In so many ways, Ethan Holliday is walking a path beaten by his older brother, Jackson.
Oklahoma prep shortstop superstar. Possible first overall pick in Major League Baseball’s draft. An enviable set of tools on the ballfield, and even the same shoes on his feet.
Yet Holliday, now in his senior year at Stillwater High School, already beat his older brother to the spot on one count: An NIL deal before his final year of high school ball begins.
Holliday on Tuesday became the first baseball NIL athlete to sign with Adidas, joining his brother in the brand’s stable of athletes even before he knows where he’ll play ball professionally.
It’s another step forward in the ability for amateur athletes to earn income off their name, image and likeness. While Holliday won’t officially turn professional until after he possibly signs with a Major League Baseball team by August, Oklahoma’s state high school federation clarified its NIL regulations in 2022 allowing athletes to benefit so long as their earnings are not contingent upon performance and not used by schools or agents as an incentive to attract or retain an athlete.
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So when Holliday’s Stillwater squad is lacing it up against the likes of Broken Arrow, Norman and Bartlesville this spring, he’ll already be repping the three stripes.
“As a high schooler, you don’t really think about that. Once you get an opportunity to actually do it, it’s pretty surreal,” Holliday told USA TODAY Sports. “The family aspect – Jackson got a chance to sign with Adidas after he was drafted and now being a high schooler and being able to do it, it’s pretty crazy. I’m just really thankful and blessed to be a part of it and wouldn’t want to be part of anything else.
“I’m super thankful and hoping that other kids can get this opportunity down the road. For a high schooler, for any athlete, it’s a really awesome opportunity.”
It’s also not a bad bet for Adidas to get Ethan in the fold.
At 6-foot-4, Holliday has a few inches of height on his older brother, and his exit velocity at the plate has already been clocked at 111 mph. He’s ranked the No. 1 prep prospect nationally by Baseball America and Perfect Game, and the consensus is he’ll be the first high schooler taken in July’s draft.
A handful of collegiate players – most notably Texas A&M outfielder Jace LaViolette – could nudge Ethan out of the No. 1 overall slot, but all that will shake out over the spring season.
Should the Washington Nationals, who hold the first overall pick, opt for Holliday, Ethan and Jackson would join Peyton and Eli Manning as the only pair of brothers to be taken first overall in a major professional sports draft.
It all happens so quickly: Jackson was the first overall pick in 2022 and by 2024 made his major league debut, as a 20-year-old, with the Baltimore Orioles. Not surprisingly, Jackson’s advice to Ethan works both in life and the batter’s box: Slow the game down.
“Just enjoy it,” says Jackson, who will depart the family home in Stillwater on Thursday for Sarasota, Florida, and Orioles spring training. “Enjoy my teammates in high school and know that I’m playing one more year of high school baseball before my pro career starts.
“I got to play with (Ethan) when he was a freshman. That approach made it a little easier for me: I get to go play with my brother as a freshman and I might not be able to do this maybe ever again.
“It made the season a whole lot easier.”
The external pressure can be immense, from the time a prospect is a high schooler all the way until the point they possibly get their feet on the ground in the big leagues. Jackson zoomed through Baltimore’s minor league system and debuted to much fanfare in April 2024.
Yet development isn’t always linear, even as Major League Baseball just keeps adding 20-ish success stories like Jackson Chourio and Jackson Merrill to the fold. Jackson Holliday was just 2 for 34 with 18 strikeouts in his Orioles debut and was dispatched to Class AAA for three months.
He fared better upon his return, hitting his first major league homer – a grand slam – in his first game back and batted .218 with five homers in 156 at-bats. He enters spring as the Orioles’ primary second baseman, flanked by All-Star infielders Gunnar Henderson and Jordan Westburg.
Holliday’s All-Star potential remains, and his pedigree – Jackson and Ethan are famously the sons of seven-time All-Star Matt Holliday – won’t change. Getting there, though – from prep to established pro – in a very public setting remains a challenge.
“We play a game where you fail a whole lot more than you can succeed,” says Jackson. “It’s hard to block out the noise in this day and age of social media and all that. To be able to have a firm foundation of faith and family has helped me navigate everything.
“Obviously, last year wasn’t something I would’ve expected or really enjoyed, but I think it’s something that will make me better. Trying to block out the noise is definitely good advice no matter what the situation.”
While the showcase circuit provides Holliday greater challenges, he is aiming to compartmentalize his upcoming high school season, with hopes of Stillwater snagging an Oklahoma state championship. Projected draft boards will fluctuate between now and mid-July, and the inevitable prospect rankings will follow.
All in due time.
“I’m trying not to think too big lately,” he says, “and just enjoy this experience and compete with myself, which is a good headspace to be in.”
Ethan has taken notice of the rare chance to flourish and play with family, as Jackson did with him. The boys’ cousin, Brady Holliday, is a sophomore second baseman for Stillwater.
“We’re like brothers. He’s my guy,” Ethan says of Brady, son of Oklahoma State coach Josh Holliday. “We hang out every day.”
Yes, the Hollidays just keep coming. Their youngest brother, Reed, is 11, and will grow up in the same controlled chaos his older brothers did.
They count seven dogs in the house. And there’s no shortage of special guests popping by to hit with Jackson and Ethan and under father Matt’s watchful eye.
Orioles outfielder Heston Kjerstad recently spent more than a week there, and outfield prospect Creed Willems, like Kjerstad a Texas native, also popped in. It’s quite an atmosphere for a budding ballplayer.
“Every night,” says Ethan, “there’s something going down at the Holliday house, which is pretty cool.”
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