DeVonte Holloman facts for kids

DeVonte Holloman (born February 12, 1991) is a former American football player. He played as a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys. He also played college football at the University of South Carolina. The Cowboys chose him in the sixth round of the 2013 NFL draft.

Early Life and High School Football

DeVonte Holloman grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina. He started playing high school football at Independence High School in 2005. There, he helped his team win two state championships in North Carolina. He even played with future NFL player Hakeem Nicks.

In his second year, he made 96 tackles and caught four interceptions. As a junior, he had over 50 tackles and two interceptions. He also played as a quarterback for his team.

For his senior year, he moved to South Pointe High School in Rock Hill, South Carolina. At South Pointe, he played with other future NFL stars like Stephon Gilmore and Jadeveon Clowney. He had two interceptions and forced three fumbles. He was also named All-state, which means he was one of the best players in South Carolina. His team had a perfect season, winning all 15 games and the state championship. Experts thought he was one of the top outside linebacker players in his group.

College Career at South Carolina

In 2008, Holloman decided to play college football at the University of South Carolina. He had first planned to go to Clemson University.

As a freshman, he was a backup strong safety. He played in 13 games and started two of them. He made 30 tackles and caught one interception. In his second year, he became the starting strong safety after the fourth game. He had 69 tackles, which was his best number yet, and two interceptions.

During his junior year, he started at a special linebacker position called "Spur." But after two games, he moved back to strong safety. He missed two games but still made 51 tackles and caught one interception.

In his senior year, he returned to the "Spur" position. He played in 13 games and made 57 tackles. He also had three interceptions, two sacks, and forced two fumbles. He was a key player for his team.

Professional Career with the Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys picked DeVonte Holloman in the sixth round of the 2013 NFL draft. He was the 185th player chosen overall.

During the preseason, he showed he was good at getting the ball back. He even ran back an interception for a 75-yard touchdown in a game.

He was a backup player for the first six games of the 2013 season. Then, he missed seven games due to a neck injury he got in practice. When he returned, the Cowboys needed him to play middle linebacker. This was a new position for him, but he stepped up. In the last game of the season, he had his best performance. He led the team with 11 tackles and two sacks.

In August 2014, DeVonte suffered another neck injury during a preseason game. After seeing doctors, he learned he had a condition with his spinal column. This condition made it unsafe for him to continue playing football. For his safety, he announced his retirement from the NFL on August 25, 2014.

Life After Football

After retiring from the NFL, DeVonte Holloman returned to the University of South Carolina. In 2014, he worked as a video assistant for the football team.

In 2015, he started coaching high school football. He became the defensive backs coach at Beaufort High School. The next year, in 2016, he was promoted to defensive coordinator. On November 13, 2017, he became the new head coach at Beaufort High School. He took over from Mark Clifford, who had coached there for 14 years.

Then, in February 2019, DeVonte was named the head coach at his old high school, South Pointe High School. He followed in the footsteps of his former coach, Strait Herron.