Jake Holland has taken a lot of heat from Auburn fans over the past couple of seasons. It has seemed almost as if bashing Jake Holland has turned into an autumn pastime for us. At times (never on this board), I have even seen the hate get downright dirty and personal. While its impossible to deny that he has missed on his share of plays, I think it is important that all Auburn fans keep two facts in mind for the purpose of perspective:
1.) It is clear that Jake Holland loves football and loves Auburn. Every interview I have ever seen of him and everything I have ever heard is that he is a smart and upright young man who works hard and loves his school.
2.) By this point in his career, two head coaches and three separate defensive coordinators have all spent hours evaluating the talent and work ethic of both Holland and all of our other LBs on the team and have all come to the conclusion that Jake Holland is the best man for the starting MLB position.
Its easy for us to shout at the TV and post online about how terrible we may think he is and summarily state that "he has no place on the field for an SEC team". But the fact remains that our coaches think he is the best talent we have and that he is working hard.
Some say Jake Holland has no business playing over Kris Frost. But it has been clear that Frost has not yet lived up to the lofty expectations that were placed upon him by those who so closely follow recruiting who all concluded he was a 4-year solution at MLB.
Finally, if he is indeed working hard and is indeed the best talent we have at MLB, then there is little reason for Auburn fans to constantly criticize and (in some cases) attack him. The fact that we have not been able to find a better talent at MLB for three years is much more the fault of bad coaching, planning, and recruiting. Jake Holland is doing his best and he is the best that we have. I wish we could just recognize that.
