Eatonton native and Gatewood Schools alumnus Weston Wallace spent the last three years at the University of Georgia as a member of its back-to-back, defending national championship-winning football team.
Wallace played football at Gatewood from 2016-19 as an offensive and defensive lineman, where he earned All-Region and All-State honors as a senior, along with a second-straight state championship in 2019 with the Gators.
Wallace committed to UGA as a preferred walk-on in February 2020 and when asked why he chose UGA over other schools that offered him a scholarship, he answered, “I’d just say knowing that I was going to be able to compete against the best players in the nation and have the opportunity to help my team compete for national championships was an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up.”
Though at Gatewood he played both ways, when Wallace got to UGA he switched permanently to the defensive line.
Wallace was a member of the scout team during his time at UGA and he, along with others, received high praise from head coach Kirby Smart on their contribution toward UGA winning the 2023 CFP national championship game in Los Angeles.
“Our defensive scout team did the most unbelievable job,” Smart said, per Connor Riley of DawgNation.com. “When we got TCU (Texas Christian University), I called them all in. I had the coaches meet with them. We made them meet and become this (TCU) defense. And we said we’re going to do it better than they do it; you’re going to watch tape, sit in here, learn how to do it.”
Wallace called his experience as a member of UGA’s back-to-back national-title teams, “one of the best feelings ever.”
“The first one in Indy did not even feel real. When Kelee (Ringo) got the pick-six we all just went crazy on the sidelines. The one in LA was not as exciting during the championship game but we had plenty of excitement the game before (versus Ohio State). Seeing the kick go wide left was so cool to be a part of.”
With the Dawgs’ many legendary moments of 2021 and 2022 cementing those teams’ places in college football history, Wallace has undoubtedly been part of not only two of the most legendary UGA teams of all time but also two of the greatest college teams ever.
He said his favorite memories with his UGA teammates involve traveling and seeing all the “cool places” they visited.
As for Wallace’s future, he will be attending Georgia Southern University this season as a member of its football program.
“I was just ready to earn a starting role and contribute to my team on Saturdays,” he said. “I felt like I had gotten all the experience and practice needed to really excel in this sport. I just needed an opportunity to showcase that and that’s what GSU has offered me.”
After arriving in Statesboro earlier this summer, Wallace will look to earn a starting position on the defensive line with the GSU Eagles.