Who replaces TE Trent Pennix for NC State football? Meet freshman Cedric Seabrough

RALEIGH — Cedric Seabrough knew his moment would eventually come, he just didn't expect it to be so soon.

Last Saturday, the NC State redshirt freshman from Swainsboro, Georgia, suited up for his first college football game, playing on special teams and taking offensive reps at tight end against East Carolina.

Two days later, his name was listed first on the depth chart after coach Dave Doeren announced starting tight end Trent Pennix would be out 4 to 6 weeks with a non-surgical injury. The redshirt junior had two catches for 25 yards and four targets before leaving in the second half because of an apparent wrist injury.

It was Pennix who first showed Seabrough his name on the list of starters Monday afternoon, offering him praise along with advice.

"He told me to work my butt off this week to get prepared," Seabrough said. "He told me to make the most of every moment."

It's the same advice he's heard every day since he and his identical twin brother Fredrick (Fred) Seabrough — also a redshirt freshman tight end at NC State — were 9 years old, training in the backyard with their father, Fredrick Seabrough Sr.

"He was the first to push us," Seabrough said. "The first to show me what hard work could do."

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It's the same thing he heard from tight ends and special teams coach Todd Goebbel all last season, and a major reason he and his brother chose NC State. Goebbel reminded them of their father.

"Even though I wasn't playing last year, he (Goebbel) would be on us to prepare like we were going to be playing every week," Seabrough said. "And I took that seriously. I watched film, studied the game plan, knew the plays we were going to be running that week and I'm just carrying that over to now. That's why I know I'll be ready."

The No. 18 Wolfpack (1-0), which dropped five spots in the AP Poll after a 21-20 win over ECU, will host Charleston Southern (0-1) on Saturday (12:30 p.m.) at Carter-Finley Stadium in their home opener. Without Pennix, NC State will need Seabrough to make his presence felt, particularly with Texas Tech and No. 4 Clemson looming in the coming weeks.

"I've dreamed of this moment since I was a little kid," Seabrough said. "I know it's my time to go."

Playing for family

Seabrough had to wait a day to call his biggest fan with the news.

His grandmother, Mary Hall, has been in poor health and needed her rest, but on Tuesday evening, he was able to lift her spirits. It was the same call he made after earning his first varsity start as a sophomore at Swainsboro High School. Since then, she's cut out every newspaper article with her grandsons' names, proudly displaying the collage of accomplishments in her kitchen.

"She's always been the positivity in our life," Seabrough said. "She taught me to remain humble, no matter what happened in life."

Saturday's game will also be a full circle moment for Seabrough's father, a star high school athlete in Georgia who got in his own way when it came to playing college football.

"He instilled in us at a young age that he didn't want us to make the same mistakes that he did," Seabrough said. "I've always listened to his advice, he hasn't been wrong yet."

No one, though, was more excited than his twin brother. Fred is listed as a backup for starting H-back Chris Toudle. The H-back lines up similarly to a tight end but is "set back" from the line of scrimmage and counted as one of the four backs in an offensive formation. The two will likely share the field together on offense against Charleston Southern.

"He supported me most out of everybody," Seabrough said. "If it was the other way around, I would be pushing him the same way he's pushing me now. There is no jealousy between us. We always look out for each other."

Twin towers

Joey Carnes, NC State's assistant strength and conditioning coach, had to make up a rhyme to tell the difference between the identical twins.

Cedric wore a two-strand twist hairstyle while Fred had dyed a red patch in his hair.

"Ced with the dreads and Fred with the red," Carnes would yell when they entered the weight room.

"Honestly, everyone gets us confused, especially since I took out my dreads and now started rocking my fro," Seabrough said. "Even some of my closest friends who I see every day, get it mixed up. I'm used to it by now. Fred is the one who has fun with it."

Just last week, it was Fred who convinced his brother to pretend to be him for the first few minutes of a class before switching places without saying a word.

"I was in there acting like I was Fred and then I just walked out," Seabrough said. "He came back in and everybody was asking him, 'did you change your clothes or something?'"

The two were nicknamed the "Twin Towers" by local play-by-play announcers Lee Stewart and Rosey Young in high school due to their matching 6-foot-4 stature on the basketball court. They told college football recruiters they were a package deal. Take both of us or no deal.

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NC State's Goebbel was the first to recognize the value of having both brothers on a roster.

"He was like a second dad to us during the entire process," Seabrough said. "He would text us every morning and tell us to go out and be the best versions of ourselves that day, like every single day. Every single day."

Preparing for the moment

Seabrough showed up to NC State last year admittedly not prepared for the rigors of college football.

He had developed a severe bunion on his left foot that needed to be removed surgically and kept him off his feet for several weeks. He arrived on campus at 220 pounds, and after two months in a walking boot, was struggling to run on his toes instead of his back heel.

"I had gained some bad weight," Seabrough said. "I had to put in a lot of work to get to where I needed to be."

He spent his redshirt season strengthing his core and working on his stability. He regained his running form and put on 25 pounds of muscle. He's now up to 245 and feels leaner than ever.

"I'm telling you, I've done everything I can to prepare to play," Seabrough said. "It's why I know I'm ready for this week. This isn't something that snuck up on me. I've been working for this."

David Thompson is an award-winning reporter for the USA Today Network covering NC State and Duke athletics. He can be reached at dthompson1@gannett.com, at 828-231-1747, or on Twitter at @daveth89.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: NC State football's Cedric Seabrough prepares for start with family help