Even those of you who
follow college football recruiting with fervor may not have heard of
Devon Wallace.
That’s because East
Carolina’s latest commitment has only played one season of varsity
football at Southern Alamance High School in Graham. Wallace was such an
unknown that even the Pirate coaching staff had to be tipped off about
his talent.
“Southern Alamance hasn’t
always been a stop for the Division I coaches,’’ head coach Tony Perrou
said. “So I sent out a lot of film. They (ECU) got the film and were
probably at our school a week later.’’
It didn’t take ECU
defensive backs coach Rick Smith long to convince the 6-foot-2,
195-pound safety-wide receiver to join the Pirates recruiting Class of
2007. Wallace already had deep ties to the ECU program that made the
decision an easy one.
Former Pirate defensive
back Tabari "Snoop" Wallace (1994-97) is Devon’s uncle and current tight
end Davon Drew is a childhood friend from New Bern. Wallace actually
lived in New Bern until the summer of 2005 when he moved to Alamance
County with his father.
“I guess I’ve always
wanted to be a Pirate,’’ Wallace said. “My uncle went there, so I’ve
been to quite a few games there. It’s just in my blood.’’
Football is also in
Wallace’s blood. In addition to his uncle, his father Carnell was a
college cornerback at Winston-Salem State.
But in the initial stages
of his own football career Wallace wasn’t sure he had a future in the
game.
He played on the junior
varsity team at New Bern High as a freshman, and performed well enough
at a variety of positions to earn a promotion to the varsity at the end
of the season. But during contact drills with the varsity players
Wallace was overwhelmed.
“I felt like I was picking
myself up (off the ground) all the time,’’ Wallace said. “I was real
small back then, like 5-9 and about 160 pounds. And I didn’t gain any
weight the summer before my sophomore year, so I told myself I wasn’t
going to play anymore football.’’
Wallace kept that promise
for a while, sitting out his sophomore season at New Bern.
But when the family
relocated to Alamance County, Wallace’s father began encouraging him to
play again.
“He made me realize I
could be good at football when we got here to Southern,’’ Wallace said.
“It was hard coming back. But my father helped me train and get back
into the shape I needed to be in.’’
Perrou realized
immediately when Wallace reported for Southern Alamance’s off-season
workout program that he’d received a significant new addition to his
team.
“We knew he was a really
good athlete right away,’’ Perrou said. “What we didn’t know was how
good his character was. He’s a great young man. He’s real active in his
church, and in the youth activities at his church. He works real hard in
the classroom. Devon is just a great young man.’’
Perrou used Wallace in
many ways last season en route to a 7-5 finish. Wallace played
quarterback, running back and wide receiver at various times during the
year. He finished the season with about 400 yards rushing and 320
receiving.
Wallace, who has 4.5 40
speed, is expected to be used primarily at wide receiver and safety this
season.
Although Wallace prefers
playing wide receiver, he said the Pirates expect to use him at safety.
“I would have preferred
playing wide receiver, but it’s all good,’’ Wallace said. “My (ECU)
coach was saying they thought I could be at least third team (at safety)
when I come in.’’
And what talents will
Wallace add to the ECU secondary situation?
“Probably, I’d say great
speed and awareness,’’ he said. “I also have the ability to read the
quarterback. Having played quarterback myself I’m used to looking
somebody off and all that. So I recognize that happening when I see it.
I think I can compete with whoever I go up against.’’
Perrou believes ECU has
discovered a diamond-in-the-rough in Wallace.
“He’s flown under the
radar because last year was his first year playing,’’ Perrou said. “But
he’s a super athlete who I think will make the rest of the schools who
wanted to wait and see him play as a senior wish they had offered him
earlier.’’
Wallace is the fourth
known commitment for the Pirates, joining Charlotte quarterback D.J.
McFadden, Jacksonville linebacker Austin Haynes and Norfolk, VA,
linebacker Steve Spence.
