1998-2002
Quarterback 6-4 215
A veteran fifth-year quarterback who in 2006 guided the team to its best season since 2003 ... a hard-working player with good size and strength ...a two-year starter ... earned all-conference honors as a senior ... MVP of the 2006 Champs Sports Bowl ... fourth quarterback in school history to throw for over 5,000 yards, joining Scott Milanovich (1992-95), Boomer Esiason (1981-83) and Scott McBrien (2002-03) on that list... ranks fourth in Terps history in career passing yards (5,139) and fourth in total offense (5,114) ... ranks third in career attempts (679), third in completions (417), third in completion percentage (61.4), sixth in passing efficiency (130.9), fourth in TD passes (28), tied for seventh in TDs responsible for with 32 (28 passing/four rushing) ... his 130.9 passing efficiency is 22nd all-time in ACC history ... three-time Iron Terp ... did not test in 2006 due to shoulder rehabilitation ... strength numbers in index (701), power clean (320), vertical jump (33-1/2) and squat (655) recorded in past seasons set team records for a quarterback ... played in the 2007 Inta Juice North-South All-Star Classic in Houston, completing 8 of 12 passes for 90 yards with one interception playing for the North squad ... also played in the inaugural Texas vs. the Nation all-star game (Feb. 2) where he completed 2 of 5 passes and one touchdown, a 28-yarder to Ryan Moore just before halftime.
2006 (Senior): An honorable mention All-ACC quarterback ... ranked 42nd nationally and third in the league in passing efficiency (131.0 rating) ... second in the ACC (51st nationally) in passing yards per game (182.4) ... also third in the league and 60th nationally in total offense (183.5 ypg) ... his career-high 61.9 completion percentage ranks sixth in school history and is the highest single-season effort for a Terps' QB since Scott Milanovich in 1995 (.665 in 7 games) ... his 15 touchdown passes rank tied for fifth on the school's single-season chart ... ranked tied for 45th in the nation in completions per game (15.6) ... his 328 pass attempts rank seventh in school history for one season ... 203 completions are fifth on the single-season chart and his 2,371 yards are 11th ... threw for over 200 yards in four of the final five games ... named the team's Offensive Most Valuable Player ... a member of the preseason watch list for the Davey O'Brien and Maxwell Awards ... (vs. PU in Champs Sports Bowl) ... completed 15 of 24 passes for 223 yards with two TDs and no interceptions, earning game MVP honors ... his passing efficiency (168.05) was his third-highest total of the season ... gave the team a commanding 21-0 lead late in the second quarter with a 46-yard TD strike to Darrius Heyward-Bey ... (vs. WF) ... completed 14-of-26 passes with one touchdown ... also rushed three times for two yards ... (vs. BC) ... completed a career-high 27-of-42 passes for a season-high 249 yards and rushed three times for 10 yards ... (vs. Miami) ... entered the school record books with the longest pass play in Maryland history with his 96-yard strike to Heyward-Bey for the game's deciding touchdown ... finished his day 11-for-16 with 202 yards and two TDs ... (vs. Clemson) ... completed 23-of-34 passes for 247 yards with one TD ... at one point in the game, had completed 12 consecutive passes ... also rushed for 11 yards, including a crucial fourth-down conversion on the game-winning drive ... (vs. FSU) ... connected on 12-of-20 passes for 131 yards and a career-high tying three touchdowns ... the three-TD effort equaled his outing vs. North Carolina (Nov. 12, 2005) ... (vs. NC St.) ... had a very efficient day passing, completing 7-of-9 attempts for 115 yards and a touchdown on a four-yard pass to Josh Allen ... his efficiency rating of 221.78 was a season-high ... also put up career numbers rushing, with seven attempts for 62 yards, including a 20-yard dash that set up a TD ... (vs. UVA) ... led the team to the biggest comeback in 13 years, completing 17-of-28 attempts for 171 yards ... scored on a 3-yard rush around the right tackle ... (vs. GT) ... had one of his strongest offensive outings this season, completing 16-of-24 passes for 190 yards and a touchdown ... his 57-yard strike to Heyward-Bey gave the Terps the ball inside the 10-yard line late in the fourth quarter (vs. FIU) ... completed 17-of-30 passes for 158 yards and two touchdowns ... longest play was a 21-yard throw to Josh Allen in the second quarter ... connected with Allen earlier in the game on a screen for a 14-yard TD ... found Isaiah Williams in the end zone for a five-yard TD with 10 seconds remaining in the first half ... (vs. WVU) ... completed 24-of-45 passes for 211 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions ... connected with Joey Haynos for a six-yard score, his first TD pass of the season ... later found Isaiah Williams for a 35-yard touchdown strike ... (vs. W&M) ... completed 9-of-14 passes for 153 yards with no TDs or interceptions ... set up all three of the Terps's scores with long passes (a 42-yarder to TE Joey Haynos and a 38-yarder to Danny Oquendo in the first quarter and a 47-yarder to Isaiah Williams in the second).
