Lance Holtzclaw has been waiting for this kind of stage for a long time, and Utah’s defensive line looks ready to hand him one.
The 6-foot-3, 245-pound defensive end, known as “showtime” since the sixth grade, has moved from reserve duty last season into a starting role off the edge. With that leap comes real expectations: Holtzclaw is now the leading candidate to win Utah’s prized “mayor” title, the label reserved for the team’s top pass rusher.
“I used to talk and always used to act like I was a movie star, but it also didn't really catch on until later because I didn't like being in front of the camera at first, which you probably wouldn't imagine now,” Holtzclaw said. “But I grew into the name, and it kind of just stuck. So I take it and I try to make it the same way that I play.”
That personality has shown up all offseason and into fall camp, where Holtzclaw has been one of the more vocal presences on the defensive side. He’s not just making plays; he’s pushing teammates, feeding the group’s energy and helping set the tone for a defense that looks different than it did a year ago.
“I take pride in making plays,” Holtzclaw said. “I take pride in my energy on the team and our energy as a whole.
I take pride in our toughness. I take pride in the fact that we have pride in ourselves out here - we have pride, we're not gonna sit here and let nobody get over on us.”
His leadership took another visible step this summer when he was recommended to testify before Congress at a Senate committee hearing. Holtzclaw handled that spotlight the same way he seems to handle the rest of them: with calm.
Speaking in front of senators and a bank of cameras, he made the case for student-athletes to have a seat at the table as Congress considers a bill that could create a legal framework for many NCAA rules. He pointed to the shifting realities of college sports, including NIL, the transfer portal, conference realignment and eligibility rules.
“Decisions about college athletics should not be made solely for student-athletes but made with student-athletes.”
Holtzclaw said the experience meant a great deal to him.
“I never thought I would be there, but I was so grateful to be there, and it was so much fun,” Holtzclaw later said. “I got to sit there and felt so grateful for the opportunity to be able to just advocate for our people and everybody, all student-athletes across the board.
They need a voice, man. They don't get heard in those type of rooms, and they're making executive decisions and changing things around for people like me and other student-athletes around the country, man.
“At the end of the day, we do stuff like this all the time,” he added. “I've got bright stadium lights on me, I've got cameras, and I've got a bunch of people in front of my face right now.
So it's kind of similar type of situation. So it kind of gets you prepared for the nerves in that way.”
His teammates noticed, too.
“It’s funny how us guys work, and I would never say it to his face, like, I'm proud of you, but I seriously am,” Utah quarterback Devon Dampier said. “That's such a huge step to go up there, and the people that was up there, and just for him to have the courage to speak his life and represent college football, and that type of way, that's a huge task to be asked of him.
He went out there, did an amazing job. So I'm proud of Lance for doing what he did.”
“Lance is made for this,” linebacker Johnathan Hall added. “Lance is made for talking, he's made for speaking.
His name is Showtime. He's made for the bright lights, man.
I'm so glad you did that, man.”
Now Holtzclaw wants the football version of that moment to come next. He doesn’t want the congressional hearing to be the peak. He wants his game to keep climbing.
“I feel like I've grown a lot, like leadership-wise and just maturing in the game,” Holtzclaw said. “I'm working on everything.
I don't want to be a one-trick book by any means. I want to be able to work power, I'm working finesse, working transitions from play-action plays, so I'm gonna have a bag that's super, super deep.”
He knows the next step comes with a different kind of pressure. Going from reserve to front-line contributor means setting the pace from the start and carrying the energy others can follow.
“Being in a role where you're kind of a reserve or coming in secondary to the other guys, now you're in this position where you're standing there and putting yourself in the vision of coming out first and coming out super fast,” Holtzclaw said. “I think that's one of the bigger things is starting off really hot and just really focusing on that leadership role, like I've been doing this whole offseason. Just sitting there trying to be a guy that guys can feed off of and just have the same energy all over the place.”
Holtzclaw has spent enough time waiting. Now Utah is asking him to lead, and he looks ready for the lights.
In Other News...
Rabbit Evans Is Back At A Crucial Time For Utah's Defense
Rabbit Evans missed most of the 2024 season with injuries, but the time away ended up serving another purpose for Utahs veteran safety. While he was sidelined, Evans said he used the break to sharpen his mental understanding of the game, and now he is back healthy for the 2026 season at a moment when the Utes can use every bit of experience in the defensive backfield.
Working under new safety coach Derrick Odum, Evans has been focused on improving his tackling technique while re-entering a room that is already deep at safety. That competition is part of what makes his return interesting for Utah, because Evans is not simply trying to get back on the field - he is trying to carve out a meaningful role and help stabilize a defense that values reliability in the secondary. [Read more 🡒]