Spence provides spark for Holy Cross football with confidence, consistency

After Holy Cross football games, senior cornerback Terrence Spence likes to watch the ESPN+ broadcasts to hear the commentary and see the game from a different perspective. 

But when he sees the guy on the field wearing a number 2 jersey, he laughs to himself. 

“I’m like, what am I DOING out there?” Spence says. 

The on-field Terrence Spence has a striking contrast to the real-life Terrence Spence. Off the field, Spence is quiet, reserved, and keeps to himself. His alter ego on the field is boisterous, electric, swagger-filled — a consistent spark plug for a dynamic Crusaders secondary and special teams unit. When he steps onto the gridiron, a switch is flipped. It’s the place, after all, where he’s most comfortable, and the place where he has an unrelenting confidence. 

When he’s on the field, his heart is on his sleeve, and he plays with a commitment to his team, his family and the entire Holy Cross community. His approach to football is centered around instinct, emotion and heart, and is anchored by a longstanding knowledge of the game and a dedication to working hard. 

“That’s where he's the most comfortable, where he feels the most himself, and he's able to just let loose and be worry-free and carefree — and just have fun,” said Holy Cross cornerbacks coach Kyle Barnes. 

Spence has been a routine contributor from the moment he stepped on the field as a freshman, carving out a role on special teams and a deep cornerbacks unit. He’s made impact plays from the very beginning and racked up interceptions, pass breakups and blocked punts aplenty. But entering his senior year, as he steps into a full-time starting role and even further into the spotlight, he’s ready for his moment to shine. 

“The kid just loves to compete,” Barnes said. “He hates losing, and he loves winning. And everything about him is driven towards doing that — he’s a competitor, passionate, and extremely talented. 

“When you describe a person like that, it’s hard for them to be under the radar. But that's exactly what he's been his whole career.”

For as long as he can remember, Spence has been obsessed with football. There are old videos of him running around the hallways of his house wearing a New York Jets helmet, throwing a football to himself. By age 4, Spence could name every single NFL team. Around the same age, he already had a mind for the game — once, while watching a TiVo’d game with his dad, he pointed out that a running back missed a gap. His father hadn’t noticed it in real time, but he went to rewind the video, and sure enough, Terrence was correct. 

“I've always loved football from the day I've seen it,” Spence said. “Just sitting down with my dad and watching games — that's where it all originated, was the New York Jets.”

His family had season tickets for the Jets, and a young Spence was glued to the action and the buzz, and engrossed by the power of a single play to electrify an entire crowd. 

Spence begged his parents to play football, too, and he started in the first grade, with his father coaching his teams from that age through eighth grade. Growing up, Spence would sport a #29 jersey for one of his idols — Jets return specialist Leon Washington. 

“I remember going to games and he’d return the opening kickoff and get the crowd going crazy,” Spence said. “That’s where my inspiration came from, and I wanted to be just like that. From day one, I wanted to be the person on that field making the crowd go crazy like that. 

“Having kids look up to you and want to wear your number, I thought that was pretty cool. As you get older, you appreciate that a little bit more. That was my motivation and my drive to try to get to the next level, and it still is to this day.”

No matter the situation, Spence has routinely stepped up to help lift his team to victory. In the first game of Spence’s career, the Spring 2021 season opener at Lehigh, he came in right away and made the opening tackle on kickoff. In his first home game — a tilt against Fordham — he blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown. He later earned Patriot League Special Teams Player of the Week honors, just two games into his first season as a Division I football player.

In his career, Spence has blocked five punts, recorded two interceptions, made 46 tackles, broken up 18 passes and both forced and recovered a fumble. Appearing in all 13 games as a junior in 2022, he blocked three punts, while also recording a career-best 22 tackles and nine PBUs. He notched an interception against Yale a year ago, and his other career interception was in Holy Cross’ Spring 2021 Patriot League Championship Game.  

“He's always gotten better, and when his number's called, he's always made a play,” said Holy Cross special teams coordinator Drew Canan. “He’s always reliable, and works extremely hard. He's very sound, he's very detail-oriented. He knows where he has to be. 

“We ask him to do a lot — he’s on punt rush, he's on punt, he's on kickoff. There's a lot on his plate, not even including all the defensive stuff. I have the utmost respect for how hard he competes. He always plays with an edge, and always plays with swagger.”

