Us, Jevon purchased a ball. According to Robert, Jevon collected more than 30 balls of all shapes and sizes. He’d even go to bed cradling a ball.
“When he finally got a chance to play football, he was so intelligent, so calm, so athletic,” Robert said.
Holland was six when he played for the Coquitlam Minor Football Association, an organization that began in 1978. But football wasn’t Holland’s only sport. He suited up for North Coquitlam United soccer club. He also dabbled in lacrosse.
“I was a kid having fun, enjoying the time being out there playing sports,” Holland said.
Robert instilled the importance of preparation in Jevon. Film study was essential. The Hollands had DirectTV, enabling Robert and Jevon to watch games differently. While many fans spend two to three hours watching a football game, Robert and Jevon required five to six. Whenever some player made a play or a mistake, Robert would press pause and ask Jevon what happened.
“What was the personnel? What was the assignment? What defense were they in?” Robert recalled.
As Jevon got older, Robert introduced a whiteboard and placed it on the window leading out to the Hollands’ pool. When Jevon had friends over to watch a game, he drew up plays on the whiteboard. Breaking down plays and dissecting film forged Holland’s football intelligence.
“You got to be able to explain what it is you’re trying to learn,” Robert said. “That’s the secret to a leadership mentality.”
Robert wanted Jevon to take more ownership of his training. To get to the next level, Robert said it was important for Jevon to “assume the responsibility for his own greatness.”
Jevon embraced that philosophy.
“I’ve seen some of my friends who are more talented than me and they didn’t work out or train that hard. Eventually, the game caught them,” Holland said. “I didn’t want to go from being super dominant to being trash. I just started working super hard to add to my naturally given talent.”
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Robert recalls sending Jevon a text during his freshman year of high school saying, “I wonder who I would be if I had me at your age.” Two years later, Robert reminds Jevon of this quote during his junior year. Robert sensed some boredom in Jevon, given his dominance on the field.
“I wish I had me when I was your age,” Robert said.
Jevon responded: “You’d be me.”
The two embraced. Jevon was the better football player but father and son shared an equal mentality.
“It was confirmation he was in the right space and he’s got his head on,” Robert said.
Robert Holland gained the nickname “Hollywood” in the sixth grade, and it’s no surprise that Jevon, wanting to follow in his father’s footsteps, adopted the nickname “Hollywood 2.0.” According to Robert, the moniker is apt because Jevon is the upgraded version of him.
The potential for that was evident early, as Jevon dominated in Coquitlam. The first time he touched the ball, he ran 90 yards for a touchdown. The second time, with Holland on defense, he intercepted a pass and ran 20 yards for the touchdown. He moved up to the highest possible level the association could offer.
But Holland knew if he wanted to reach his potential in football, he needed to move to the United States. So the Hollands moved to Pleasanton, Calif., and Jevon enrolled Bishop O’Dowd High School in Oakland, roughly 30 miles away.
At O’Dowd, students were grouped alphabetically during orientation, and that’s how Holland met Isaiah Henry. They became football teammates and remain close friends.
Henry, now a linebacker at Portland State, recalls Holland’s training regimen with his Dad in high school. During the spring and summer, Holland on occasion would work out before his school team practiced. During football season, Holland consistently lifted after practice.
“He’s getting three workouts a day when we were all just trying to catch the bus,” Henry said.
On the field, while playing linebacker, Henry knew he could rely on Holland to lead the defense. Holland’s hustle, his footwork, his ball skills separated him from his peers. But he remained humble and made it a priority to make his teammates better.
Holland suggested that Henry join his workouts with Robert to improve his game. “Instead of just criticizing, he gave you the opportunity to get better,” Henry said.
Holland evolved into a four-star recruit, rated the No. 2 safety in California and No. 9 nationally. He signed with Oregon in Dec. 2017 and played there in 2018 and 2019, earning all-Pac-12 honors and finishing as a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, which recognizes college football’s top defensive back.
Andy Avalos, the Ducks’ defensive coordinator from 2019 to 2020, moved the 6-foot-1, 205-pound Holland from the high safety to the nickel position, a switch that unlocked Holland’s impact in the secondary.
“We were shifting towards using a nickel with more length and size,” Avalos said. “Jevon had all those things. He had the length and size. Not only did he have explosiveness in his run but also in his hips. It allowed us to play nickel versus 12 personnel.”
By his sophomore year, Holland started all the games, tallying 66 tackles and leading the team with four interceptions. Steve Stephens IV, Holland’s roommate and Oregon defensive back, saw his teammate’s approach up close. He remembers Holland learning the playbook at practice and taking it home to study. Holland drew up plays on his whiteboard, writing down every assignment, every technique the team used on defense.
He may be a student of the game but Holland never forgot to have fun. Stephens recalls Holland’s contagious energy, laughing and making jokes. Prior to practice, Holland laughed and giggled with his teammates, striking different poses in pictures. But when the whistle sounded, Holland turned serious. He vocalized what he wanted to achieve and what he wanted the team to get done.
“He didn’t care if you were Kayvon Thibodeaux or Troy Dye,” Stephens said. “He was like, ‘Hey I’m going to say what I got to say.’ Everybody respected him for that because he’s going to say something and then he’s going to make sure he goes out and does exactly what he says and what he believes in.”
The Dolphins are playoff-bound for the first time since 2016 after finishing the 2022 season 9-8. On Sunday Miami will take on the Bills, their AFC East foe, for the third time this season.
Holland finished the regular season with 96 total tackles (77 of them solo) for the Dolphins, along with one forced fumble and two interceptions. In the Week 18 game against the New York Jets, he led the defense with five solo tackles.
Dolphins safety Brandon Jones believes Holland’s competitive nature and mindset set him apart as a player. Jones and Holland connected during OTAs when Jevon was a rookie. Jones was surprised by Holland’s intelligence, given his age. He was impressed with the 22-year-old’s ability to connect with any player on the team, from rookies to veterans. It was a no-brainer for Jones to vote for Holland as team captain in 2022.
“Just the way that he can approach different people and still get through to them if they’re going through tough times or struggling,” Jones said, “he took that role upon himself.”
(Megan Briggs / Getty Images)
Holland remains in touch with previous teammates. He texts often with Stephens, who just completed his junior season at Oregon. When Henry was going through a personal family situation last year, Holland checked in with him.
But it’s his parents — Robert and Pamela — with whom Holland remains closest. The Hollands remain in Pleasanton, where Robert runs an elite athletic training program called Holland Fitness and Performance Training.
He doesn’t miss a chance to watch Jevon play. When the Dolphins are close by, like when they played the 49ers in San Francisco or the Chargers in Los Angeles, Robert attended.
Jevon’s days are busy so when he has free time, he likes to clear his mind away from football. But when Robert does receive a call from Jevon, it’s like Christmas — a gift to reconnect, to chat about football and life, just like those whiteboard sessions.
Those who have coached and interacted with Holland know this is just the beginning. Coming back to a game with a neck brace, tackling quarterbacks, preventing first downs, securing interceptions, is a glimpse of what’s to come.
Holland remains connected to his roots. He doesn’t lose sight of where he came from. Holland received a commemorative Coquitlam jacket from the town, recognizing his performance. Whenever he plays teams close to Canada, fans remind him of his Canadian background.
Holland aims to be a role model, both in his play and as a leader.
“I didn’t have that NFL player who was dominating and also Canadian. I’m trying to be the best role model for them just like my dad and brothers were for me.”
(Top photo: Cliff Hawkins / Getty Images)
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