Notre Dame safety KJ Wallace enters transfer portal
A member of Notre Dame’s secondary intends on finishing his career elsewhere.
Safety K.J. Wallace has entered his name in the NCAA transfer portal, according to On3’s Matt Zenitz. He played in 10 games as a junior in 2021, with most of his action coming on special teams, and made one tackle this year.
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Wallace played 19 defensive snaps in 2021 and 67 over the past three years. He competed for the nickel back job in the spring and briefly saw time there in the fall. He logged 69 special teams snaps this season, mostly on punt return and kick return teams.
All told, Wallace (5-10, 185) played in 18 games and made five tackles (1.0 for loss) from 2019-21. He appeared in four games in 2019, preserving his redshirt, and played in four in 2020. Per the On3 Consensus, he was a four-star recruit and the No. 276 overall player in the 2019 class. He came to Notre Dame from The Lovett School in Atlanta.
Off the field, Wallace was one of four co-hosts of “Inside The Garage” podcast, along with classmates Kyle Hamilton, Cam Hart and Conor Ratigan. He appeared on the most recent episode, which was released Monday.
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Ten Notre Dame players have entered the transfer portal since the start of the 2021 season, including Wallace. The previous nine are wide receiver Lawrence Keys III (transferred to Tulane), quarterback Brendon Clark (Old Dominion), safety Khari Gee (Georgia Tech), safety Litchfield Ajavon, linebacker Paul Moala, linebacker Shayne Simon (Pitt), punter Jay Bramblett (LSU), offensive lineman Quinn Carroll (Minnesota) and cornerback Caleb Offord (Buffalo).
Wallace is the eighth player from the Irish’s 2019 signing class to head to the portal. His move is the latest news in a busy six weeks for Notre Dame’s safety position.
Starter Houston Griffith and key rotation member DJ Brown announced they are returning for graduate seasons in 2022. The Irish pulled former Northwestern safety and 2020 All-American Brandon Joseph out of the portal Jan. 8. In December, Hamilton declared for the NFL Draft and Notre Dame signed three defensive backs as part of its 2022 class.
Freshman Justin Walters and sophomores Ramon Henderson and Xavier Watts are set to return at safety well.
Wallace’s departure would put Notre Dame at 88 scholarship players for 2022. The Irish have to be at 85 by the first day of fall camp.