“Terrence has always been a person and a player that always rises to the occasion,” said his father, Balondemu. “So what does that mean? It means that when he plays great competition, he plays great. So when you play the Boston Colleges, and you play the West Points, and you play the Buffalos — he's going to rise to the occasion.”

But it isn’t just the thrill of game day — Spence has always been willing to put in the work in between to get there. 

“He appreciates the work of it — he loves the work, the preparation, the offseason,” Balondemu said. 

Growing up, Spence played quarterback, but in high school, he made the move to defensive back at the highly competitive St. Joseph Regional. The 6-foot-2 Spence had the size and athleticism to succeed at that position, and amid a successful high school career, he received several offers at both the FBS and FCS levels. 

But nothing compared to the opportunity he would have at Holy Cross — both off the field and on. Spence has a number of family members who attended Assumption University, where head coach Bob Chesney previously worked, and the family always kept tabs on the team’s success under Chesney’s guidance. 

“It really wasn't a hard decision to come here,” Spence said. “I trusted from the start that Coach Chesney knew how to win and that he was going to get that done — and that everybody else was going to get that done.” 

During Week 5 of his sophomore season in 2021, Spence fractured his fibula while running down on kickoff, which sidelined him for extended time. He adamantly refused to let it be a season-ending injury, though. He went to the Crusaders’ athletic trainer, Alicia Caswell, and asked: Is it possible to come back this season? 

It was a possibility, and he did everything in his power to rehabilitate and return as quickly as possible. He knew the potential the team had, and wanted to be part of a playoff run. 

The rehab process went well, and he eased into the Crusaders’ first-round playoff game, a victory over Sacred Heart. The next game, at Villanova, he was back to the same old Terrence Spence, with a penchant for big-time plays. He broke up two passes, and recovered a fumble that led to a score for the Crusaders. 

“It was definitely an eye-opener for me to just have the game taken away at the snap of a finger,” Spence said. “It was a reminder that I really love this game, and not being able to play it is horrible. So I'll never take any moment for granted out there on the field.” 

In all facets of his life, Spence is loyal and reliable. He’s a quietly protective older brother to his sister, Abby (a sophomore at Assumption) and youngest brother, Benny (a spitting image of the elder Spence son — Terrence’s friends and teammates refer to Benny as “Mini Terrence”). His family has always stood behind his football endeavors, and he feels an obligation to be a strong role model and succeed for them. 

Beyond his devotion to his family, he’s faithful to the Crusaders’ rowdy and loyal fanbase. He feeds off their energy, and is always ready to put on a show.  

“He feels the support and he appreciates that support — whether it be from our family, or from friends, or from the students,” said Spence’s mother, Colleen. “He sees it and he feels it, and I think that feeds him and the team, and Terrence also uses that to pump up the team.”

Last season, during a rainy playoff tilt against New Hampshire, Spence once again put on a show, blocking a punt for the third time in that campaign. Near the end of the game, with his entire uniform soaked in mud, Spence ran to the end zone with his arms spread, firing up the Crusaders’ rambunctious student section. 

“Having that energy in the stadium every single week is a huge part of what makes the game so fun,” Spence said. “If you had nobody in that stadium, no fans or anything, it’d be like we were playing pickup football. Having people in there, your teammates on the sideline, fans in the stands, my family and everything like that — having people to play for is a huge part of why I love the game so much, and why it motivates me to be the best version of myself every single week.”

Spence has had a strong start to his senior campaign, with 14 tackles — including a tackle for loss — and two pass breakups in two games so far. He’s eager to make the most of his opportunity to lift the nationally ranked Holy Cross football team to new heights. 

The next test? A matchup against defending Ivy League champion Yale, with kickoff set for noon on Saturday, Sept. 16. 

“I just love being able to compete and go up against players that have a lot of talent every single week,” Spence said. “I love the pressure that comes with football. Just being a defensive back, it's me versus you, and being able to show what I have is the biggest thing for me — I just love competing, I love seeing how I match up against the best across the nation.” 

When he’s been in a cornerbacks room with players like All-American Devin Haskins and now-graduated John Smith — a three-time All-Patriot League first team honoree — over the last four seasons, Terrence Spence might not be a household name quite yet. But his coaches agree that the sky's the limit, and it’s Terrence’s moment to shine. It’s time to sit back, relax and enjoy the show. (Though let’s be honest — Terrence would rather you stand up, make some noise, and really enjoy the show.) 

“Where’s Terrence’s ceiling? I’ll let you know when I find it,” Barnes said. 

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