DeVonte Holloman

Christopher DeVonte Holloman (born February 12, 1991) is a former American football linebacker. He attended the University of South Carolina (2009–2012). He was drafted in the 6th round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys.

A native of Charlotte, North Carolina, Holloman began his high school football career at Independence High School in 2005, where he won two North Carolina High School Football State Championships and was teammates with Hakeem Nicks. In his sophomore year he had 96 tackles and four interceptions, and over 50 tackles with two picks as a junior while also playing quarterback.

For his senior year of high school, Holloman attended South Pointe High School in Rock Hill, South Carolina, where he was teammates with Stephon Gilmore and Jadeveon Clowney and won the South Carolina High School State Championship. Regarded as a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, he was listed as the No. 10 outside linebacker prospect in his class.

He attended the University of South Carolina, where he was named the starter at strong safety as a sophomore and ranked third on the team with a career-high 69 tackles. The next year he was fifth on the team with 51 tackles (33 solo). As a senior he was moved to the "Spur" hybrid linebacker position, where in 13 games he finished fourth on the team with 57 tackles (8 for loss), 3 interceptions, 4 passes defensed and 2 sacks.

Holloman was drafted in the 6th round (185th overall) of the 2013 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys. During the preseason he showed a knack for creating turnovers, returning a 75-yard interception for a touchdown in the Pro Football Hall of Fame game against the Miami Dolphins.

After being the backup for Justin Durant during the first 6 games, he missed seven games while recovering from a spine contusion he suffered in practice. Holloman returned to play in the 15th game of the season against the Green Bay Packers, with the Cowboys forced to start him at middle linebacker because of injuries, even though he had never played the position before. He would start three games, with his best production coming in the season finale against the Philadelphia Eagles, leading the team with 11 tackles and 2 sacks.

During the preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens on August 16, 2014, Holloman's neck was injured (his second neck injury playing football) in the fourth quarter. After visiting with doctors, he was subsequently diagnosed with a narrow spinal column condition (cervical spinal stenosis), which forced him to announce his early retirement on August 25.