Tag: Christian Roland-Wallace

USC alum will play in Super Bowl as a rookie

Christian Roland-Wallace will try to help the Chiefs make NFL history.

USC alum Juju Smith-Schuster is headed to Super Bowl LIX with the Kansas City Chiefs. We know that. However, he will not be the only Trojan suiting up in New Orleans. Former USC cornerback Christian Roland-Wallace, in his rookie season with the Chiefs, is also headed to the big game. In his first year in the league, Roland-Wallace will have a chance to win his first ring.

After four years at Arizona, Roland-Wallace transferred to USC for his final season of eligibility in 2023. In his lone season with the Trojans, he was USC’s top cornerback, recording 37 tackles, nine passes defended, and two interceptions.

Despite a standout college career, Roland-Wallace went unchosen in the 2024 NFL draft. However, he made Kansas City’s 53-man roster nonetheless, and has made significant contributions to the Chiefs’ secondary this year. Roland-Wallace finished the regular season with 34 tackles, a pass defended, and an interception. He also had a tackle in Kansas City’s divisional round win over the Houston Texans.

In the Super Bowl, Roland-Wallace and the Chiefs’ secondary will be matched up against a talented Eagle wide receiver room led by A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith. If they can keep Philadelphia’s passing game intact, the Chiefs will have a great shot to become the first ever team to win three consecutive Super Bowls.

Chiefs HC Andy Reid discusses handling the rookie wall: ‘We try to manage that the best we can’

Kansas City #Chiefs head coach Andy Reid discusses handling the rookie wall: ‘We try to manage that the best we can’ | @EdEastonJr

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid held his weekly Zoom press conference with reporters on Monday. He revealed his thoughts on dealing with the common rookie wall with this year’s class.

“Yeah, there is a rookie wall that the guys can hit at times. We try to manage that the best we can,” said Reid. “We’ve had pretty good success with it with the young guys where we can kind of get them through that phase, but the guys are – they’re working hard, they’re contributing in the games. Then, we’ll just – as the college season goes on, I’m always – you start getting around that bowl time in there, and guys – that’s when they go, ‘Oh jeez, we still have seven games left or six games left,’ and that’s kind of where you have to look at, but we try to do a good job of working them through all that.”

The Chiefs have had several rookies contribute this season on both sides of the ball. Carson Steele, Kingsley Suamataia, and Xavier Worthy have been featured throughout the season on offense. Christian Roland-Wallace and Jaden Hicks defensively had two crucial interceptions off San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy in Sunday’s victory.

Chiefs Justin Reid praises rookie defensive backs’ performances: ‘Two big-time plays’

Kansas City #Chiefs safety Justin Reid praises rookie defensive backs’ performances: ‘Two big-time plays’ | @EdEastonJr

Kansas City Chiefs safety Justin Reid led the team in tackles and secured an interception in Sunday’s victory over the San Francisco 49ers.  He praised his rookie teammates in the secondary during his postgame press conference.

“They never know when the number is going to be called, but they’re always ready to go, and they got to make two big-time plays, and we need them to,” said Reid. “We’re going to need them down the stretch even more, and they’re going to show up more for us (and we’re) more confident in that. CRW (Christian Roland-Wallace) getting that, you know, the toe trap swag on the sideline and then Jaden Hicks, a pick in the end zone, two big-time plays.”

Rookies Christian Roland-Wallace and Jaden Hicks also walked away with crucial interceptions off 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy. Reid revealed the close nature of the secondary and that he’s not surprised by their breakout performances.

“It’s a unity that we have, not just in our room, but across the whole defense, like we have a team that truly prepares the next man, we’re all in. We communicate daily. We talk about, what if this happens, what if that happens? The next man up — we take time after practice and meet up on our own time.” Reid said. “We still talk coverage, and it works. The guys are confident out there, and we pride ourselves on our physicality. You know, across the board, DBs, we tackle, we’re physical, and we’re going to play press coverage, and we’re going to make it tough on you. You’ve got to find ways to beat us.”

The three interceptions from the secondary and pressure from the defensive line have helped keep the Chiefs undefeated through six games this season.

USC’s Christian Roland-Wallace signs UDFA deal with Chiefs

Christian Roland-Wallace gets an NFL opportunity with the reigning Super Bowl champions.

