Why You Have to Bet Seahawks RB George Holani to Score 1st TD vs. Patriots in Super Bowl 2026

For all of the myriad ways to bet on the Super Bowl, one of the most thrilling markets is predicting the first touchdown scorer for Super Bowl 2026 - it cashes early, the payouts are huge, and you don't need to bet on a superstar to profit in a big way.

That brings us to George Holani, the seldom-used backup running back for the betting favorite Seattle Seahawks (-4.5), who has a chance to be the hero against the New England Patriots shortly after these teams kick off Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET (NBC) from Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.

I'm breaking down the latest Super Bowl first touchdown scorer odds and why Holani is such a strong bet to score early as part of our Super Bowl predictions.

🔍 Who is George Holani?

See the latest NFL odds and our experts' NFL picks for every game this postseason.

If this is your first time hearing the words "George" and "Holani" in close succession, let this serve as a primer before he (potentially) becomes a household name on Sunday.

Holani was a star at Boise State, winning Mountain West Freshman of the Year (2019) before finishing as the fifth-leading rusher in Boise State history with 3,596 career yards across five seasons with the Broncos. That includes 20 touchdowns over his final two seasons (21 games) despite splitting time with Ashton Jeanty in both years.

Injuries hindered Holani's stock heading into the 2024 NFL Draft, though the 5-10 back showcased his plus-athleticism at the combine and flashed enough promise as a downhill runner and reliable receiver to land with the Seahawks as an undrafted free agent.

He saw just five snaps on offense as a rookie last year as the fourth option on the depth chart. He assumed RB3 duties this year and turned that into 22 carries for 73 yards, including 10 carries (and two receptions) for 42 yards in a Week 3 game against the Saints and seven carries for 31 yards and a touchdown in Week 10 against the Cardinals.

That was all before Zach Charbonnet, the Seahawks' second-leading rusher this year behind Kenneth Walker III, went down with a season-ending knee injury in the Divisional Round win over the 49ers. And that is where our story truly begins.

🚀 Why Holani is a Super Bowl X-factor

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Despite having a transcendent talent at tailback in Walker, the Seahawks have been committed to a two-back approach all season long: Charbonnet handles the heavy lifting between the tackles and on passing downs, and Walker serves as the home-run threat.

While Walker has seen his rushing workload increase with Charbonnet on the sidelines, Seattle has turned to Holani to pick up some of the slack in the passing game. In the NFC Championship against the Rams, Holani played a season-high 23 snaps - Walker was just shy of his season high with 42 snaps - and actually saw more snaps as a receiver (17) and pass blocker (3) than his fellow running mate.

Those usage splits are one reason why Holani Over 1.5 receptions (-140) was one of the five most-bet props entering the week at BetMGM, while Holani Over 9.5 receiving yards (-140) was also one of the most-bet player props in the receiving market.

Both of those bets feel like strong values entering the Super Bowl, and I'd be interested in sprinkling a few bucks on his rushing props, too, which still haven't fully accounted for his new role in the backfield. He's also priced at +550 to score an anytime touchdown at FanDuel, which is a market I'd be all over entering Super Bowl 60.

As long as Walker is healthy in the Super Bowl, though, Holani won't garner enough volume to compete in some of the higher payout markets like Super Bowl MVP or the game's leading rusher, which is where the speculative bettor can turn the biggest profits.

That leaves one highly volatile market that I'm targeting: the Super Bowl first touchdown scorer.

🙌 Will George Holani score first touchdown in Super Bowl 2026?

See all of our NFL touchdown props for the 2026 NFL playoffs.

There are clearly bigger names with a more direct path to the end zone than Holani, who has one career touchdown in two NFL seasons. But there's no better bet in the Super Bowl first touchdown market based on the value for your money.

With kickoff just a few days away, Holani is priced as high as +2800 at DraftKings to score the first touchdown in Super Bowl 60. That translates to a mere 3.45% implied probability that he'll open the Super Bowl scoring spree, according to our odds converter, and ranks outside of the top 12 options to score first on Sunday.

This is a man who once scored four touchdowns in a game at Boise State and reached the end zone seven times as a backup in his senior season. His first carry of the NFC Championship came in the first quarter inside the 10 yard-line, and he should have opportunites as a between-the-tackles rusher and a receiver from the very first drive.

You also only have an opportunity like this once a year to win a Super Bowl bet that you could remember for the rest of your life. And if it doesn't hit? You can tell your friends about that time someone named "George Holani" almost made you rich.

📊 Super Bowl first touchdown scorer odds 2026: Seahawks vs. Patriots

See all of our Super Bowl player prop bets and the latest odds for Super Bowl 2026.

📺 How to watch Seahawks vs. Patriots: Super Bowl 2026 

• Date: Sunday, Feb. 8
• Kickoff: 6:30 p.m. ET
• Location: Levi's Stadium (Santa Clara, Calif.)
• TV: NBC/Peacock