Alijah Holder (born January 26, 1996) is an

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

who is a free agent. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

Stanford Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth governor of and th ...

College career

Holder played as a cornerback for the Stanford Cardinals. He did not play during his freshman year in 2014. Holder's first active season was played during his sophomore year in 2015; before he missed nine games due to injury during his junior year in 2016. After recovery, Holder played only four games during his junior year. During his senior year in 2017, Holder was named part of the Pac-12 All-Academic second-team. He played a fifth season in 2018, starting 10 of 12 games. Holder earned honorable mention in the 2018 All-Pac-12. He also became a three-time Pac-12 All-Academic. While at Stanford, Holder majored in

media studies Media studies is a discipline and field of study that deals with the content, history, and effects of various media; in particular, the mass media. Media studies may draw on traditions from both the social sciences and the humanities, but it mos ...

Professional career

Denver Broncos

Holder signed with the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

as an undrafted free agent on May 2, 2019. He was waived on August 31, 2019, and re-signed to the practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on December 17, 2019. On September 5, 2020, Holder was waived by the Broncos, but was signed to the practice squad the next day. He was elevated to the active roster on November 7, November 21, November 28, and December 5 for the team's weeks 9, 11, 12, and 13 games against the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

, and

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

, and reverted to the practice squad after each game. On December 12, 2020, Holder was promoted to the active roster. On February, 2, 2021, the Broncos waived Holder.

Detroit Lions

On May 17, 2021, Holder signed with the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

. He was waived on August 30, 2021.

Houston Gamblers

Holder signed with the

Houston Gamblers The Houston Gamblers were an American football team that competed in the United States Football League in 1984 and 1985. The Gamblers were coached by veteran NFL head coach Jack Pardee in both their seasons. They were noteworthy for introducin ...

of the

United States Football League The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...

on April 28, 2022.

Seattle Sea Dragons

The

Seattle Sea Dragons The Seattle Sea Dragons were a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. The Sea Dragons competed in the second incarnation of the XFL. The team was founded by Vince McMahon’s Alpha Entertainment as the Seattle Dragons ...

selected Holder in the ninth round of the 2023 XFL Supplemental Draft on January 1, 2023. The Sea Dragons folded when the XFL and USFL merged to create the United Football League (UFL).

Birmingham Stallions

On January 15, 2024, Holder was selected by the

Birmingham Stallions The Birmingham Stallions were a franchise in the United States Football League, an attempt to establish a second professional league of American football in the United States in competition with the National Football League. They played their ...

in the second round of the Super Draft portion of the

2024 UFL dispersal draft The 2024 UFL dispersal draft was the player selection process to fill the rosters of the eight teams for the 2024 UFL season and disperse the rosters from the eight teams from its component conferences, the XFL and USFL, that were not retained i ...

. He signed with the team on January 22.

San Antonio Brahmas

On January 22, 2024, Holder was traded to the

San Antonio Brahmas The San Antonio Brahmas are a professional American football team based in San Antonio, Texas. The Brahmas compete in the United Football League (UFL) as a member of the XFL Conference. The team is owned and operated by Dwayne Johnson's Alpha ...

in exchange for defensive back

Bubba Bolden Bubba Bolden (born May 29, 1999) is an American professional football safety. Bolden initially played college football for the USC Trojans before transferring to the Miami Hurricanes. He was signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free age ...

. He was waived on January 31, 2024.

References

External links

*
Stanford Cardinal bio
1996 births Living people Players of American football from Oceanside, California American football cornerbacks Stanford Cardinal football players Denver Broncos players Detroit Lions players Houston Gamblers (2022) players Seattle Sea Dragons players Birmingham Stallions (2022) players San Antonio Brahmas players 21st-century American sportsmen {{Defensiveback-1990s-stub