Justin Walley (American football)
| Minnesota Golden Gophers – No. 5 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Cornerback |
| Class | Senior |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | September 22, 2002[1] |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg) |
| Career history | |
| College |
|
| High school | D'Iberville (D'Iberville, Mississippi) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Justin Walley (born September 22, 2002)[1] is an American football cornerback for the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
Early life and high school
[edit]Walley attended high school at D'Iberville. In Walley's junior season, he notched 74 tackles, seven pass deflections, and an interception, while also hauling in 230 receiving yards.[2] Coming out of high school, Walley was rated as a star recruit.[3] Walley also held offers from schools such as Baylor, Colorado, Louisiana-Lafayette Minnesota, Mississippi State, and Ole Miss.[4] Walley ultimately decided to commit to playing college football for the Minnesota Golden Gophers.[5][6]
College career
[edit]In the 2021 regular season finale, Walley came up with a huge interception to help the Gophers take down rival Wisconsin.[7] During the 2021 season, Walley notched 29 tackles, seven pass deflections, an interception, a forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, and a touchdown.[8] During the 2022 season, Walley recorded 39 tackles, two pass deflections, three interceptions, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble.[9] In week one of the 2023 season, Walley forced a fumble with less than five minutes left which helped Minnesota come back and beat Nebraska.[10] During the 2023 season, Walley tallied 45 tackles, eight pass deflections, an interception, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble.[11]
Personal life
[edit]Walley is the cousin of former NFL cornerback, Dee McCann. His older brother Jaden is a wide receiver for the Mississippi State Bulldogs.[12][13]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Justin Walley Cornerback Minnesota". nfldraftbuzz.com. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
- ^ Gabler, Nate (July 30, 2020). "Ole Miss in Top-4 For SI All-American Candidate Justin Walley". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
- ^ Greder, Andy (August 23, 2020). "Gophers pick up three-star cornerback prospect from Mississippi". Pioneer Press. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
- ^ Coleman, Joel (July 10, 2020). "Cornerback recruit Justin Walley pondering whether he'll join his brother at MSU or choose another path". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
- ^ Newton, Alyssa. "'He's the best I've ever coached' D'Iberville star Justin Walley signs with Minnesota". Sun Herald. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
- ^ Magee, Patrick. "D'Iberville and its Big Ten-bound senior 'raise eyebrows' with a thrashing of Biloxi". Sun Herald. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
- ^ Johnson, Randy. "Gophers freshman cornerback Justin Walley is up for any challenge". Star Tribune. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
- ^ Greder, Andy (December 22, 2021). "Back home in Mississippi, Gophers freshman cornerback Justin Walley is the one who got away". Pioneer Press. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
- ^ "Justin Walley 2022 Game Logs". Sports Reference. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
- ^ Neal III, Le Velle. "Saluting Justin Walley and his punch that saved the Gophers". Star Tribune. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
- ^ Johnson, Randy. "Gophers cornerback Justin Walley says he'll return for 2024 season". Star Tribune. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
- ^ "Justin Walley". Minnesota Golden Gophers. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
- ^ Milligan, Rashad (July 24, 2020). "Dandy Dozen: Justin Walley ready for challenge to lead like his brother at D'Iberville". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved April 22, 2024.