Darnay Holmes to UCLA: Bruins Land 5-Star CB Prospect

Darnay Holmes, the consensus top-ranked cornerback in the 2017 class, has landed in Los Angeles. He announced his verbal commitment to UCLA at the U.S Army All-American Bowl on Saturday, choosing the Bruins over Michigan, Ohio State, USC and Nebraska.

Bleacher Report shared his announcement:

The Calabasas High School product is the ninth-ranked player overall and the top-ranked cornerback in Scout's rankings. He is one of three 5-star corners in the 2017 class, with Stanford Samuels III and Lamont Wade also ranking among the nation's best. 

Early in his recruitment, Holmes looked like he would be heading to Stanford. 247Sports had previously given him a 71 percent chance of landing with the Cardinal, with Nebraska and Arizona receiving the remaining votes.

However, those trends started to shift as his recruitment went on. Ohio State became a slight favorite over UCLA, receiving 45 percent of the vote. The Bruins were second at 35 percent.

Despite Holmes' commitment to UCLA, Nate Feken of KFOR showed his nephew wishing for a different result:

"I'm looking for how the coaches and players are when adversity hits. I'm also looking at academics," Holmes told Bleacher Report's Damon Sayles. "I know that wherever I go, it's for 40 years, not just four years.

"I'm asking a few questions: Can I adapt to the environment? Will the coaches be able to use my talents and make me into more than I can be? I want to be somewhere where I know I can work to be the best."

Holmes' commitment gives the Bruins one of the most explosive young players in the nation.

Not only has Holmes starred at cornerback, but he's also Calabasas High's most productive offensive player. He scored five touchdowns in the CIF Southern Section Western Division championship game, doing it on offense, defense and special teams. He brought back two punts for scores, grabbed a pick-six and had a receiving and rushing touchdown on offense.

“He’s an animal. He’s a Create-A-Player in Madden,” Calabasas quarterback Tristan Gebbia said, per Evan Barnes of the Los Angeles Daily News.

There may be no higher compliment to give a young player, so we might just want to leave it at that. Listed at 5'10" and 190 pounds, Holmes explodes whenever he touches the ball. His top-end speed isn't elite when clocked on 40-yard dashes—he ran the 40 in 4.57 seconds, according to ESPN.com—but his fast-twitch movement ability and instinct for creating big plays should make him an instant star at the college level.