The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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SEPTEMBER 2019 ■ 37 for him. The high school players often asked him about what it takes to be a col- lege athlete, how to manage their time bet- ter, and how to balance their academic and athletics requirements. "I really didn't know what to say to them," Morehead said. "I really had to get out of my comfort zone and just talk to them. I had to figure that out, but doing that really helped me learn about my- self and learn what coaching is about." F i r s t , h ow eve r, he'd like to have a shot at the NFL. Generally regarded as one of the top 15 draftable safeties next spring, Morehead was rated as one of the ACC's top 25 overall NFL Draft prospects by Ath- lonSports.com, while The NFL Draft Net- work has him at No. 180 on its countdown of the top 2020 draft-eligible college play- ers, one of four Wolfpackers on that list. "I'm haven't really been focusing on that," Morehead said. "I want to focus on this team right now, to see how good we can be. If I do the work that needs to be done now, if we play the way I think we can play, then people will notice that." Torry Holt would love to see Morehead become the next Eastern Guilford and NC State alum in the NFL. And he sees no reason why that can't happen, even at the challenging position of defensive back. "If he plays as well as he did last year, he can absolutely make it," the elder Holt said. "He's a guy who has just gotten better and better. Time has served him well. This year, he should be a captain and team leader. "Everything is set up for him to have success on the football field and to make the most of his opportunity." Then, maybe there will be space avail- able to remember his accomplishments in the trophy cases at both schools. Going Back Home With the Wolfpack's two Thursday night games this season, Morehead hopes to go back to see a couple E a s t e r n G u i l f o r d games this season, even though his head coach and all of the assistants are no lon- ger there. He'd just like to share a few words of encouragement with the current team, the way Torry and Ter- rence Holt did with him. "I've never played with any of them, of course, but I do get messages over Instagram or Snapchat saying thanks for showing them a way out," Morehead said. "I really appre- ciate that. It makes me feel like I have left some kind of mark on both programs." ■ "I always wondered what players in that trophy case I might be like. I wondered how I could make my mark so I could be in that trophy case one day. It's always good to go back to your hometown and your high school and see something like that, someplace where you left your mark." ■ Morehead on launching his career from Eastern Guilford Morehead, who is rated as one of the ACC's top 25 NFL Draft prospects by AthlonSports.com, is poised to become the next Eastern Guilford and NC State alum in the pros. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN Tim Peeler is a regular contributor to The Wolfpacker and can be reached at tmpeeler@ncsu.edu.