2005 (Junior): Played in all 11 games, starting 10 ... was injured for lone non-start (Florida State) ... finished the season 192-of-315 for a career-high 2,539 yards with 13 TDs and 15 interceptions ... yardage total ranks sixth for a single season in school history ... his 315 attempts and 192 completions each rank eighth on the school's single-season list ... ranked fourth in the conference in total offense with a career-high 229.2 yards per game ... stood second in the league in passing yards per game (230.8) .... was fifth in the ACC in passing efficiency (132.8) ... that mark ranks 12th on the Terps single-season chart ... threw for over 200 yards in eight games, including the final three ... (at UNC) ... was 19-for-32 for a career-high 374 yards and career-best three touchdowns ... hit Jo Jo Walker (67 yards down the middle) and Danny Melendez (80 yards on 1st-and-10, down the right sideline) to give Maryland the lead late in the fourth ... the pass was new a career long and Maryland's longest play from scrimmage on the year ... connected with Vernon Davis for a 24-yard touchdown to open the scoring in the second half ... (at FSU) ... did not start in an effort to rest his sprained left shoulder ... entered the game on second down of the final drive of the first quarter, replacing starter Joel Statham ... was forced back out after just five snaps due to injury (back) ... completed his only pass attempt of the day, to Vernon Davis for 29 yards ... (vs. VT) ... finished 14-of-30 for 158 yards and a touchdown, playing through a shoulder that was sprained in the first half ... went 22 yards on an option to pick up a first down on second-and-15 in the first quarter ... (at TU) ... was 19-of-29 for 228 yards ... plunged into the end zone for his second rushing touchdown of the season with 7:45 left in the third quarter ... (vs. UVa) ... threw two touchdowns and set then-career highs in passing yards with 320 and completions with 25 on 33 attempts ... hit Danny Melendez in the back of the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown strike to give the Terps their first lead of the day ... found Vernon Davis in the end zone from 24 yards out in the second quarter ... (vs. WVU) ... finished the day 20-for-31 for 291 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions ... sparked the Terp offense in the second half, leading two scoring drives in the fourth quarter to close the gap from 15 to two ... (vs. CU) ... was 18-for-28 with two touchdowns and 288 yards ... scored first career rushing touchdown, a one-yard dive in the second quarter to give Terps their first lead of the day ... (vs. Navy) ... threw for 217 yards and a touchdown in the win ... engineered Maryland's game-winning scoring drive, starting at their own 18 with 4:43 remaining and moving the Terps 82 yards in 3:42 ... capped the drive with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Drew Weatherly.
2004 (Sophomore): Played in three games, starting the season finale against Wake Forest ... was 22-for-36 for 229 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions ... (vs. WFU) ... went 16-for-27 for 164 yards with no TDs or interceptions ... (at VT) ... played well when called upon late in the game, going 5-for-8 for 53 yards.
2003 (Redshirt Freshman): Saw limited action in one game (The Citadel) ... did not record any statistics.
2002 (Freshman): Redshirt season ... named offensive scout team Player of the Week for his work in practice the week of the Virginia game.
High School: A three-year letterwinner and two-year starter at Pennridge High School in Perkasie, Pa., where he played for his father, Jeff ... in his two seasons as a starter, he completed 168 of 308 (.545) passes for 2,754 yards and 26 touchdowns ... he also rushed 57 times for 140 yards and 11 scores ... as a senior, he led Pennridge to an 8-3 record, including four come-from-behind victories that were decided in the final minute of play ... two of those victories came on the road against perennial Pennsylvania powers North Penn and Central Bucks West ... passed for 1,250 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2001 ... earned a host of awards and honors following his senior season, including the Maxwell Award (one of 25 students-athletes in Philadelphia and South Jersey areas), first team all-area by the Philadelphia Daily News and the Philadelphia Inquirer, first team All-National Conference and third team all-state by the Pennyslvania Football News ... a preseason and postseason SuperPrep all-region choice ... nominated to play in the Big 33 all-star game ... as a junior, passed for 1,504 yards while throwing about 10 times per game for a team that totaled 2,500 yards rushing ... was an all-league baseball player as a junior ... also recruited by Michigan State, Illinois and Pittsburgh.
