TJ Hollowell - Defensive Analyst - Football Support Staff

TJ Hollowell

Title:
Defensive Analyst
Email:
football@msu.edu
Phone:
355-1647

TJ Hollowell, who played four seasons of professional football, enters his fourth year on the Spartan staff as a defensive analyst in 2023.

Hollowell arrived in East Lansing in 2020 after spending two seasons (2018-19) coaching at Coastal Carolina. He assisted with the defensive line during his first season, and worked with the defensive ends as well as outside linebackers in 2019.

Working with the defensive line in 2018, the Chants had two All-Sun Belt performers in first-team selection Jeffrey Gunter and third-team honoree Tarron Jackson. The duo combined for 107 tackles, 25.0 tackles for loss, 8.0 sacks, and 10 quarterback hurries from their defensive end positions on the season. Fellow defensive tackles Jonathan Clayton and C.J. Brewer each had 29 tackles or more on the season, while fellow lineman Jalin Walker came on strong towards the end of the season with 11 tackles and 1.0 tackle for loss on the year.

Prior to his time at Coastal Carolina, Hollowell spent two seasons as the defensive coordinator at Santa Margarita (Calif.) Catholic High School (2016-17), helping the Eagles to a 7-4 record and a MaxPreps.com national ranking of 49th overall in 2017.

Before his two-year stint at Santa Margarita, Hollowell spent one season at Youngstown State in 2015. The Penguins’ linebackers had a solid all-around performance in 2015, which helped the defense have one of its best campaigns in years. Lee Wright and Armand Dellovade earned All-Missouri Valley Football Conference accolades for their standout performances.

Hollowell, who was an assistant coach at Huntsville (Texas) High School in 2014, got his first taste of collegiate football working at his alma mater at Nebraska under Bo Pelini for four years (2010-13). As a defensive graduate assistant for the Huskers, Hollowell worked primarily with the linebackers during his tenure.

While working with the Husker defense in 2013, Hollowell helped linebacker Lavonte David earn the Big Ten’s Butkus-Fitzgerald Linebacker-of-the-Year award and first-team All-America honors.

In 2012, linebackers were the two of the top four tackles for the Huskers. Will Compton led the team with an impressive 110 stops while Alonzo Whaley registered 65 tackles. Nebraska played in the Big Ten Championship Game and the Capital One Bowl while posting a 10-4 mark.

During the 2011 season, David and Compton were a strong 1-2 punch at the position. David had 133 tackles and was the team’s top tackler by 51 stops. Compton was second on the team with 82 total tackles. The duo combined for 20 TFLs and six sacks.

Hollowell spent the 2010 campaign as an intern assisting the coaching staff and the Husker strength and conditioning staff.

A former starter at linebacker for Nebraska, Hollowell signed with the New York Giants as a free agent in 2004 and spent two seasons in the NFL. He played for the New York Giants in 2004 and the New York Jets in 2005, while spending two training camps with the Denver Broncos. He also spent parts of two years in the Canadian Football League with the Edmonton Eskimos.

During his time with the Cornhuskers from 2000-03, Hollowell compiled 173 career tackles in helping the Huskers to four bowl games, including the BCS National Championship Game in 2001.

As a senior, he earned honorable mention All-Big 12 recognition from the league coaches and Associated Press as he tallied 80 stops, including eight tackles for losses and two interceptions. He tied Nebraska’s school record with eight pass breakups by a linebacker and was part of a defense that forced a school-record 47 turnovers.

A standout at Copperas Cove High School in Texas, he finished his career as the school’s leader in career tackles with 311. As a senior, he had 159 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, and three sacks as he earned Class 5A all-state honors.

Hollowell received his degree in sociology from Nebraska in 2009. He and his wife, Jessica, have two sons, Tommy and Kingston.