It’s been quite some time since we checked in with Detroit Lions fans regarding their opinion of general manager Brad Holmes. The last time we polled our audience was almost exactly a year ago, following the team’s 2025 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, those poll results were lost to time (and a migration to a new content management system at SB Nation).
Detroit, MI
Catholic Central’s Samson Gash on Michigan State commitment: ‘Who knows?’
Detroit ― Samson Gash was clutching onto the Division 1 state championship trophy following a dominating performance by Detroit Catholic Central on Sunday night at Ford Field.
Now, following Catholic Central’s 42-19 victory over Detroit Cass Tech in Gash’s high-school finale, will he be letting go of his verbal commitment to Michigan State following the firing of head coach Jonathan Smith earlier Sunday?
Gash, the top-ranked receiver in the state, acknowledged his phone was blowing up before Sunday’s title game, and he had to put it on “mute” to focus on the task at hand. But he also acknowledged he has some decisions to make.
“It’s kind of hard, because there’s a lot of schools that’ve been texting me now that they think I’m back on the market,” Gash told The Detroit News on Sunday night. “It’s been tough, like, trying to think about the decision, but I’m just trying to postpone that till after the season and just have fun with my guys.
“And I’ll make that decision after the season.”
So, is he back on the market?
“I’d say I’m looking around for sure,” said Gash, whose older brother, Caleb, is a defensive back at Michigan State.
Smith was fired Sunday afternoon, following two seasons at Michigan State, and a 9-15 record, 4-14 in the Big Ten. A new coach, likely former Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald, will get to pick his own staff, and Gash said he’s paying attention on that front ― specifically receivers coach Courtney Hawkins, Gash’ lead recruiter.
“He’s been on me forever,” Gash said. “I love that dude and hopefully he stays.”
Hawkins has been on Michigan State’s staff through the past three head coaches, Mel Tucker, interim head coach Harlon Barnett, and Smith.
Gash, who had five catches for 25 yards and an electric 48-yard punt return in Sunday’s win over Cass Tech, committed to Michigan State in June. He’s one of two four-star recruits who committed to Smith for 2026, along with Arizona offensive tackle Collin Campbell, with the first day of the early signing period Wednesday. MSU had 20 commitments as of Saturday.
Gash did recently take a visit to Alabama, as his stock has risen recently. Speed is a big reason why. He’s the state’s reigning 100-meter champion. He said Sunday he plans to defend his track title in the spring. That’s a no-brainer, even if he fancies himself a football player who runs track, not the other way around. More up in the air, his college choice.
“(There’s) a lot of uncertainty at Michigan State,” said Gash, who’s a strong candidate for Mr. Football in Michigan, along with his marquee-matchup opponent Sunday, Cass Tech receiver/defensive back Corey Sadler Jr., who’s committed to North Carolina. “I’m gonna see how everything plays out, and who knows?”
Gash and younger brother Gideon Gash, a junior who had a monster game in the state championship game with three receiving touchdowns, are the sons of former Penn State player, Super Bowl winner and Lions assistant coach Sam Gash. One other brother, Isaiah Gash, was a running back at Michigan.
tpaul@detroitnews.com
@tonypaul1984
4Warn Weather – SATURDAY: Mostly cloudy skies. A chance of showers and thunderstorms. A few storms could be strong with gusty winds and hail. High: 71.
SATURDAY NIGHT: Mostly cloudy skies, becoming partly cloudy skies late. Low: 45.
SUNDAY (MOTHER’S DAY): Mix of sunshine and clouds, cooler temperatures. High: 61.
SUNDAY NIGHT: Partly cloudy skies. Another chilly night. Low: 41.
MONDAY: Mostly sunny skies, remaining chilly. High: 58.
After a beautiful end to the week on Friday with sunshine and a little cloud cover, with warmer temperatures moving into the region as well, some of us are waking up to some patchy dense fog on Saturday morning. Some places south of M-59 are seeing reduced visibilities down to around a mile. If you do run into some patchy dense fog, be sure to use your low beams.
That warming trend continues into the start of the weekend on Saturday, but it also brings a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Another cold front will work through the region by Saturday afternoon and early Saturday evening and that will bring our thunderstorm chance. High temperature is warming into low 70s by Saturday afternoon.
The Storm Prediction Center has placed most of the region under a Marginal Risk (1 out of 5) on our severe weather scale for the start of the weekend. Gusty winds and hail are the primary threats as we work through the start of the weekend, but this will not be a widespread threat for severe thunderstorms.
Behind that cold front for the end of the weekend on Sunday, we will keep a mixture of sunshine and clouds into the forecast. High temperatures running about 10 to 15° cooler to end the weekend. Expect high to warm into the upper 50s to lower 60s by Sunday afternoon.
Drier weather sticks around for the start of next week, before another chance of rain moves into the region by the time we get to Tuesday. The cooler-than-average temperatures will continue into the start of next week as well. Expect high temperatures to remain in the 50s for Monday and Tuesday.
Temperature start to warm up by the middle of next week, and Drier weather moves back in by Wednesday behind another cold front moving into the region. Expect high temperatures into the lower 60s on Wednesday to warm into the upper 60s by the time we get to Thursday. Above average temperatures move back into the region as we look ahead into the end of the week, expect high temperatures back into the lower 70s by the time we get to Friday.
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But as you can see below, Holmes has been an extremely popular figure among Detroit sports fans for pretty much his entire career.
Although, if there was a time when Holmes’ popularity took a hit, it was likely during the 2025 NFL season, when the Lions took their first clear step back since he and Dan Campbell came to town.
Since last year’s data was lost to time, this is a good opportunity to check back in with Lions fans. While Holmes certainly deserves a ton of credit for getting the Lions back to relevancy and helping them produce four consecutive seasons with winning records, there are some serious blemishes on his resumé now. The 2024 NFL Draft class has not lived up to his high standards through two seasons, some of his riskiest picks over the last few years have all failed to pay off, and last year’s roster just wasn’t good enough to withstand the injuries.
But Holmes is also coming off a very crowd-pleasing draft. Detroit addressed their two biggest needs with their first two selections, and there were no crazy head-scratching picks or expensive trade ups. Many have categorized his latest draft as “back to business as usual,” which could have some fans he lost back on his side.
However, that is all up to you. Vote on your thoughts about Holmes’ time in Detroit below, and share your extended thoughts in the comment section at the bottom of the page.
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