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BY STACY CLARDIE SClardie@GoldandBlack.com G abe Holmes couldn't sleep. Three times Monday night into early Tuesday morning, he roused. "I woke up anxious," he said Tuesday afternoon. Not because of any real con- cern, though. Because it's game week for Purdue, and Holmes hasn't experienced that in quite some time. And he wasn't sure he would again for the Boilermakers. But after a resounding re- sponse to a season-ending injury and academic ineligibility, Holmes will begin his fifth season for Purdue Saturday against Western Michigan. He'll likely be in the starting lineup, a position he's frequented 11 times over his career and, most recently, a position that's come with massive expectations. Being a physical freak has gone a long way toward building those high hopes, accompanied by the devastating "P" word that Holmes and tight end coach Gerad Parker have decided to erase from their vocabulary. Now, though, Holmes isn't thinking about what could be, just what will be done. He's a new man, bred from ris - ing to academic challenges and teeming with real confidence for the first time in his career. "I'm just ready to get back out there," Holmes said. "I'm excited. I'm excited to get back out there with the guys and have a great season. "I've been here before. I'm ready for it now. It gives me goose bumps just talking about it. So (I'm going to) just go out and play ball, don't think about anything and ev- erything else will take care of itself." To get another chance, though, wasn't always a given. After breaking his left wrist pri- or to the third game of last season, Holmes had more recovering to do than physical. He'd let his academics slip, not thinking they'd matter because he'd be done with football by December. But when the injury happened, ev- erything changed. Coaches told Holmes the only way he could play in 2014 was by not just passing the math class he'd failed, but by graduating. That meant Holmes needed to finish several more classes to fulfill his de- gree requirements. That meant he needed to grow up and handle his academic responsibilities like never before. In stepped Parker, who likened his handling of Holmes to "basic parenting." When Holmes returned from winter break, Parker handed him a schedule that broke down where Holmes would be and what he'd be doing hour by hour. If Holmes didn't do it, Parker would get on him. The first two weeks, there were some hiccups. Nothing Parker deemed "bad-bad," but things that, not addressed, could evolve into issues. Like when Holmes missed a sched - uled tutor appointment but told Parker he didn't really miss it, just rescheduled it. Not going to fly. Parker stepped in and told Holmes, "We're not go- ing down this path any- more." P a r k - er held Holmes ac- countable for every single thing H o l m e s F O O T B A L L F E A T U R E : G A B E H O L M E S Ready To Rise Tom Campbell As a fifth-year senior, Gabe Holmes is more prepared now than ever to finally have a breakout season, coaches say. Mature, confident Holmes excited to return GOLDANDBLACK EXPRESS • VOLUME 25, EXPRESS 1 • 15