Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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76 MARCH 2018 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY COREY BODDEN On the plane ride home from his Junior Day visit to Notre Dame Jan. 27, Atlanta Lovett 2019 corner- back K.J. Wallace knew South Bend was his new home. Wallace's original plan was to make a commitment right before his senior season, but he didn't see any point of waiting after checking out what the Irish program had to offer. The 5-10, 182-pounder announced Jan. 28 his intentions to become the third member of Notre Dame's 2019 class, joining Reno (Nev.) Da- monte Ranch Rivals250 quarterback Cade McNamara, who is ranked as the No. 8 pro-style quarterback and No. 230 overall player nationally by Rivals, and Bowling Green (Ky.) South Warren Rivals four-star defen- sive tackle Jacob Lacey. "Actually on the plane ride back, I had a dream," Wallace told Blue & Gold Illustrated. "It was my little sister and for whatever reason I could see her when she was really little, and she was telling me to go. … That was the tip- ping point for me. It was weird. I don't know. I just knew I needed to do it. "They're going to give you the tools necessary to have a successful life with and without football. It's all up to you to take advantage of the resources all over the place. It's a great university." Even though it was his first time at Notre Dame, Wallace found the perfect fit to continue his academic and athletic career. "It checks all the boxes with aca- demics and big-time football," he explained. "I love the coaching staff, the connections with the alumni base, and every game is sold out. The only downfall is that it's cold. I'll figure it out. I just loved it. "I know this is the place for me … I loved everything about the campus and the coaches. We met a few play- ers and I like their strength and con- ditioning program, too. I just loved everything. I couldn't find much wrong about it." Spending time with cornerbacks coach Todd Lyght during the visit helped Wallace feel comfortable with the Irish. The Notre Dame assistant made his presence known to Lovett throughout the process. "It was me and another defensive back going kind of one-on-one with Coach Lyght going over some defen- sive stuff," Wallace said. "I thought that was really exciting. Not nor- mally do you get to have a one-on- one conversation on a Junior Day like that. I'm not sure how to describe it. The whole feeling was amazing. It's the best visit I've ever taken. "He's been to my school multiple times, probably three or four times, just this little period. I don't even really look at him as a coach. He's my coach obviously, but I can just relate to him." The Wallace family also has a con- nection to running backs coach Autry Denson. "My dad played high school ball with him, so they knew each other," Wallace said. "I've always liked Coach Denson. He's a pretty cool guy. "It was good to talk with him and meet him." Although Wallace is listed as an athlete on Rivals, Notre Dame likes him at cornerback. The three-star prospect and No. 48 athlete in the class per Rivals picked Notre Dame over offers from Auburn, Duke, Georgia Tech, Nebraska, Penn State, South Carolina, Stanford, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Virginia and Wisconsin. According to MaxPreps, Wallace caught 40 passes for 537 yards and six scores during his junior season. He also recorded 63 tackles, one in- terception and 11 passes defended. If Wallace winds up signing with the Irish during the 2019 cycle, it will be the second straight class Notre Dame has landed a defensive back from Georgia. He would join 2018 Marietta (Ga.) Lassiter safety Derrik Allen, who is a friend of Wallace and his family. Before the signing of Allen, Notre Dame had not landed a Peach State defensive back since Stone Mountain (Ga.) Tucker safety Jamoris Slaugh- ter, who signed in the 2008 class and was drafted in the sixth round of the 2013 NFL Draft. ✦ FILM ANALYSIS Strengths K.J. Wallace is an instinctive player that does a little bit of everything for Lovett, which is why his game resembles that of current Notre Dame cornerback Julian Love when he was in high school … Smooth athlete that shows quick feet, fluid transition skills and strong change of direction ability … Playing on offense has helped him as a defender — he showed very good route recognition skills and the ability to get fast jumps on the football … Like Love, when he is able to focus on technique for just one position, his game will make significant strides. Areas For Improvement Has to continue adding strength and will need to become a more forceful tackler … Improving his speed would make his game even stronger … Plays a lot of safety and also plays offense, so he isn't able to focus just on his cornerback technique, which needs some work. — BGI football analyst Bryan Driskell COMMITMENT PROFILE K.J. WALLACE 2019 Georgia Cornerback's Dream Led Him To Notre Dame Notre Dame landed Wallace shortly after his visit for the program's Junior Day Jan. 27. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM "I know this is the place for me … I loved everything about the campus and the coaches. We met a few players and I like their strength and conditioning program, too. I just loved everything. I couldn't find much wrong about it." WALLACE