North Carolina State University Athletics
Terrence Holt Anxiously Awaits Draft Day
4/24/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
April 24, 2003
By Tony Haynes
Raleigh, N.C.-When he sits down to watch the NFL Draft on Saturday, Terrence Holt, for obvious reasons, will be filled with nervousness and anticipation. And while he's pretty sure his name will be called at some point, Holt, like every other college prospect watching ESPN's coverage, won't be able to breathe easy until his time arrives. When the fulfillment of a lifelong dream has taken 23 years, it's easy to understand why draft day can be as much euphoric as it is frustrating. For Terrence Holt, an All-ACC safety from NC State, the waiting is almost over.
"From what I've been hearing, I could go in the second round," Holt said. "But it could be anywhere from first to third or even fourth. I'm just pleased that I'm in a position to be selected in the draft. I don't think it's really hit me yet. Just to be in the caliber of players and to be thought of as a player that could go and play in the NFL is incredible."
Holt's journey to college football stardom is just as incredible. Known more for his basketball exploits in high school (was named the Guilford County Player of the Year at East Guilford in 1998), Holt arrived on the NC State campus just in time to watch older brother Torry etch his place among the greatest wide receivers in ACC history.
When he was being redshirted his first year, Terrence was already semi-famous, but only because he was Torry's little brother. That label stuck until one sultry August night in Austin, Texas. In the 1999 season opener against coach Mack Brown's powerful Texas Longhorns, Terrence Holt emerged from the rather large shadow cast by his brother by blocking a pair of punts that helped the Pack steal a game it had no business winning.
Nearly four complete seasons later, he would finish his career as the ACC's all-time kick- blocking artist. But those 13 blocked kicks don't tell the entire story. Holt also became one of the nation's best free safeties, earning all-conference and All-America honors for his steady play in the NC State secondary.
Torry Holt's little brother has now made a name for himself. And when that name is called out on draft day, he will have completed a long and satisfying journey that started with very little fanfare.
"I'm just taking it all in stride right now," Holt said. "I'm working out as much as possible and trying not to think about it too much. When the day comes and my name is finally taken off the board, I think it will probably hit me. I'll probably break down and cry and think about my mother and how our dreams came true with my brother and I being able to play in the National Football League."
Terrence's mother, the late Ojetta Holt-Shoffner, has always been the inspiration behind the Holt boys' success. And though her life was taken by cancer in December of 1996, her impact on her sons remains strong to this day. As a tribute to his mother, Torry established the Holt Foundation, an organization that emphasizes education and support for families affected by cancer.
Now it's Terrence's turn to build on Ojetta's legacy. Just by being drafted, he will add yet another amazing chapter to an already touching story.
