Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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64 MARCH 2019 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2019 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY BRYAN DRISKELL Cornerback KJ Wallace knew this is what he wanted for a long time. Be- ing a college football player has been his dream since he began playing flag football at the age of 5. After earning back-to-back all-state honors in the talent-rich Atlanta area, the next stop for The Lovett School star is Notre Dame, where he will play for a coach who earned back-to- back All-America honors in an Irish uniform in 1989 and 1990. Not surprisingly, what cornerbacks coach Todd Lyght accomplished at Notre Dame is exactly what Wallace wants to achieve, and it's a reason why he picked the Irish program. "I want to win a championship," Wallace said emphatically. "Clemson and Alabama are great programs, but they are established, they are already built. "We want to build something; we want to do something that hasn't been done in over 30 years." "I'm a student of the game, I love studying film," he continued. "I don't want to have to think out there, I just want to go play, and the best way to do that is to know what your opponent is going to do. "It allows me to be aggressive, and if I figure out what you are going to do I'm going to make a play." The goal for Wallace is to be the best. "I try to outwork everyone. If I am going to be the number one guy, I have to work for it and earn it," he said. "If I find out someone works harder than me then it's a challenge to work even harder on my game." Wallace wants to be known for more than his work on the football field. During the interview for this story there was more time spent talk- ing about music, family and academ- ics than was used on football, and it comes from how he was raised. It is why his parents chose to send him to The Lovett School, an institution known for its academic prowess, not generating Division I football play- ers. "It was about pride and being the best at whatever I do," Wallace ex- plained. "I never got a C in my life, that just wasn't acceptable to them, and I appreciated that." ✦ KJ WALLACE CORNERBACK 5-11 · 190 THE LOVETT SCHOOL ATLANTA RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ — 57 48 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 218 19 28 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ — 38 37 STATISTICS • Registered 34 tackles, 1.5 sacks, two intercep- tions and four passes broken up on defense as a senior. Added 511 rushing yards (7.4 yards per carry) and 411 receiving yards while scoring 10 touchdowns on offense. • Racked up 63 tackles while intercepting one pass and breaking up 11 more as a junior corner- back. Added more than 1,000 all-purpose yards on offense. • Finished his prep career with 109 tackles and five interceptions, 763 yards and 15 touchdowns rushing, and 145 receptions for 1,631 yards and 15 scores. HONORS • 2018 Georgia Sports Writers Association (GSWA) Class AAA All-State first-team defensive back • 2017 and 2018 Atlanta Journal-Constitution Class AAA All-State first-team defensive back • 2017 GSWA Class AAA All-State second-team defensive back ALL-STAR GAMES AND CAMPS • Ran a 4.09 shuttle, posted a 29.5-foot power ball toss and notched a 32.3-inch vertical jump en route to earning the Defensive Back Most Valu- able Player award at Nike Football's The Opening Nashville Regional in April 2018 RECRUITMENT • Committed to Notre Dame on Jan. 28, 2018. • Selected the Irish over offers from Auburn, Penn State, Stanford, Nebraska, Tennessee, Wis- consin, South Carolina, Duke, Boston College, Vir- ginia, Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech. • Picked Notre Dame after visiting for a Junior Day on Jan. 27, 2018, which was his first trip to South Bend. • Recruited primarily by Notre Dame corner- backs coach Todd Lyght. • His Sept. 1 visit to Notre Dame to watch the Irish take on Michigan was the lone official he took during his recruitment. NOTABLE • Born on Aug. 6, 2000. • Was born in Norfolk, Va., when both of his parents served in the United States Navy. • Ran the 100-, 200- and 400-meter races as a junior at The Lovett School. • Plans to major in finance. • Played against fellow 2019 signee Kyle Ham- ilton the last two seasons. His teammate — line- backer Nick Jackson — signed with Virginia. • Avid watcher of Netflix. 2019 PROJECTION • A redshirt is possible, but Wallace has the physicality, advanced technique and instincts to make a play for a special teams and rotation role as a freshman. THEY SAID IT Head coach Brian Kelly: "We're continuously looking for dedicated student-athletes to join our defense. KJ Wallace steps into the ring, and I know he will fit the mold perfectly." Cornerbacks coach Todd Lyght: "KJ is a two-way player with speed, smarts and sneaky explosive power that's hard to come by these days." BGI football analyst Bryan Driskell: "Wallace is one of my favorite players in this class. He doesn't have great size and he is not a burner, but this young man can flat out play football at a high level. "He does a little bit of everything for Lovett, and in many ways is similar to former Notre Dame star cornerback Julian Love. Wallace has outstanding foot quickness, loose hips and smooth change of direction skills. Those traits allow Wallace to play fast, even though he lacks ideal long speed. In cov- erage, he mirrors receivers well and shows a good feel for reading routes." All-Around Success Drives Cornerback KJ Wallace Wallace was tabbed as a first-team all-state defensive back by both the Georgia Sports Writers Association and The Atlanta Journal- Constitution following his senior year at The Lovett School in Atlanta. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM "It was about pride and being the best at whatever I do." WALLACE ON ATTENDING THE LOVETT SCHOOL, WHICH IS KNOWN FOR ITS ACADEMIC PROWESS