Justin Walley (born September 22, 2002)[1] is an American football cornerback for the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
| 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) |
| |
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 (30 July 2020). "Ole Miss in Top-4 For SI All-American Candidate Justin Walley". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
- ^ Greder, Andy (23 August 2020). "Gophers pick up three-star cornerback prospect from Mississippi". Pioneer Press. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
- ^ Coleman, Joel (10 July 2020). "Cornerback recruit Justin Walley pondering whether he'll join his brother at MSU or choose another path". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
- ^ Newton, Alyssa. "'He's the best I've ever coached' D'Iberville star Justin Walley signs with Minnesota". Sun Herald. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
- ^ Magee, Patrick. "D'Iberville and its Big Ten-bound senior 'raise eyebrows' with a thrashing of Biloxi". Sun Herald. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
- ^ Johnson, Randy. "Gophers freshman cornerback Justin Walley is up for any challenge". Star Tribune. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
- ^ Greder, Andy (22 December 2021). "Back home in Mississippi, Gophers freshman cornerback Justin Walley is the one who got away". Pioneer Press. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
- ^ "Justin Walley 2022 Game Logs". Sports Reference. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
- ^ Neal III, Le Velle. "Saluting Justin Walley and his punch that saved the Gophers". Star Tribune. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
- ^ Johnson, Randy. "Gophers cornerback Justin Walley says he'll return for 2024 season". Star Tribune. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
- ^ "Justin Walley". Minnesota Golden Gophers. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
- ^ Milligan, Rashad (24 July 2020). "Dandy Dozen: Justin Walley ready for challenge to lead like his brother at D'Iberville". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved 22 April 2024.