Personal: Samuel Hollenbach was born September 9, 1983 in Doylestown, Pa. ... son of Jeff and Elizabeth Hollenbach ... majoring in mechanical engineering ... would like to take his degree and combine it with his interest in cars ... his father, Jeff, was a quarterback at the University of Illinois (1973 and '74) as well as at Pennridge ... had a 3.93 grade-point average and was a member of the National Honor Society as a prep ... also served as the president of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in high school... pronounced "HALL-en-bock."
Hollenbach's Career Statistics
Passing
G-GSAttCompIntYdsPctTDLP
G-GSAttCompIntYdsPctTDLP20031-00000--0--
1-00000--0--20043-136220229.611021
3-136220229.611021200511-10315192152,539.6101380
11-10315192152,539.6101380200613-13328203112,371.6191596
13-13328203112,371.6191596Career28-24679417265,139.6142896
28-24679417265,139.6142896Rushing G-GS Att Net Avg TD LP 2003 1-0 0 0 0.0 0 -- 2004 3-1 8 (-17) (-2.1) 0 7 2005 11-10 72 (-18) (-0.2) 2 22 2006 13-13 51 10 0.2 2 28 Career 28-24 131 (-25) (-0.2) 4 28
Release by Redskins bad blow for Pennridge's Hollenbach
It's the tiniest type everyday in sports sections across the country.
In newspaper-speak, it's called agate. It's where you squint to find baseball boxscores, NASCAR and golf results, and other miscellaneous sports stuff such as the WNBA standings.
Then there are transactions, always one of my favorite reads.
In Tuesday's editions, under the heading of transactions, was this morsel:
WASHINGTON REDSKINS: Signed LB H.B. Blades. Agreed to terms with LB Dallas Sartz and QB Jordan Palmer. Released QB Sam Hollenbach.
Small words, big impact.
Good news for Blades, Sartz and Palmer. Bad news for Hollenbach, the former Pennridge and University of Maryland signal caller. Life-altering news boiled into quick and tiny sentences, but with often-times stunning affects.
Hollenbach returned a phone call Tuesday night, only a day after Redskins general manager Vinny Cerrato told him he was being dispatched to the unemployment line. Hollenbach sounded like someone who had just been kicked in the midsection, and why wouldn't he?
He was led to believe he would be in the Redskins training camp when it opens July 27. He was signed as a free agent shortly after the NFL draft ended in late April. He spent the next few months immersing himself in Washington's playbook, competing in several minicamps.
“It was really shocking,” he said. “I was not expecting it at all. I thought I'd have a shot in camp. I went from having a lot of focus, knowing what I had to do, to not knowing what I'm going to do. ... I guess that's the nature of the NFL.”
The NFL is a business, to be sure, and Hollenbach, while clearly glum, was not bitter, citing his ongoing respect for Redskins head coach Joe Gibbs, even though it was Gibbs who made the decision. Nor was Hollenbach angry that the Redskins, by sacking him less than two weeks before most camps open for business, left him with really just two chances of latching on with another team: slim and none.
It's probably not a coincidence that he was released the same day the Redskins announced they signed Palmer, who was the team's sixth round draft choice, and gave the team six quarterbacks. Hollenbach was likely insurance in case Palmer didn't sign because six quarterbacks in camp are too many. As it was, Hollenbach was only getting about five to 10 reps a day at minicamps.
“It was a positive experience, coming to a self-realization you can play in the NFL,” Hollenbach said of the minicamps. “It's pretty much the same jump from high school to the college level. You get there and the level of competition changes. You adjust, and I'm still adjusting, but I feel confident I can play at the NFL level.”
So the question now is, where, where will the right place be, and will Hollenbach be there at the right time?
His agent would be a good one to ask, but George Mavrikes did not return several phone calls the past two days.
