Southern star Trey Holly avoids jail time in gun case resolution

Trey Holly avoided jail time on April 27 when he resolved his Union Parish gun case with a plea of no contest, often described as a best-interest plea. The agreement calls for one year of probation and a $1,000 fine, ending a legal saga that began after a 2024 shooting in Farmerville, Louisiana, and had threatened to shadow the Southern running back’s football future.

Holly had originally faced gun charges and attempted second-degree murder charges after turning himself in. A grand jury later declined to indict him on the attempted murder allegation, leaving the gun case as the final legal hurdle. That matters for Southern because it removes a major off-field distraction and gives Holly a cleaner path back into the program as the Jaguars move deeper into a new era under Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk.

The football case for Holly has always been obvious. In 2025, he was one of Southern’s most productive players, carrying the ball 162 times for 830 yards and nine touchdowns while adding 15 catches for 126 yards. His best single-game showing came in the opener against North Carolina Central University, when he ran 10 times for 119 yards and a touchdown and also caught two passes for 15 yards. For a Southern offense that needed reliable production, Holly gave the Jaguars a threat who could create yards without needing a heavy volume of touches.

His background explains why his situation drew so much attention across Louisiana football. Southern lists Holly as a five-year starter at Union Parish High School in Farmerville, while LSU’s roster notes that he broke the state’s all-time high school rushing record with 10,523 yards and scored 160 touchdowns. He opened his LSU career in 2023 with 110 rushing yards and a touchdown on 11 carries across three games before transferring to Southern. That résumé made him one of the most accomplished prep backs in the state and one of the more important returning offensive pieces for the Jaguars.

Now the question shifts from the courtroom to the locker room. Faulk’s arrival gives Holly a direct line to a coach who understands the demands of the position at the highest level, but the next step is less about talent than trust. Southern has a dynamic back with a record-setting Louisiana pedigree; what remains is whether Holly can stabilize his situation and turn this resolution into a fresh start on the field.