The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1153250
36 ■ THE WOLFPACKER rector Randall Hackett, who graduated from the school in 1987 and has been employed as a teacher, coach and admin- istrator there since 2005. "We lost a lot of stuff, but we were able to save some too. How in the world we got through all of that, I don't know, even though we are religiously told that we won't ever be given more than we can handle. "The community really came together to help us out." Torry and his younger brother Terrence, an All-ACC safety and record-setting kick blocker while at NC State, were both still playing in the NFL at the time, but they did what they could to help get the Wildcats back on the field, and in the hallways and classrooms. "I couldn't believe what was happening," Torry Holt said. "Our school was burn- ing down on national televi- sion. That's where my aunts and uncles went to school. That's where all of our history was, just being burned to the ground. It was such a range of emotions. "It was hard not to think about the kids who were going there and those who would go there. We tried to help where we could." Not only did they help equip the football locker rooms in the new school, they gave back through the Holt Brothers Foundation, their 20-year-old charity that raises money for children of cancer patients. They've hosted youth clinics and camps and seven-on-seven competitions in both Gibsonville and Raleigh for nearly two de- cades to help fund their organization and to give back to the communities where their professional football dreams were born. The new school opened in the fall of 2009, and Morehead enrolled two years later. A Standout Safety As a high school senior, Morehead still dreamed of being a college wide receiver, just like Torry Holt. But what he has be- come is the same kind of dominant safety that Terrence Holt was in college. At 5-11, 188 pounds coming out of high school, Morehead was a versatile athlete, thriving as a receiver during his junior year then switching to quarterback as a senior. But, under the tutelage of former UNC linebacker and Eastern Guilford assistant Kennedy Tinsley, Morehead also played safety. His abilities as a defensive play- maker turned him into a three-star recruit. He had met the Holt brothers before ar- riving in Raleigh by attending their camps at Eastern Guilford, but they never really pushed him to the Wolfpack. "They told me I should go where ever I was comfortable," Morehead said. "But they also said NC State is all about family. Whatever I chose, they would have my back. They never put any pressure on me." They became closer when Morehead got to Raleigh. "Every time I see Torry when he comes to practice, he calls me 'E.G.' [for Eastern Guilford]," Morehead said. "It's a connec- tion that we share, and it was a way for him to get to know me." He found more mentors in safeties Shawn Boone and Josh Jones. Both spent time in the NFL and helped him became an accomplished de- fensive back. After redshirting the 2015 season, Morehead saw action on defense in all 13 games as a redshirt freshman, started 12 of the Pack's 13 contests the following season and returned last year to become one of the biggest bright spots on an in- experienced defense. In 13 games, he made 81 tackles, had a team-high three interceptions — including his first-ever pick-six — and broke up four passes. He en- ters his final campaign tagged by head coach Dave Doeren as "Old Head," because he's the team's oldest and most ex- perienced player. But he's also the top return- ing tackler and a significant team leader, with a team-high 26 starts under his belt. And he's ready to put a se- nior shine on his résumé. "I just want to leave it all on the field, all in the film room, and keep getting bet- ter," Morehead said. Going into his final season, Morehead has his sights set on the next level, something the Holt brothers can give him guidance about as well. And, for the first time since Torry Holt was a senior and Terrence was sitting out his freshman year as a redshirt, there will be two players from Eastern Guilford on the Wolfpack football roster this fall: Collin Smith of Gibsonville de- cided in April to join the Wolfpack as a walk-on kicker and punter. What's In Store Morehead decided long ago he wanted to go into coaching when his football ca- reer ended. As part of his sports manage- ment degree requirements, he spent this past spring doing a 30-hour internship with Cardinal Gibbons High School's boys bas- ketball team, just across the street from Carter-Finley Stadium. He learned more about that profession, but he also learned about being the same kind of mentor the Holt brothers had been Terrence Holt (above), an All-ACC safety at NC State prior to a career in the NFL, teamed up with his brother Torry to help Eastern Guilford High get back on its feet after a devastating fire in the fall of 2006. That helped pave the way for Morehead, who enrolled at EGHS when the new school opened in 2009. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN