2009 (Senior)
Menelik Holt completed his Nebraska career in 2009 and was one of the key receivers in the Husker passing game as a senior. A four-year letterwinner, Holt was fifth on the team with 15 receptions in 2009, giving him 49 career receptions, good for the top 40 on the NU career receptions list.
Holt had three catches for 45 yards and a 28-yard touchdown in the season opener against Florida Atlantic. He added five receptions for 40 yards against Arkansas State and had one catch for 13 yards at Virginia Tech. At the start of league play Holt had two receptions each against Missouri, Texas Tech and Iowa State. Holt also contributed on NU's special teams, playing on the punt unit.
2008 (Junior)
Holt has seen extensive action over the past three seasons, including a strong 2008 campaign when he emerged as a reliable receiving threat in the Husker offense. One of a school-record seven players with at least 20 catches, the San Diego native was fourth on the team with 30 receptions for 355 yards and a touchdown. His numbers came despite being slowed for much of the latter part of the season by a knee injury.
Overall, Holt played in 12 games in 2008, missing only the Oklahoma game following a knee injury. Nebraska regularly utilized three or more receivers and Holt was in the starting lineup against Virginia Tech, Texas Tech, Iowa State and Colorado. He had four games with five or more catches and snagged a 20-yard touchdown reception against Missouri.
He opened the year with five catches for 59 yards against Western Michigan, and had five catches for a career-high 67 yards against Missouri. Holt grabbed a career-high six catches for 55 yards in a near-miss at Texas Tech, then added five catches for 45 yards at Iowa State. Holt was injured after one catch vs. Baylor and did not have a catch for the next three games. He closed the regular season with three catches for 42 yards against Colorado and added two against Clemson in the Gator Bowl.
2007 (Sophomore)
Holt saw action in all 12 games, both as a reserve at the "X" receiver spot and on special teams. He saw his playing time increase late in the season and made the most of his opportunity. Holt caught four passes for 97 yards in the season’s final four games, the first catches of his career. He caught a 13-yard pass at Kansas, then followed with a career-long 35-yard catch against Kansas State. In the season finale at Colorado, Holt had two catches for 49 yards.
2006 (Freshman)
Holt appeared in eight games, including duty on the punt block and kickoff coverage squads. He also saw reserve action at receiver, but did not have a catch. Holt played in three of Nebraska’s first four games and saw action in five of the final six contests, including the Cotton Bowl against Auburn. Holt helped Nebraska rank among the national leaders in kickoff return defense.
Before Nebraska (St. Augustine HS)
Holt was a standout performer at San Diego’s St. Augustine High School, where he caught 62 passes for a league-leading 790 yards and 13 touchdowns as a senior. On defense, Holt recorded 17 tackles, including a league-leading 4.5 sacks, one forced fumble and one interception. He also played special teams, returning seven kickoffs for 127 yards. His performance earned Holt first-team Medium School all-state honors, as Coach Jerry Ralph’s St. Augustine Saints won the CIF 2005 Division III title.
Holt earned first-team all-league honors as a junior, catching 42 passes for 726 yards and 12 touchdowns, while adding an interception return for a touchdown. Holt was ranked among the top 50 receivers in the country by Rivals.com and PrepStar and among the top 60 players in California.
Holt played center for the St. Augustine basketball team, and as a junior, he averaged 10 points and 16 rebounds a game, while setting the school record for rebounds in a playoff game with 22. He led St. Augustine to both San Diego Section and Southern California Regional Division III titles before losing in the state finals.
Personal
Menelik is the son of the late Mary Holt and Alfred Jones, and was born on Aug. 19, 1988. His half-brother, Austin Jones, is a redshirt freshman I-back for the Huskers. Menelik is majoring in economics and was a volunteer on several of Nebraska’s hospital visits.
Year
G/S
No.
Yds.
Y/R
Y/G
Long
TDs
2006
8/0
0
0
0.0
0.0
None
0
2007
12/0
4
97
24.2
8.1
35 vs. Kansas St.
0
2008 12/4 30 355 11.8 29.6 25 vs. WMU 1 2009 14/5 15 175 11.7 12.5 30 vs. Texas Tech 1Totals
46/9
49
627
12.813.6
35 vs. Kansas St.
2
Single-Game Bests:
Receptions-6 at Texas Tech, 2008
Receiving Yards-67 vs. Missouri, 2008
Long Reception-35 yards vs. Kansas State, 2007
Touchdowns-1 vs. Missouri, 2008, vs. Florida Atlantic, 2009