Cody Wallace

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Cody Wallace

Wallace (right) defending quarterback Stephen McGee as a senior at Texas A&M.
San Francisco 49ers — No. 65
Center
Date of birth: November 26, 1984 (1984-11-26) (age 23)
Place of birth: Cuero, Texas
Height: 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) Weight: 296 lb (134 kg)
National Football League debut
No regular season or postseason appearances
Career history
College: Texas A&M
NFL Draft: 2008 / Round: 4 / Pick: 107
 Teams:
Current status: Unsigned Draft Pick
Career highlights and awards

Cody Layne Wallace (born November 26, 1984 in Cuero, Texas) is an offensive lineman for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. He played college football at Texas A&M from the 2003–2007 seasons.

Contents

[edit] Early years

Wallace attended Class 3A Cuero High School, where he earned all-state honors as an offensive lineman. He played center, offensive guard, and offensive tackle at Cuero. As a junior and senior, he made over 100 pancake blocks. On the defensive line as a senior, he posted 45 tackles. He also advanced to the powerlifting state meet.[1]

As a college prospect in high school, he was rated 3 stars by Rivals.com, ranked 16th in the 2003 offensive guard prospect class, and ranked 42nd out of all 2003 Texas high school prospects. He was recruited by Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Iowa, and Texas. He chose to sign a National Letter of Intent with Texas A&M under head coach Dennis Franchione.[2]

[edit] College career

Wallace redshirted his first season. In his freshman (2004) season, he played in five games and was listed second at strong guard on the depth chart.[1]

As a sophomore, Wallace started in all 11 games as a center. He helped the team compile an average of 442.3 yards of total offense per game, which is the second best in team history. The team also rushed for 234.9 yards per game, which was A&M's best rushing record since 1991. He received SBC All-Big 12 honorable mention honors after the season.[3]

Wallace continued to start as center in all 13 games during his junior season, helping the team produce 397.4 offensive yards per game, including a Big 12 record 206.8 rushing yards per game. The team also led the Big 12 in time of possession, third down conversion percentage, and the least number of turnovers. The offensive line allowed only 1.5 quarterback sacks per game. For his efforts, he was named to the AT&T All-Big 12 Football Second Team.[4]

Prior to his senior season, he was named to the Preseason All-Big 12 Football Team.[5] After the regular season in his senior year, he was named to the All-Big 12 Football First Team, and was awarded by the Big 12 coaches (who are not allowed to vote for their own players) as the co-offensive lineman of the year.[6] He was also named a Rimington Trophy finalist.[7]

[edit] Awards and honors

  • Big 12 co-Offensive Lineman of the Year (2007)
  • ESPN Academic All-America Second Team (2007)
  • ESPN All-Big 12 Second Team (2007)
  • Rimington Trophy finalist (2007)
  • Draddy Trophy semifinalist (2007)
  • Preseason All-Big 12 Team (2007)
  • Member of the Leadership Council (2007)
  • Team captain (2006, 2007)
  • All-Big 12 Second Team (2006)
  • ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District first team (2006)
  • All-Big 12 Honorable Mention (2005)

[edit] Professional career

At the 2008 NFL Combine, Wallace ran a 5.30 40 yard dash and made 26 repetitions on the 225-lb bench press.[8]

In the 2008 NFL Draft, he was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the fourth round (107th overall).[9][10] The 49ers expect him to play early on as Eric Heitmann's backup.[11] 49ers head coach Mike Nolan, when asked about Wallace's selection, commented: "Not necessarily that we need a center, but we wanted the best player on the board and because of the flexibility of the other guys, it doesn’t hurt us to take a center. As a matter of fact it helps us in getting a better offensive line. We coached him at the Senior Bowl. We really liked him. We were pleased he was there at our fourth pick, and we got him."[12]

[edit] Personal

Wallace was raised by his paternal grandparents, since both his parents died when he was young. When he was 8, his father, aged 43, died in prison—which he was in for charges that include theft—due to liver failure and a ruptured esophagus, both caused by alcoholism. His mother died of an unknown illness when he was 16, and was unable to take care of her two children many years before that. To feel his mother's presence, he wears her stud earrings. His older brother by two-and-a-half years has served four years in prison for drug charges.[13] Wallace stated: "Going through so much at a young age, it seems like I can handle more difficult situations maybe easier than most people. I just kind of look at everything in a little bigger picture."[14] 49ers head coach Mike Nolan compared Wallace to former 49ers center Jeremy Newberry as "a no-nonsense guy when it comes to football."[15]

He received his bachelor's degree in sport management from Texas A&M in May 2007,[16] prior to his senior season. He worked on a master's degree his senior season.[15]

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Cody Wallace, 70. Texas A&M Athletics. Retrieved on 2008-04-06.
  2. ^ Cody Wallace Profile - Football Recruiting
  3. ^ 2005 SBC All-Big 12 Conference Football Awards Announced :: <blank>
  4. ^ 2006 AT&T All-Big 12 Football Awards Announced :: <blank>
  5. ^ 2007 Preseason All-Big 12 Football Team Announced :: <blank>
  6. ^ 2007 All-Big 12 Football Awards Announced ::
  7. ^ Rimington Trophy
  8. ^ 2008 NFL Draft Scout, From Prep to Pro Coverage for Pros by Pros - Powered by the Sports Xchange
  9. ^ "Instant analysis: Cody Wallace". 
  10. ^ Notes on 2008 Draft Picks.
  11. ^ "Niners fill out draft class with more size, more depth". 
  12. ^ "Nolan's Notebook: April 27, Part 2". Press release.
  13. ^ "Niners Pick a Center". 
  14. ^ "A receiver and his past". 
  15. ^ a b "49ers' pick overcame family tragedies". 
  16. ^ Cody Wallace Draft Profile.
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San Francisco 49ers 2008 NFL Draft selections



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