PITTSBURG, Ks. – Pittsburg seniors Rob Hollis and Caiden Barber sign to continue their football careers at Coffeyville Community College.
“I picked Coffeyville mainly because the coaching staff,” Hollis says. “They all took me in. I met all of them and they took me on a tour of the campus. They cared about me as a person as well as a player. I felt at home, I felt comfortable in the room with them and feel like I’ll be a part of the team right when I get there.”
Hollis played multiple positions for the Purple Dragons this past season. He rushed for about 200 yards and three scores as a fullback and tight end. He also had 16 tackles and a forced fumble at defensive tackle. Hollis will play linebacker for the Red Ravens.
“In Pittsburg, I was playing everywhere. It gave me a lot of confidence,” Hollis says. “I was doing things that I didn’t even know I could do, so that opened up a lot of doors. Especially going into the next level, I’ll have a lot more confidence being able to keep up with guys that are bigger and faster.”
Caiden Barber will play running back at Coffeyville. He missed his senior year due to injury, so he’s ready for the opportunity to get back on the field and prove himself.
“I chose Coffeyville because they gave me an opportunity to play,” Barber says. “I did not play my senior year so I lost a lot of the looks I had. I felt like Coffeyville was a good fit for me, so I decided to go there. This really just means that I have to prove myself and just show them what I’m made of and prove the schools that decided not to offer me wrong.”
Hollis and Barber never actually played together for Pittsburg. Hollis only played for Pittsburg his senior year, while Barber was injured. Nevertheless, they are excited to remain teammates.
“Caiden and I have been pretty close friends since I’ve been at Pittsburg,” Hollis says. “Even though we didn’t get to play together, we’ve worked out together a lot and done a lot of field work, so that will definitely help a lot going into Coffeyville.”
“I’m definitely going to feel more comfortable at Coffeyville now that I have a friend there,” Barber says. “It will be fun playing with him and seeing where we can go after this.”
Both athletes, view Coffeyville as a great stepping stone for their football careers long term.
“My goal is to to extend my recruiting process,” Hollis says. “That’s a big bonus of going to a junior college. I’m excited to see what offers I can pick up and where I can go after this. Coffeyville is a nationally ranked JUCO team, so that definitely helps a lot. Lots of colleges are looking at them, lots of good guys come out of Coffeyville. There’s numerous NFL players that have come through Coffeyville, so that helps a lot too.”
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