The USC Trojans are watching 2023 Men of Troy latch onto NFL teams. On Saturday evening, after the 2024 NFL draft ended, multiple Trojans signed on as undrafted free agents. Austin Jones found an NFL home with the Washington Commanders. Shortly thereafter, Christian Roland-Wallace signed a UDFA deal with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Roland-Wallace came to USC from the University of Arizona. Fans were excited about what he could contribute to the Men of Troy. Unfortunately, Roland-Wallace couldn’t make a big impact. Some might blame the player, but the fault primarily lies with Alex Grinch and Donte Williams, whose ineptitude as coaches has been magnified by the successes of Doug Belk and Taylor Mays under the new USC regime.

Roland-Wallace now gets to play for Steve Spagnuolo, the best defensive coordinator in the NFL. That is an exciting opportunity, even though CRW wasn’t able to land on the NFL draft board. Roland-Wallace gets a chance to start fresh and pursue his NFL dream with the league’s best team.

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USC football roster decisions questioned by NFL pundits and scouts

Two USC NFL draft prospects might change positions in the pros. It’s as though Alex Grinch had no clue.

If you have been paying close attention to the NFL combine and the analysis and chatter from NFL teams and scouts, you might have noticed that a few USC football prospects might change positions in the pros.

For instance, several NFL teams are interested in working out USC safety Calen Bullock at cornerback. NFL draft analysts are also saying that cornerback Christian Roland-Wallace might actually have a better chance of sticking on an NFL roster as a safety.

Doesn’t that raise a lot of questions about how Alex Grinch and USC managed personnel and made various roster decisions during the 2023 college football season?

It’s bad enough that USC couldn’t tackle well and was often confused before the snap. It’s bad enough that the Trojans were thin on the defensive line and were utterly ineffective in the secondary. Technique was not taught well. Players were not tough and were not developed well by the strength and conditioning program. Yet, in addition to all those problems, Grinch couldn’t put players at the right positions. He also didn’t put the best 11 players on the field.

Other than that, nothing was wrong with USC football in 2023.

Christian Roland-Wallace and Calen Bullock can only hope that after being wrongly assigned by Grinch, they will find a good home with NFL teams whose coaches know how to use their talents.

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Tahj Washington and Christian Roland-Wallace will enter the 2024 NFL draft

Two USC players accepted an invitation to the East-West Shrine Bowl.

The USC Trojans are losing two players to the NFL draft. Christian Roland-Wallace was part of a disappointing secondary in 2023. He will try to boost his NFL draft stock in the coming weeks and months. The bigger loss is Tahj Washington, the reliable and overperforming wide receiver who was one of the more consistent members of the wide receiver room over the past two seasons.

While Mario Williams and Dorian Singer struggled, Washington was able to get open more regularly and give the Trojans relatively consistent production at wide receiver. While one could legitimately call Williams and Singer busts in 2023, Washington remained a positive force on the roster and earned the respect and trust not only of Caleb Williams and Lincoln Riley, but the larger USC fan base. Everyone who follows USC football will view Tahj Washington’s USC career as a good one. Everyone will look back fondly on his years in Los Angeles and his contributions to the program.

Both Washington and Roland-Wallace have accepted invitations to the January East-West Shrine Bowl, one of the college all-star showcases which will be widely attended and studied by NFL scouts and executives. We wish the best to these two Trojans as they pursue their NFL dreams.

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USC statistical leaders through six games

You probably can name one of these guys offhand.

USC nearly lost its perfect season against Arizona but survived. Notre Dame’s College Football Playoff chances ended with a loss at Louisville. Neither team is coming into their annual meeting with the best momentum. That means talent could be the game’s determining factor.

This is a perfect opportunity for the Trojans to make a statement. They’re catching the Irish when they’re fatigued and struggling. The only thing that could slow them down is the wet conditions forecast for the game, but they’re preparing for that by using water in rather interesting ways in practice. While there’s no way to tell if that will affect anything, it shows they’re not leaving anything up to chance.

As you’re about to see, there are several players responsible for the Trojans’ offense being the country’s highest scoring, not the least of whom is the reigning Heisman Trophy winner at quarterback. Here he is among the top Trojans players on both sides of the ball:

Ducks Wire evaluates USC cornerback Christian Roland-Wallace

Roland-Wallace’s ultimate role is a point of intrigue, but what matters most is that he fortifies the USC secondary.

