2020 • REDSHIRT JUNIOR SEASON
Season: Appeared in four games on the offensive line.
at Indiana (10/24): Helped the Nittany Lion offense gain 488 yards, including 250 on the ground...Led the way for Penn State to convert 27 first downs...Protected Sean Clifford as he threw for 238 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for a career-high 119 yards and a score. Ohio State (10/31): Led the way for the Nittany Lions to gain 325 yards...Allowed Sean Clifford to throw for 281 yards and three touchdowns. Maryland (11/7): Aided the Penn State offense to gain 434 yards...Helped Sean Clifford throw for 340 yards and three touchdowns…Offense totaled a season-high 30 first downs. Illinois (12/19): Helped Penn State total 580 yards of offense, the seventh most in the James Franklin era...Penn State had two passing plays of 70 or more yards in the same game for the first time in program history...PSU's 42 points in the first half were its most in a half since scoring 42 points in the second half at Illinois in 2018…Helped pave the way to 253 rushing yards, Penn State’s fifth game of the season with 245-plus rushing yards.
2019 • REDSHIRT SOPHOMORE SEASON
Awards: Tabbed with the offensive line unit for the Joe Moore Award Midseason Honor Roll.
Season: Appeared in 13 games.
at Iowa (10/12): Led the way for Noah Cain's second-straight 100-yard rushing game and 5-yard score in the fourth quarter. Michigan (10/19): Aided Sean Clifford to throw for three touchdowns. at Michigan State (10/26): Protected Sean Clifford to throw for a career-high-tying four touchdowns...Paved the way for Clifford to score on a two-point conversion. at Minnesota (11/9): Guided the Nittany Lion offense to 518 total yards, including 340 passing yards...Protected Sean Clifford to throw for 340 yards and a touchdown...Led the way for Journey Brown to rush for 124 yards and two touchdowns. Indiana (11/16): Paved the way for the Nittany Lion offense to gain 371 total yards, including 192 on the ground...Guided Journey Brown to 100 rushing yards on 21 carries...Protected Sean Clifford to throw for one touchdown and rush for two scores...Led the way on an 18-play, 75-yard drive covering 9:01 to seal the game...Selected as the coaching staff's Offensive Player of the Week. at Ohio State (11/23): Helped the Nittany Lion offense to gain 227 yards...Led the way for rushing touchdowns by Journey Brown and Will Levis. Rutgers (11/30): Led the way for the Penn State offense to gain 252 yards on the ground...Helped Will Levis (108) and Journey Brown (103) to rush for 100 yards, the first Penn State teammates to run for 100 yards since Saquon Barkley (195) and Akeel Lynch (120) against Rutgers in 2015...Paved the way for Brown to rush for a career-high three touchdowns...Protected Will Levis to find Jahan Dotson for a 44-yard touchdown. vs. Memphis (12/28): Led the Nittany Lions to score a program-bowl record 53 points...Helped the Penn State offense to gain 529 total yards, the program's second-most in bowl games...Paved the way for Penn State to tie a Cotton Bowl record with five rushing touchdowns...Helped Penn State run for 396 yards, a program bowl record and the second-most in Cotton Bowl history...Helped Penn State to set program bowl records for points in a first half (35), a Cotton Bowl record...Aided the Nittany Lions to tie a program bowl record with 28 points in the second quarter, also a Cotton Bowl record...Led the way for Journey Brown to run for a program bowl record 202 yards.
2018 • REDSHIRT FRESHMAN SEASON
Season: Appeared in five games...One of 40 players to make their first Penn State appearance.
at Pittsburgh (9/8): Saw time on offense. Kent State (9/15): Earned playing time on offense and special teams. at Illinois (9/21): Saw game action on offense and special teams. Michigan State (10/13): Saw playing time on special teams. Wisconsin (11/10): Earned playing time on special teams.
2017 • TRUE FRESHMAN SEASON
Redshirt season.
HIGH SCHOOL
Four-time letterman for head coach BJ Hogan at Cardinal O’Hara High School...Served as team captain in his senior year...Helped the Lions to the Catholic League Blue Division title with a 10-1 mark in his senior season...Named Pennsylvania Football News’ 2016 Class 4A Lineman of the Year...Selected to Pennsylvania Football News’ Class 4A All-State first team as a senior...Earned Pennsylvania Football Writers first-team All-State honors, as well as USA Today All-State first-team accolades...Earned All-Southeastern and All-Delco first-team selections as a senior...Garnered first-team All-Philadelphia and first-team All-Catholic honors in 2016...Rated as a three-star recruit by all four major recruiting services – 247Sports, ESPN, Rivals and Scout...Ranked as 13th-best player in Pennsylvania and 64th-best offensive tackle by 247Sports...Rated as the No. 14 player in Pennsylvania, No. 94 prospect in the region and No. 62 offensive tackle by ESPN...Ranked as the No. 2 offensive tackle in Pennsylvania, the No. 14 offensive tackle in the East and No. 107 overall at position by Scout...Ranked as the No. 16 player in Pennsylvania by Rivals...Played basketball for the Lions...Named to the Cardinal O’Hara honor roll.
PERSONAL
Full name is Gillis Desmond Holmes...Son of Deborah Walker-Holmes and G. Lee Holmes Jr....Has one brother, J. Lee Holmes...Hobbies are hanging out with friends and playing basketball...Majoring in journalism...Born July 28, 1999.