Maturity has put DJ Waller Jr. in position to have big year at cornerback

DJ Waller Jr. was a massive addition to Kentucky’s 2024 roster in the spring transfer portal window. The Cats had a need at cornerback and the Youngstown native helped addressed that need. Waller went from competing for a starting spot during spring practice at Michigan to an SEC program where the expectation was that he could be a plug-and-play starter.

That’s not exactly what happened.

The Big Ten transfer dealt with injuries most of last year’s fall camp after not spending the spring semester at Kentucky. That led to Waller starting the season as CB3. The transfer stepped into the starting lineup in September when Maxwell Hairston was lost to injury. Waller would appear appear in seven total games with four starting assignments before missing the last four games with an injury. Kentucky’s big offseason addition finished the season with 13 tackles and two pass breakups in 210 snaps.

But he seems to have found another gear in his first full offseason with the Kentucky program.

There was a belief that there would be a true competition for the starting cornerback spot opposite JQ Hardaway but it appears that DJ Waller Jr. has all but secured a spot in the starting lineup. Head coach Mark Stoops recently said that the cornerback “is really playing good football” during fall camp. A big year could be on the horizon for the true junior. It’s not just the play on the field where Waller has grown.

Luckett’s Play Sheet: 10 takeaway from Kentucky’s preseason media blitz (KSR+)

“Maturity,” Kentucky defensive coordinator Brad White told KSR when asked where DJ Waller Jr. has grown the most. “I think there’s just a maturity to everything he’s doing right now in terms of how he handles his business both in the building and outside.”

“You tend to find that when you mature in all areas of your life, there’s carryover. It’s like the olympic ring — it’s a venn diagram. They all bleed in. I can’t live wrong off the field and expect to be that guy on the field. And then vice versa.”

DJ Waller Jr. is now a draft-eligible player and a light seems to have come on. Kentucky has had some of their best defenses in the Stoops era with big cornerbacks on the outside and Waller fits that mold. Things are now beginning to click for the talented defensive back. A splash year could occur in 2025 at a position where UK is starting to consistently pump out draft picks.

“I’ve just been proud of his growth since the moment he stepped on to where he is here from a maturity standpoint,” White said.