Ravontae Holt is a rock in the middle of Wyoming's defensive line where the game of football is most violent.

Watch for number 98 when the Cowboys are on defense tomorrow afternoon against Fresno State at 1:30 p.m. in War Memorial Stadium.  He will be in the midst of the mayhem that is the line of scrimmage.  His role will be a runner-stopper and a disruptor of one of the top quarterbacks in the league, the Bulldogs' Jake Haener.

His consistency and marvelous skill make him as good a defensive tackle as there is in the Mountain West.

But his story is much deeper than that.  The fact that he will be playing in his sixth game of this season is a remarkable study in perseverance, resolve and sheer will.

You see Ravontae has undergone three knee surgeries since he arrived at Wyoming from Sacramento, Calif., in 2017.  He was told that he should consider stepping away from the game he loves for his own safety.  

But, that's not how he was raised.

"I was raised to never give up on something that you've started," says the quiet but well-spoken redshirt junior.

His knee woes began after his excellent sophomore season.

"It started with a bone defect in my knee.  I got that fixed but unfortunately I had to have two more surgeries.  I thought about my safety.  Should I quit playing the game I love?  But I made a decision early-on that I was going to get back on the field.  I was determined to do that.  It was a lot of hard work, and there were days when I wondered to myself if was all worth it.  My answer, it was worth it!"

And the 2021 season is the fruit of all that hard work, all that perseverance. He's having an outstanding season.

"To be playing out there with my teammates has made it all worth it," he says.  "It also feels great to be able to show everyone what I can do."

Holt played in nine games as a freshman, and actually started three.  His star was burning bright, and his future appeared to have infinite possibilities.  That trajectory continued during his sophomore season when he played in all 12 Cowboy games, starting four.

But then the issues began.  He missed the entire 2019 season following knee surgery.

In 2020 he started the team's first two games, but missed the remainder of the season after another surgery.  He missed all of last spring's training session.  But he felt good heading into pre-season camp, and rose to the top of the depth chart.  

As a redshirt junior, he has been a key figure in that Wyoming defensive "front four" throughout the 2021 season.

"We've really had good defenses since I got here," Ravontae says.  "This year is no exception. When we do things right, we're tough, maybe as tough as anyone in the league.  We work very hard at playing together, and I think we are getting better every week." 

Holt is a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to the technique and nuances of playing defensive tackle.

"I work very hard on my technique.  I give a lot of credit to our line coach Pete Kaligis (defensive tackles nose tackles, and defensive run-game coordinator). "I know it looks like a lot of big bodies trying to push each other around in there, but there's a tremendous amount of technique involved at the line of scrimmage on both defense and offense.

"I'm totally focused on getting better every day. To be a good defensive lineman you have to have good hands and hips, and you have to be relentless.   A lot of what we do involves hands and hips. I can get a lot better in both areas, but I've been focusing on getting better with my hands.  I am continually improving on trusting my technique. But it's a process."

Kaligis had a similar rash-of-injury-experience during his collegiate days. "I suffered a number of knee injuries during my career," says Kaligis, "and I understand the fortitude it takes to come back from multiple knee surgeries. Not one time did Rovantae ever complain about it, not one time did he hint that he was done.  Quite the opposite, he never doubted he would come back.  He's been amazing, and along the way he has grown and matured.  It has been difficult, but that's what life teaches you.

"With Ravontae you always know what you're going to get every day, or the game.  I know there's not going to be any psychological warfare going on with him.  He's going to work at getting better.  I've also been impressed with how he's opened up in the position room.  He's poured himself into the younger players, into helping them as a leader.  And along the way I think he feels more confident in doing his job."

Holt came to Wyoming because of another Sacramento Cowboy, Carl Granderson an outstanding defensive end who starred for the Pokes from 2015 through 2018, and is currently playing for the New Orleans Saints.  

"I actually grew up playing against Carl," Ravontae says. "He and I began playing against each other in Pop Warner football, and I played against him in high school his senior year.  Obviously he was a heck of a football player.  I knew he came up here, so I was aware of Wyoming.  I know he had something to do with me being recruited here.  When I came out on my visit, he was my host.  He sold me on Wyoming, and he was right.  I really enjoy it here."

A star lineman, playing both ways, at Sheldon High School in Sacramento, Holt received a lot of attention from other schools.  And, why not he was quite a prep player.

"I never came off the field," he says about his high school days.  "I was pretty resilient, and I liked playing on both sides of the ball.  But I knew my ticket to college would be as a defensive lineman."

An American Studies major with a minor in business, Holt wants to take football as far as he can, understandably, and make it a career.  But when that phase of his life is in the rear-view mirror, he wants to go into business with his dad.  "He is in the tracking and logistics business, and I would love to get into business with him."

I would almost guarantee that would be a very successful venture.  I know this, they won't give up until is.