Holden is another guy that has really filled out his frame, but remained lean and athletic. His route running has continuously gotten better, and he is another guy that gets it done after the play, but his calling card is his strength. He breaks through arm tackles of smaller linebackers and nearly any DB. When blocking, he is able to lock on and finish his guy to the ground. I thought of Holden as a pass-first TE, and while I still think that’s largely the case, 2025 showed the inline TE and gritting blocking I wanted to see.

I know a few of us in the media were surprised by the beatdown Dexter laid on Brighton.

Yes, it’s a small sample size, but it looks to me like Holden has taken a massive step forward.

His first highlight is a great rush off the edge. Playing on-ball, Holden does an awesome job of swiping and then bending past the college prospect OT. Then, multiple plays (0:33, 0:12) showcase great blocks. Most of the best WR/TE blockers I know still struggle to lock on and drive, and Holden did not have this issue last week. Great job blocking!

Of course, Holden is also a good receiver. Exactly what I expected in that department.

With blocking and defensive improvements, Holden could see his ranking improve by mid-season.

Holden is still one of the best all-around athletes in the state.

One of the most well-rounded TEs I’ve seen come out of Michigan. Holden can block, run routes, catch, and occasionally break tackles and take it the distance.

I project Holden has a high-end possession Tight End in college. This is someone who will consistently catch 5-10 yard passes in traffic, earn what he can, and give you a great safety blanket. He’s also someone who is able and willing to open a lane in the running game. With a little more work with ball skills and RAC, he could be an amazing Vertical threat, and more of a Travis Kelce type rather than a George Kittle type. Holden has the size, athletic ability, and well-roundedness to compete for playing time right away once in college.

I am very comfortable with calling Holden the best tight end in Michigan.

Before this game, I had already seen Holden a fair amount. From last year’s Prep Redzone Camp, Holden posted some extremely impressive testing statistics. He also dominated the 1on1 portion, and from there, I knew it was only a matter of time before he received B1G / SEC offers. Those offers did come, and they came in waves from schools like Michigan, Georgia, Ohio State, Alabama, and SEVERAL others.

Now, let’s talk about his performance in-game. I like how he’s utilized, lining up both on and off the ball. On-ball, Holden was asked to block quite a bit while being a receiving threat at the same time. His blocking wasn’t perfect, but it was worlds better than most other TEs I watch. Specifically, I like Holden’s aggression, and he can pancake you if you aren’t ready. Though, any experienced linebacker/DL (D2+ prospect) could counter his over-commitment with a simple sidestep. Again, I am in no way disappointed with Holden’s blocking, but it’s still an area he can improve upon.

In the pass game, Dexter did their best to get Holden a ton of touches. The thing is, Saline covered him up pretty good. When Holden was able to secure a pass (most often running very short comebacks, outs, etc), he did his best to earn YAC and fall forward at the very least. Again, the defense really keyed in on Holden, so it was difficult for him to ever do much after the catch.

Lastly, I like the emotion that Holden showed toward the end of the game. Yes, he was frustrated with how things were going. But it seemed like he channeled that frustration into talking with coaches and other positive things. Nothing I saw indicated any toxicity, which is always a major plus.

I’ve watched Holden quite a few times in person, but never during a game.

I know that Holden is an exceptional athlete. His testing statistics are great, and he has every ability to earn great separation.

What I’m mostly wondering about is Holden’s blocking and play-by-play effort. There was a moment last offseason where I saw Holden give less than stellar effort, and I hope I don’t see that during today’s matchup.

Already gunning for the top spot in the 2027 national TE rankings, Dexter High School’s 6’5, 225 lber. Holden Niemi has been an offer machine since December of his freshman year and really cranking the volume up to 11 in June. Beginning with Bowling Green State and Central Michigan, who offered in early December, right before Niemi showed up at our PRzMichigan Stock-Up Showcase and blowing the roof off the event while getting tabbed as a B1G-worthy prospect by our Michigan scouts Alex Pallone and Tyler Graham. Their projection was a homerun, as Niemi was offered by Kent State, Duke, and Wisconsin in May, setting the stage for a prolific June. Michigan, Toledo, Ohio State, Florida, Georgia, and Alabama have all offered this month, arguably the best run of any 2027 in in the nation, which included an in-person camp performance and offer in Gainesville and in front of Head Coach Billy Napier and staff.

A multi-sport prospect who also excels as a center fielder and pitcher on the baseball diamond, Niemi missed the first three games of the season but still manufactured one of the most impressive freshman tapes in the Midwest. The first play of his freshman tape lets you know that this a different kind of cat, as he takes a TE screen to the house in the blink of an eye and with eye-popping explosive burst that looks like he was shot out of a cannon. Whether as an inline or flexed out passing option, Niemi has the juice. He possesses soft hands that can pluck the ball out of the air and away from his body, is sudden and powerful at the top of the and willing to go over the middle and make catches through traffic and with potential oncoming contact, and shows great balance and quickness after the catch. Niemi can create missed tackles in a variety of ways, but most of the time he’s simply untouched thanks to his excellent burst and top end speed. The now-225 lber. is a physically dominant blocker with strength at the point of attack more indicative of an upperclassman than 14/15 year old. He can pancake opponents with the power of an OL as compared to a TE and shows great technique, led in his hands, and can redistribute force and power after initial contact. Also able to breakdown in space and corral perimeter defenders but is strong enough to open up gaps on the LOS against defensive linemen. As a final note, the burst and speed are about as good as I’ve seen from a freshman TE while scouting for PRZ. it really pops off the tape and is a game-changer after the catch. Obvious 4star talent and one of the best TEs in the country for 2027.