If you have been following USC preseason camp, Trojan head coach Lincoln Riley made news last week when he said that a lot of positions weren’t yet spoken for in terms of who would start and be listed atop the depth chart. One position group with a lot of fluidity and uncertainty is the secondary, where some players are specializing in one role but others are being coached to play multiple positions. If the coaching staff needs guys to rotate between positions in the secondary, some will try to give the Trojans flexibility. One of those guys is Arizona transfer Christian Roland-Wallace. The former Wildcat is one reason USC has a little more depth to call upon this year on defense.

Don Smalley of Ducks Wire wrote about Christian Rolland-Wallace:

“As if getting Arizona’s best receiver Dorian Singer wasn’t enough, the Trojans also signed the Wildcats’ best corner for the double whammy. Opposing quarterbacks generally threw away from Roland-Wallace, but in Los Angeles, they shouldn’t have that luxury. It’s just an embarrassment of riches for USC and it’s why they are the overwhelming favorite to win the Pac-12 in its last season in the conference.”

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Christian Roland-Wallace tries to make up for lost time

The Arizona transfer missed most of spring camp, so he’s trying to absorb information and ensure he’s ready for Pac-12 play.

Christian Roland-Wallace is one of several incoming transfers from the University of Arizona. Kyon Barrs and Dorian Singer have accompanied him in the Tucson-to-Los Angeles pipeline, but one could make the case that he is the most important of the three.

One aspect of Roland-Wallace’s identity which is impossible to ignore is that he, like Mekhi Blackmon, played at another Pac-12 school but wanted to finish his career at USC. If Roland-Wallace can have a Blackmon-like impact on the Trojans this season, that would be a good result for USC.

Shotgun Spratling of 247Sports wrote:

“Blackmon was a stalwart in the Trojans’ secondary last season, helping him move up draft boards and become a third-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings despite it being one of the deepest drafts for cornerbacks in recent memory. 

“Can Roland-Wallace follow a similar trajectory? He’s already a step behind Blackmon, who proved himself as the alpha in the cornerback room during spring camp. Roland-Wallace missed most of USC’s spring camp, so while he has more experience than the rest of the cornerbacks competing for a starting spot, they all, even Domani Jackson, have more experience under (Donte) Williams and in Alex Grinch’s defense.”

Roland-Wallace needs to catch up and be sure he’ll be ready for the heart of the Pac-12 season. USC won’t need him to be great in the first few games of the season against markedly inferior opposition, but he’ll need to be better when USC gets into late September and prepares for the big October 14 game at Notre Dame.

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The most important cornerbacks to know in the 2023 Pac-12 season

The Pac-12 is littered with some talented corners and they will be heavily tested in 2023 as the conference has elite QB play.

As we continue our preview of the 2023 college football season in the Pac-12 conference, we are going to shift our focus from individual teams to individual positions. The last several weeks have been spent picking apart each school out west, finding where they improved the most over the offseason, and identifying what realistic expectations should be for them going forward.

You can see them all here: Arizona Wildcats — Arizona State Sun Devils — California Golden Bears — Colorado Buffaloes — Oregon State Beavers — Stanford Cardinal — UCLA Bruins — USC Trojans — Utah Utes — Washington Huskies — Washington State Cougars

Now, we’re going to look at position groups as a whole in the conference. Whether it’s a quarterback or a linebacker, a punter or a safety, there are dozens of highly talented players out west. We want to go through them all, position group by position group, and highlight some of the most important names that fans should know at each spot.

Quarterbacks — Wide Receivers — Running Backs — Tight Ends — Offensive Line — Defensive Line

It may not be the best season to be a corner in the Pac-12. The conference will display some of the elite quarterback play college football has to offer. The receivers in this league are also pretty good, so the cornerbacks are going to be put to the test week after week after week.

Why a corner would want to transfer into the Pac-12 in 2023 is a legitimate question. But for those players who want to make a name for themselves and want to be noticed as the guy who stifled a quarterback like Bo Nix or Caleb Williams, this league will provide the perfect opportunity for just that.

We profile those corners in the Pac-12 that will have their meddle tested in 2023.