Arizona’s Christian Roland-Wallace
POSITION: Defensive Back
HEIGHT: 5-11
WEIGHT: 202
CLASS: Sophomore
HOME TOWN: Palmdale, Calif.
HIGH SCHOOL: William J. Knight H.S.
When several members of the Arizona secondary opted out due to COVID, and others entered the transfer portal following Kevin Sumlin’s dismissal, Christian Roland-Wallace stayed put.
Confident he was in the right place—and that the coaching situation would be worked out—the sophomore cornerback from Palmdale, Calif., made the best of the unusual pandemic-shortened season.
It would have been easy to follow his teammates out the door. As a three-star high school recruit, Roland-Wallace chose Arizona over USC, only to struggle at times as a freshman in 2019.
Then, in what would have been a game-altering play in the 2020 season-opener, a potential pick slipped through his fingers against the Trojans, allowing USC to overcome a three-point lead with less than two minutes left.
Roland-Wallace shook it off, finishing 2020 strong with 26 tackles and three passes defended, earning PFF’s fifth-best rating among all Pac-12 returning cornerbacks.
Now with new head coach Jedd Fisch’s pressure defense in place, he and Notre Dame-transfer Isaiah Rutherford are in ideal positions to shine at the corners.
Video: Arizona Athletics
Career Defensive Stats
| YEAR | TOT | SOLO | TFL | PD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 26 | 19 | 0.5 | 3 | 0 |
| 2019 | 37 | 32 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| Totals | 63 | 51 | 0.5 | 9 | 1 |
247Sports Composite Recruiting Rankings
Class: 2019
Stars: 3
Rating: 0.8551
National Rank: 988
Position Rank: 70
State Rank: 97