Army West Point Athletics
Football
- Title:
- Offensive Line
John Holt enters his first season on the Black Knights' coaching staff as the program's offensive line coach in 2026, sharing that responsibility with Coach Cheston Blackshear. Holt arrived at West Point after spending the 2025 season as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Southeast Missouri State.
Prior to his time at SEMO, Holt served as the head coach, offensive coordinator, and quarterbacks coach at Lakewood High School in North Carolina during the 2024 campaign. He led the program to a 10-win season while directing an explosive unit that topped the East Division in scoring by averaging 35 points per game.
Holt’s extensive collegiate background includes a two-year stint as the offensive line coach at Georgia State University from 2022 to 2023. Under his tutelage, the Panthers' offensive front allowed just 1.25 sacks per game and paved the way for Doak Walker Award candidate Marcus Carroll, who rushed for 1,350 yards and a single-season school-record 13 touchdowns in 2023. That season, Georgia State paced the Sun Belt Conference in rushing offense, ranked 14th nationally on the ground, and finished fifth in the nation in total offense.
Before joining Georgia State, Holt was the offensive coordinator at Dodge City Community College in 2021, where he also coached the quarterbacks and running backs. His offensive system shattered school records for touchdown passes, passing yards, and total yards, resulting in five offensive players earning Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference All-Conference honors.
Holt also spent nine seasons at Western Carolina University (2012–20), concluding his tenure as the associate head coach, offensive coordinator, and offensive line coach. During his time with the Catamounts, he successfully developed First-Team All-Southern Conference running back Donovan Spencer, who finished his standout career with 2,079 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns.
He began his full-time coaching career at his alma mater, Appalachian State University, from 2008 to 2011. Serving in various roles, including tight ends coach, special teams coordinator, and director of camps and clinics, Holt helped guide the Mountaineers to three conference championships and four NCAA Playoff appearances.
A native of Leicester, North Carolina, Holt graduated from Appalachian State in 2008. He and his wife, Krystle, have one son, John Thomas.