Hollenbach said Mavrikes has told him that the Bears, Jaguars, and Patriots have expressed interest and the Seahawks, despite having six quarterbacks listed on their roster, have offered to fly him to Seattle on Tuesday for a workout — perhaps because Pennridge graduate Will Lewis is the Seahawks' director of pro personnel.
“There's going to be competition anywhere I go,” Hollenbach said. “I'm just asking for a fair shot and hoping for the best.”
The Patriots have just three quarterbacks listed on their roster: Tom Brady and a bunch of no-names.
The Jaguars, who along with the Cardinals, spoke to Hollenbach several times over the course of the NFL Draft, may be Hollenbach's best hope for a soft landing.
Jacksonville's assistant head coach, Mike Tice, is a former Maryland quarterback, and has a history of helping fellow Maryland graduates. When he was the Vikings' head coach, he signed Maryland quarterback Shaun Hill as a free agent and kept him for four years, drafted Maryland linebacker E.J. Henderson, and had a former Maryland coach, Brian Baker, on his staff as a quality control coordinator.
Of course, none of the above is probably a better bet. In that case, the options become even slimmer.
There's the Canadian Football League, whose season began June 9 and runs through early November, and, maybe, the still under-construction All-American Football League scheduled for start-up in the spring.
“You have to keep playing, stay involved in the game,” Hollenbach said. “There are good examples of guys going up to Canada and coming back to the NFL. Trent Green, (Jeff) Garcia, guys have done it. Still, this is tough.”
Hollenbach enjoys the life of a starter
By: Stuart Christ, Sportswriter
02/01/2006
Teams hate suffering losses. There really is no such thing as a good loss.
But it was a loss that kept Sam Hollenbach's football career at University of Maryland alive.
If not for the loss, no one knows what he might have done. Not even Hollenbach knows where he might be today.
"In the end I remember talking to my dad a lot about transferring," he said. "The decision was that we were just going to wait until the end of that season, then make a decision on whether I was going to stay or not. It was truly a blessing from God. It was an act of God that I got to play at the end of last season."
Last year Hollenbach was put in cold against Virginia Tech, a game the Terps were getting killed in (55-6) and played the final possession of the third quarter and the entire fourth quarter.
On Monday following the loss to Tech, Hollenbach was told that he would start the season finale against Wake Forest (a 13-6 win), his first college start.
"It was a bittersweet thing," he said. "It was the worst loss I have ever been a part of. On the other hand I got a chance to play."
From that point on, Hollenbach has led the Terrapins onto the football field and hopefully many victories.
He got his first start last year in the regular season finale and did such a solid job that it translated into the starting job this year.
"I guess when I look back it was one of the hardest times I have had in college," he said. "I remember thinking that I love everything about Maryland. It was just going to be a matter of whether football was going to work out. I really wanted to stay."
Just because he knows that he was the starter this year for all of the games doesn't necessarily mean that he will again be the starter come his senior year next fall.
Hollenbach knows that he probably has the upper hand, but nothing in college football is a given.
"I have been told by coach (Ralph) Friedgen (head coach) and coach (Charlie) Taaffe (offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach) that they are supporting me and that they expect me to be the leader next season," he said. "For me I am just expecting to be the starter and I think that is the view you have to have as a quarterback."
Hollenbach already has a leg up for next year's starting job as Joel Statham has transferred out of Maryland to 1-AA school Jacksonville (Ala.) State.
In his first full season under the center, Hollenbach played in all 11 contests throwing for 2,539 yards, 13 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. He completed 192 of his 315 attempts good for 61 percent and a quarterback efficiency rating of 132.75.
"Going to a bowl game is the ultimate goal," he said. "Not achieving that makes it look like it was a bad season. For me personally, as an offense we were better than our record showed. As far as my own personal play, I felt comfortable during the season. I was having fun each week and it was great to be out there. The season went well minus about 20 plays and that is something that I really have to work on."
Hollenbach, like most high school stars, is not used to sitting on the bench but that is exactly what he did his first two years as he learned the system from starter Scott McBrien.
But in his third year as a red-shirted sophomore, Hollenbach thought he would be named the starter only to find out after the final scrimmage that he was not only not the starter, but was down to third or fourth on the depth chart.
"I can honestly say that I missed being out there," he said. "I guess that I kind of can compare it to my first high school start. I just remember the first drive going down and it was just great being out there. It is different than practice. It is different when you are actually out there in front of all the people. It was just a lot of fun. It was the same feeling that I had before my first high school varsity start."
