By SAM LANCE
COUNCIL BLUFFS, IOWA — Five-star guard Caleb Holt is regarded as a top five prospect in the class of 2026. He’s backed up that ranking so far at Adidas 3SSB Session 2.
Holt — the 6-foot-5, 200-pound guard out of Georgia — has starred in all three games for Game Elite. On Friday, Holt dropped 19 points with three rebounds, two assists and three steals against Upward Stars. He followed that up with two great performances on Saturday, dropping 23 points with six rebounds against Austin Rivers SE Elite and 24 points and five rebounds against Mass Rivals. Holt shot 64.1% over those three games and has led Game Elite to a 7-0 record so far this summer.
“I just want to show that I’m a winner and that I do whatever it takes to win,” Holt told ZAGSBLOG. “I can play any position. I’m competitive. I can shoot the 3 ball. I can get downhill. I can get to my mid-range and put a lot of pressure on the rim. I can make great passes to my teammates.”
A number of coaches were in Iowa to watch Holt play this weekend. Bruce and Steven Pearl of Auburn, Kelvin and Kellen Sampson of Houston, Nate Oats and Preston Murphy of Alabama, along with assistants from Georgia, Georgia Tech, Ole Miss, Tennessee, among others, caught a game courtside. Holt has taken an one official visit to Ole Miss so far in his process. He’s also tripped Auburn, Alabama, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Ole Miss and Tennessee unofficially. Holt doesn’t plan on taking any officials until after the summer is over during fall football season. The five-star broke down the trips he’s taken, plus some other schools in contact: Alabama: “That was lit. With Alabama, it’s crazy man. You go to one game and you’re like ‘Aye, this is where you want to be.’ It’s nice for sure. In basketball, Nate Oats does a great job. Everyone knows them as a football school, but now everyone knows basketball. So he’s doing a great job. I respect coach Oats and everything he does, so they’re definitely up there on my list. They play pretty fast, definitely what I’m looking for. They get shots up. My boy Labaron Philon, he got to thrive there. So it’s definitely a great option.” Auburn: “I like Bruce [Pearl]. He texted me before the game and told me to show the world why I’m the best 17-year-old in the country. I feel like I have a chip on my shoulder because they dropped me in the rankings. So every time I step on the court, I feel like I’ve got to prove something that I’m still here and I’m ready to dominate every game. I want to be the No. 1 player in the country around this time next year, so that’s my goal.” Houston: “I’m close with coach [Kelvin] Sampson. I’ve been up there about two times and they came to my house. I have a great relationship with Coach Kellen and coach Kelvin. If I want to win a national championship, that’s where to go. I feel like they produce — their development system is like no other. They get their players better everyday.” Ole Miss: “I’ve got a good vibe with coach [Chris] Beard. He wants me to come in and be the guy, take over the program. So definitely Iām looking forward to ā just wanting to be one-and-done. Hopefully when I get in college I want to lead my team to a national championship. My favorite part [of the visit] was hanging out with coach Beard. He’s a pretty chill guy, pretty likable guy. Great vibe. He’s a great person. We got to eat dinner with his family, and everything, his two kids. So it was pretty cool.” Tennessee: “I’m talking to coach Gregg Polinsky. They wanted me to come this year, be the starting point guard, playing guard over there. So they have a lot of faith in me. I took a visit up there and it was pretty cool.” When choosing a school, Holt is looking for a program that believes in him. “Just a coach that allows me to play my game,” Holt said. “Because I will make some mistakes. Let me keep going.” Holt is ranked the No. 5 overall prospect in the 2026 class by On3. Some of his favorite NBA players include Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Devin Booker and Anthony Edwards. An interesting fact about Holt is that he loves to rap. Follow Sam Lance on Twitter Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter Follow ZAGSBLOGHoops on Instagram And Like ZAGS on Facebook5-Star Caleb Holt is a problem! ESPN #7 in the 2026 class š¤ @iamcalebholt @3SSBCircuit @gameeliteatl pic.twitter.com/AIblKcMXPA
— Courtside Films (@CourtsideFilms) May 19, 2025
