The NFL draft is almost here, and Levi Wallace has to prove himself all over again.
In some respects, he’s no different than anyone else. Nothing is guaranteed when it comes to the draft or pro football.
In other respects, he’s unlike anyone else. Name another prospect who was virtually unrecruited out of high school — Tucson High, in Wallace’s case — walked on at the best football school in the country and became a standout starter there. You can’t.
Wallace is a modern-day “Rudy” — only way better. Starting at cornerback for national-champion Alabama, Wallace earned midseason All-America recognition and second-team All-SEC honors. He was targeted 68 times and did not allow a touchdown, according to Pro Football Focus.
And yet, as Thursday’s Round 1 nears, Wallace has become something of a draft afterthought. NFLDraftScout.com projects him as a seventh-round pick. NFL.com gives him a grade of 5.08, which means he has a “better-than-average chance to make an NFL roster.” Not exactly glowing praise for a player dubbed “The Technician” by none other than Nick Saban himself.
“People are still doubting me,” Wallace said in a recent phone interview. “I went against top-tier receivers and locked them all down. I feel like my numbers speak for themselves.
“You can doubt me all you want. I look forward to the next challenge.”
‘The real Levi’
To say Wallace has been doubted all his life wouldn’t be entirely accurate. For a time, he wasn’t even being considered.
Wallace was a good player at Tucson High, but he wasn’t on anyone’s recruiting radar. Well, except for Division II Western New Mexico. The Mustangs were interested.
Wallace didn’t participate in as many scouting camps as he could have or probably should have. He didn’t have the measurables to stand out.
“If you looked at the numbers, they didn’t grab your attention,” Tucson High coach Justin Argraves said. Those doing the looking, he added, “didn’t get to know the real Levi.”
“He was a skinny, rangy, lanky kid,” Argraves said. “But he had an absolutely great work ethic and a great attitude.”
If there was any interest from local schools such as Arizona, the feeling wasn’t mutual. Nothing personal against the U of A; Wallace simply wanted to get away. All his life, he wanted to play for one school: Alabama.
Levi’s late father, Walter, was born in Tuscaloosa, grew up a few miles from Bryant-Denny Stadium and was a lifelong fan of the Crimson Tide. He and Levi shared that dream, as well as what Levi’s mother, Wendy, describes as an “entrepreneurial spirit.”
Walter and Wendy both served in the Air Force, and they became small-business owners when Walter retired from service in 1995. They had a dojo (Walter was a fourth-degree black belt), laundromats, a preschool. They dabbled in marketing and real estate. Some of the ventures were successful. Others weren’t.
Recalled Wendy: “Walt was one of those people who said, ‘I’m going to try this. If it works out, great.’ He didn’t stop just because something didn’t work out.”
Walter and Wendy always emphasized character and work ethic to their two boys: Levi, who’s now 22, and Lawrence, who’s 20. To this day, Wendy texts them motivational messages: “How are you being great today? How are you helping someone else?”
Levi and Lawrence were expected to work at the preschool. They didn’t like it at first. They eventually became mentors.
The boys also were put in charge of the vending machines at the family’s laundromats. If they kept them filled and serviced, they could pocket the profits. If not, their parents would keep the money.
“That was a lesson learned,” Wendy said. “Nobody is going to give you anything.”
From walk-on
to starter
When he left Tucson for Tuscaloosa in the summer of 2013, Levi Wallace had a lot on his mind.
Not only was he leaving home to attend college 1,500 miles away, but Levi’s father was sick. Just before Levi was set to start school, Walter was diagnosed with ALS.
“I thought he was going to beat it,” Levi said. “I thought my dad was Superman.”
Levi also thought about changing his plans. Perhaps it would be better for the family if he stayed home to help out. His parents rebuffed him.
“That was not an option,” Wendy said.
Levi was excited about the opportunity to attend Alabama and try out for the football team. Walter and Wendy insisted that Levi stay the course.
So Levi became a student at the other U of A and played football that fall – intramural football, that is.
After winter break, he participated in walk-on tryouts. Football-team hopefuls are given numbers. If your number gets called, you’ve made the cut. Did Levi think he had made it?
“I did,” he said. “I thought I was better than everyone I was out there with.”
Levi always believed in himself. But he knew he had to get bigger and stronger, and he knew he had a lot to learn.
Levi spent the next two seasons on the scout team. The more he practiced against four- and five-star players – who make up the bulk of Alabama’s roster – the more the zero-star non-recruit realized he belonged.
“You realize they’re the same as you but with more hype,” Levi said. “It’s not how you came in, it’s how you leave.”
Toward the end of training camp in August 2016, Saban awarded scholarships to three walk-ons. Levi Wallace was one of them. He had fulfilled his dream. Or maybe not.
“That wasn’t enough for me,” Wallace said. “I wanted to get on the field.”
Wallace kept working. He played on special teams and off the bench as a cornerback in 2016.
He finished the season with 11 tackles and two passes defensed.
Wallace began the ’17 season as a backup. But in the second half of the opener against Florida State, Wallace got the call to start over Trevon Diggs, a former four-star recruit.
Wallace intercepted a pass and broke up another. He became a fixture for the eventual national champions, finishing his senior season with 48 tackles, 15 pass breakups and three picks.
Argraves and his wife attended Wallace’s senior-day game. They walked around campus and toured the football facilities.
“It was so cool,” Argraves said. “He was a rock star down there.”
If only Levi’s father had been around to see it.
Inspirational journey
Walter Lee Wallace Jr. passed away on April 18, 2014. He was 58 years old.
Walter died on the eve of Levi’s first spring football game. He thinks about his dad almost every day.
“He just kept me motivated,” Levi said. “He kept me on the right path. He told me not to give up on my dreams so easily, no matter how hard it is.”
Despite his accomplishments at Alabama, Levi Wallace faces another uphill climb. Scouts are questioning his size — Wallace is 6 feet tall but only 183 pounds — and speed. His 40-yard dash time at the NFL scouting combine was 4.63 seconds, among the slowest in this year’s cornerback crop.
But Wallace’s game never has been about size or speed. He relies on technique, intelligence, patience and desire.
Some NFL team will appreciate those traits and select him Friday or Saturday. The Wallaces will watch the draft unfold from Levi’s apartment in Tuscaloosa. His mother, who now lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, is looking forward to experiencing that once-in-a-lifetime moment with her older son. She has no idea how it will turn out.
Neither does Levi. But he knows what got him to this point.
And he knows there’s more to come.
“I’m glad I have the story I have now,” Levi said. “It gives a lot of people hope and inspiration.
“I wouldn’t change a thing. The whole journey, it’s been an unbelievable, unforgettable experience.”
