In joining Charlie’s Top PSU moments, we’ve added another daily countdown feature here at NittanyWhiteOut. We’ll be measuring up the 50 most important players to Penn State’s success in the 2009 season. With just 5 more days until Penn State football, you’ll be getting 2 installments a day for the rest of the week.

Checking in at #10 is a talented cornerback who hopes to put it all together for Penn State as a senior: A.J. Wallace

Number: 1
Position: Cornerback
Class: Senior
Height: 6’1
Weight: 195
Hometown: Waldorf, MD
How’d He Get Here: Wallace was the crown jewel of Penn State’s recruiting class 4 years ago.  Coming out of high school, Wallace was universally regarded as one of the top players in the country, and it wasn’t without just cause.  As a junior, Wallace ran for almost 1400 yards and caught for about 200 more, with a total of 28 touchdowns.  On defense, he added 3 interceptions and 65 tackles and even brought back 3 punt returns to the house.  As a senior, Wallace’s numbers were even scarier: 2090 yards from scrimmage and 35 touchdowns, to go along with 3 interceptions and 3 return touchdowns.  Needless to say, these numbers turned heads.  Rated as the #1 cornerback in the country and as the #19 prospect overall in the country by Rivals, and as the #6 cornerback by Scout, Wallace had offers from virtually every big time football program, and played in the Army All-American game.  Before choosing the Lions, Wallace considered offers from USC, Ohio State, Miami, Florida State, and Nebraska, but in the end Larry Johnson did what he so often does: picking the best recruits out of Maryland and bringing them to Happy Valley.

2008 Results: Wallace was slated to start at corner for the Lions in 2008, especially after his performance in the 2007 Alamo Bowl which saw him snag his first collegiate interception, and secure the game-clinching fumble recovery, to go along with a career high five tackles.  However, some early season injuries hampered his effectiveness, and Penn State moved forward with Lydell Sargeant and Tony Davis manning the starting corner spots.  However, Wallace, played extensively in all 13 games, starting 2 of them.  He made 20 tackles on the season, a step back from the 32 he had in 2007.  He was also used just sparingly in the kick return game, returning just 6 kicks for a 19.8 average, although he was among the All Big-Ten candidates at kick returner heading into the year.
What to Expect in 2009: Despite a nagging hamstring injury, Wallace was all but guaranteed to be Penn State’s #1 cornerback in 2009, but then the off-field issues once again reared their ugly heads.  Apparently, Wallace skipped some classes during the summer semester, and Joe Paterno has said he will punish Wallace with a 1 or 2 game suspension.  Though they hopefully won’t need Wallace during the Akron and Syracuse games, he’s listed behind Knowledge Timmons and D’Anton Lynn on the depth chart, and will need to prove himself to the coaching staff if he wants to regain his starting spot.  That shouldn’t be a problem, as Wallace has more raw talent then, perhaps, the two of them combined.  What’s to be seen is whether he will take a role as leader of the secondary, as its most experienced member.
Random Fact: Wallace is one of the Nittany Lions players who has a Twitter account, and his tweets are pretty enjoyable.  Here are some highlights:

Sheeeesh MJ was the best performer. Watchin his videos while im twisted.shit looks crazY he made da matrix b4 tha matrix

Im standing in McDonalds lookin at this kid wear tha most fakest pair of Jordan V’s i seen in my life. Wat has tha world come to.

The Final Word: When A.J. Wallace committed to play for the Lions, and early in his Penn State career, it seemed that Penn State had a truly electric playmaker who could succeed anywhere you put him on the field.  As a freshman, he saw time at running back, and though he only touhced the ball 8 times, he put up over 150 yards and a score.  Maybe it’s been the nagging injuries, some off the field issues, or concners about his work ethic that have put Wallace in Joe Paterno’s doghouse, but the coaching staff hasn’t put much faith in Wallace since then.  He won’t be returning kicks much this year, and can focus solely on playing corner.  He should be able to win back his starting job from either Lynn or Timmons, but Wallace needs to truly break through in his senior season to validate the high hopes everyone had for him at the start of his college career.  As the most experienced member of the secondary, he has the opportunity to take a leadership role and put it all together.  For the sake of the whole team, I sure hope he does.

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