This was something that Hollenbach had trouble with. He thought he did what was necessary to claim the job. He basically knew that he would have to sit the bench his first two years, but was ready to claim the job his red-shirt sophomore year.
"Probably my first two years here we had (Scott) McBrien and he won the job my true freshman year," said Hollenbach. "He really did a good job with the team. Then my red-shirt freshman year and second year he was there as well.
"My third year was the really the first time I had a legit chance to start. It was the spring ball going into my third year where it was kind of me and Joel (Statham), the other kid who ended up starting. It was us two that were going for the position. I thought it went all right in spring practice and in fall camp.
"Spring practice ended where there was no clear winner. I worked hard in the summer and there were some things that happened in fall camp that kind of let me know what was going on. They thought that I was not quite ready for the job. We went into the first game with me either third or fourth on the depth chart. It was really tough. The toughest thing was probably my third year here, which was the year I thought I had a chance to play."
Earlier in the year Hollenbach and the rest of the Terrapins made a trip to the area to play against Temple University giving his family and a whole lot of friends a chance to see him play. The Terrapins routed the Owls in the process and Hollenbach gave the locals something to cheer about as he went 19-for-29 for 228 yards.
Also on that Saturday afternoon, Hollenbach's church got into the action taking a busload down to the game. All of the money raised in that game was donated to charity.
"That was fun," he said. "It was great to come back and we really had a lot of support. I wanted to have time to talk to them at the end, but I only had time to hug my mom and then we were off. It was great to have them there."
Hollenbach also got to go up against an old Pennridge graduate as well when the Terrapins faced off against North Carolina.
On the side for the Tar Heels was assistant coach John Gutekunst.
Gutekunst played football for Pennridge back when Hollenbach's grandfather, Bud, was the head coach. After the game, the two were able to get together for a quick moment to talk.
"My dad had said something to me," he said. "He did say he was a Pennridge graduate and I think he said my grandfather coached him, too. That is all I really knew about it. I remember that thought (Pennridge vs. Pennridge) crossed my mind before we took the field."
Since his father, Jeff, resigned as head coach of the Pennridge football team in 2004, the entire family had more time to come out and see his games.
They went to every game -home and away - and made it a point to spend at least five minutes with him after each game.
"It was huge," he said. "That is one thing that I am really thankful for, a family that was that supportive. Just him being there, my mom, my dad, my bother and sister and my grandparents, I think they were at every single game besides the Florida State, which I didn't start anyway. That was great to have them there."
Sam has a tough act to follow in his father. Jeff was a standout quarterback for Illinois University and went on to play briefly for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League.
So Sam knows what it is like to play for a top-notch team like the Terrapins in an extremely tough league like the Atlantic Coast Conference.
"In my experience so far it has been a good thing," said Hollenbach. "He has had some stories that were real similar to mine."
©Montgomery Newspapers 2006
JIMMY HARRIS
1996-2000
Linebacker 6-1 200
Harris, a junior linebacker from Pennridge, Pa., finished seventh in the WIAC in tackles with 84 total tackles. He made 57 solo stops and recovered a pair of fumbles.
Harris named team MVP
UW-Platteville senior linebacker Jimmy Harris earned the football Most Valuable Player Award, given at the team banquet Sunday.
Harris, from Perkasie, Pa. (Pennridge High School), led the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in regular-season tackles with 102. He earned second team all-WIAC honors after recording 62 solo and 40 assisted tackles. Harris earned the WIAC Player of the Week and the D3football.com Team of the Week honors after making 13 tackles in the season finale against UW-Stout. He led the Pioneers to a 23-13 victory Nov. 13, which clinched the team's first winning season since 1992.
DERRICK HABERLIE
1993-1995
OT
Haberlie was an offensive tackle with the Shippensburg Red Raiders
BRAD HERRMANN
2005-2008
Quarterback 5-11" 160
High School:
All-around athlete that totaled nine varsity letters playing football, baseball and wrestling...Threw for over 2,500 yards and rushed for over 1,500 yards during career...Scored 26 rushing touchdowns and threw for 17...Two-year starter and team captain as a senior...Named team MVP as a senior...Named All-Suburban One Second Team as a junior and first team as a senior...Started in the Suburban One All-Star Game...Three-time all-conference pick as a baseball player...Four-time all-conference selection in wrestling.
