Holyfield attended Manzano High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico. As a junior in 2009–10, he averaged 12.2 points and 10.3 rebounds per game, and helped the Monarchs win the district championship. He started every game as a junior on team with seven seniors, earning second-team All-District honors. As a senior in 2010–11, he led the Monarchs to a 22–9 record, a No. 4 state ranking and the Class AAAAA state finals. He subsequently earned All-State, All-District and All-Metro selection, and was named the district's Defensive Player of the Year.
College career
Holyfield played four seasons of college basketball for Sam Houston State University. He had a minor role over his first two seasons, coming off the bench for much of his freshman and sophomore campaigns and averaging just 15 minutes per game. As a junior in 2013–14, he increased his numbers in every statistical category, averaging 6.5 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 17.6 minutes per game, while starting all 35 contests. His 61 blocks was the fourth highest season total at SHSU. He scored in double figures in seven games, including a season-high 20 points against Northwestern State. As a senior in 2014–15, Holyfield set the school's single-season blocks record with 86 and subsequently earned Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors. He also earned third-team All-Southland Conference honors after averaging 8.5 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in 17.9 minutes per game, as he started in 34 of 35 games. Holyfield completed his career as Sam Houston's fourth all-time leader in blocked shots and fifth all-time in rebounds.
On October 31, 2015, Holyfield was acquired by the Iowa Energy of the NBA Development League as an affiliate player of the Grizzlies. He appeared in 22 games for Iowa in 2015–16 before being traded to the Los Angeles D-Fenders on January 29, 2016. In the D-Fenders' regular season finale on April 2, Holyfield had a season-best game with 19 points and 15 rebounds in a 128–121 loss to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. He helped the D-Fenders reach the 2016 D-League Finals, where they were defeated 2–1 by the Sioux Falls Skyforce. In 24 games for the D-Fenders, he averaged 4.1 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.
On August 11, 2016, Holyfield signed with the Illawarra Hawks for the 2016–17 NBL season. He made his debut for the Hawks in their season opener on October 7, 2016, recording 14 points, six rebounds and two blocks off the bench in a 122–88 win over the Adelaide 36ers. Holyfield appeared in all 34 games for the Hawks in 2016–17, averaging 4.1 points and 4.0 rebounds per game.
China
In June 2018, Holyfield signed with Hunan Jinjian Miye of the Chinese NBL.
