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University of Minnesota Athletics
Seizing the Moment - Senior Jakari Wallace
12/8/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
“He’s one of those guys I talk about all the time,” Mason explained. “I love tough guys, and they don’t come any tougher than Jakari. If he’d walk in here, it’s not what you look like. He always has a smile on his face and is very mild-mannered. I used to talk about (former defensive tackle) Dan Kwapinski being tough, but our orthopedic surgeon Pat Smith said, ‘You’re forgetting about one guy.’
No one since he’s been the orthopedic surgeon here has had a worse knee than Jakari Wallace. The first report we got was that he’d never play again; we were afraid that he may walk with a limp.” Wallace did come back and regained almost all of the stunning 4.3 40-yard dash speed that made him such a valuable commodity. He endured endless hours of rehab, and had to sit back and watch as his peers played the game he loved and earned a bowl berth. In today’s game of college football many players redshirt and have to be out of game action for a season, but Wallace had to endure a second consecutive year away from games, only this time there was not even any practice.
“It was very frustrating. I didn’t know whether or not I’d be able to play the game again because the injury was so serious,” Wallace said. “Sitting out that second year, there were times where I didn’t even want to go to the games when I was injured because I knew I was supposed to be out there playing. Fortunately it gave me time to sit back and get myself together as a student-athlete. It gave me time to focus in the classroom and it made me a better student.”
In addition to becoming a great student, Wallace also became a more cerebral football player. His extra time not playing allowed him to sit back and learn how to read defenses better and pick out things that he never had before. When he did come back, he was able to become more than just a wide receiver. His speed, athleticism, toughness and intelligence have allowed him to become the Golden Gophers most dangerous special team weapon this season.
“He is returning kickoffs, covering punts, he is our best tackler on the football team and he plays wide receiver; there’s something wrong with that,” Mason commented. “So much of tackling is an attitude, and he’s playing full tilt. That guy is out there going as hard as he can; he is a full speed guy.”
His ability to tackle so well is surprising to many Gopher fans due to his diminutive stature. Wallace stands at 5-8 and weighs 175 pounds soaking wet, yet week in and week out he is out on special teams putting licks on returners twice his size. Wallace insists that this skill of his has always been there.
“It’s always been a part of my game; the coaches just didn’t know too much about it. I played a little cornerback in high school, but I must say I was better as a receiver,” Wallace claimed.
What is not surprising is Wallace’s ability to return kickoffs. With his blazing speed, he has busted one big return after another, and has a 31-yard average entering the Ohio State game. If current trends continue and he can build on that kind of success, he may go into the Gopher record books as having the best return average of all time.
Wallace realizes this, and he has four conference games and a potential bowl game to reach this feat. Another feat he has his sights set on is a kickoff return for a touchdown.
“It’s just a matter of time, a block here, a block there,” Wallace stated. “Other teams, it seems like what they’re doing is putting an extra safety back there to contain, but I’m going to break one sooner or later.”
Jakari Wallace has come a long way not only as a football player but as a human being. Even in the midst of his most successful football season on the field, he is just as focused on the important things that occur off the field. He is set to graduate this spring with a degree in recreation, park, and leisure studies and then it’s off to the working world. Until then, Gopher fans will be waiting for him to break that last tackle and take it to the house.
Story written by Dominic Ladd, athletic communications graduate assistant. The 2005 season for senior wide receiver Jakari Wallace almost never happened. In fact, Wallace’s entire Golden Gopher career almost never happened. During the summer of 2002, after completing his redshirt season at the U of M, Wallace suffered a devastating knee injury that many thought had ended his football days. However, nobody knew of the resilience inside the 5-8 receiver from Lauderdale Lakes, Fla. That resilience, that toughness to come back from that horrific of an injury is one reason why head coach Glen Mason loves Wallace so much.
“He’s one of those guys I talk about all the time,” Mason explained. “I love tough guys, and they don’t come any tougher than Jakari. If he’d walk in here, it’s not what you look like. He always has a smile on his face and is very mild-mannered. I used to talk about (former defensive tackle) Dan Kwapinski being tough, but our orthopedic surgeon Pat Smith said, ‘You’re forgetting about one guy.’
No one since he’s been the orthopedic surgeon here has had a worse knee than Jakari Wallace. The first report we got was that he’d never play again; we were afraid that he may walk with a limp.” Wallace did come back and regained almost all of the stunning 4.3 40-yard dash speed that made him such a valuable commodity. He endured endless hours of rehab, and had to sit back and watch as his peers played the game he loved and earned a bowl berth. In today’s game of college football many players redshirt and have to be out of game action for a season, but Wallace had to endure a second consecutive year away from games, only this time there was not even any practice.
“It was very frustrating. I didn’t know whether or not I’d be able to play the game again because the injury was so serious,” Wallace said. “Sitting out that second year, there were times where I didn’t even want to go to the games when I was injured because I knew I was supposed to be out there playing. Fortunately it gave me time to sit back and get myself together as a student-athlete. It gave me time to focus in the classroom and it made me a better student.”
In addition to becoming a great student, Wallace also became a more cerebral football player. His extra time not playing allowed him to sit back and learn how to read defenses better and pick out things that he never had before. When he did come back, he was able to become more than just a wide receiver. His speed, athleticism, toughness and intelligence have allowed him to become the Golden Gophers most dangerous special team weapon this season.
“He is returning kickoffs, covering punts, he is our best tackler on the football team and he plays wide receiver; there’s something wrong with that,” Mason commented. “So much of tackling is an attitude, and he’s playing full tilt. That guy is out there going as hard as he can; he is a full speed guy.”
His ability to tackle so well is surprising to many Gopher fans due to his diminutive stature. Wallace stands at 5-8 and weighs 175 pounds soaking wet, yet week in and week out he is out on special teams putting licks on returners twice his size. Wallace insists that this skill of his has always been there.
“It’s always been a part of my game; the coaches just didn’t know too much about it. I played a little cornerback in high school, but I must say I was better as a receiver,” Wallace claimed.
What is not surprising is Wallace’s ability to return kickoffs. With his blazing speed, he has busted one big return after another, and has a 31-yard average entering the Ohio State game. If current trends continue and he can build on that kind of success, he may go into the Gopher record books as having the best return average of all time.
Wallace realizes this, and he has four conference games and a potential bowl game to reach this feat. Another feat he has his sights set on is a kickoff return for a touchdown.
“It’s just a matter of time, a block here, a block there,” Wallace stated. “Other teams, it seems like what they’re doing is putting an extra safety back there to contain, but I’m going to break one sooner or later.”
Jakari Wallace has come a long way not only as a football player but as a human being. Even in the midst of his most successful football season on the field, he is just as focused on the important things that occur off the field. He is set to graduate this spring with a degree in recreation, park, and leisure studies and then it’s off to the working world. Until then, Gopher fans will be waiting for him to break that last tackle and take it to the house.
Story written by Dominic Ladd, athletic communications graduate assistant.
