Levi Wallace Bio
Levi Wallace is an American professional football cornerback who has spent his National Football League career proving that perseverance can outweigh pedigree. After beginning his football journey as a walk-on at the University of Alabama, he signed with the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent in 2018 and went on to develop into a multi-year starting cornerback. He has also played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Denver Broncos, and most recently signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2025.
Early Life and Background
Levi Wallace was born on June 12, 1995, in Tucson, Arizona. He grew up in the same city where he later attended Tucson High School, playing both football and track and field during his teenage years. Coming out of high school, Wallace received very little recruiting interest because of his slender frame, athletic limitations, and modest statistical production as a wide receiver, cornerback, and kick returner. Without any scholarship offers in hand, he faced a difficult decision about his athletic future.
Wallace chose to enroll at the University of Alabama largely because his father had grown up in Tuscaloosa and was a devoted fan of the Crimson Tide football program. During his first semester in the fall of 2013, he stayed involved in athletics by playing intramural flag football rather than joining the varsity roster. He briefly considered leaving the university after that first semester because his father was battling ALS and his health was deteriorating. His father ultimately convinced him to try out for the Crimson Tide football team as a walk-on, and Wallace agreed.
After a successful tryout in January 2014, Wallace was granted a spot on the Alabama football team as a walk-on defensive back, beginning one of the more unusual paths to a Division I starting role in recent Crimson Tide history.
Path to American Football
Wallace spent his first two seasons at Alabama operating on the scout team, learning the defensive scheme from the inside while working to put on size and strength. His persistence was rewarded in the fall of 2016, when he earned a scholarship during Alabama’s fall camp. That season he appeared in 11 games, mostly on special teams and as a backup cornerback, recording 11 tackles and two pass breakups while continuing to refine his coverage technique.
During his senior year in 2017, Wallace stepped into a starting role at cornerback after the departure of Marlon Humphrey to the NFL. He started 14 games that season, including the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, in which Alabama defeated Georgia in overtime, 26–23, to claim a national title. In his senior campaign he totaled 48 tackles, two sacks, 18 pass breakups, and three interceptions, with one of those interceptions returned for a touchdown.
Although his college production gave him a credible résumé, Wallace went unselected in the 2018 NFL Draft. He signed shortly afterward with the Buffalo Bills, who saw in him the kind of developmental upside and competitiveness that had marked his climb at Alabama.
Levi Wallace Career
Early Career (2018–2019)
On May 1, 2018, the Buffalo Bills signed Levi Wallace to a three-year, $1.71 million contract as an undrafted free agent. Throughout training camp he competed for a roster spot as a backup cornerback against Taron Johnson, Ryan Carter, Breon Borders, and Lafayette Pitts. After being waived as part of the Bills’ final roster cuts on September 1, 2018, Wallace was quickly signed to the team’s practice squad the following day.
Wallace was promoted to the Bills’ active roster on November 6, 2018, after the release of Phillip Gaines. He made his professional regular-season debut and first career start on November 11, 2018, recording one tackle and a pass deflection during a 41–10 victory at the New York Jets in Week 10. In Week 16 he posted a season-high eight combined tackles during a 24–12 loss at the New England Patriots, finishing his rookie year with 37 combined tackles, three pass deflections, and seven starts in seven games.
Buffalo Bills Breakthrough (2019–2021)
Wallace entered the 2019 season as a starting cornerback opposite Tre’Davious White. After an inconsistent start, his playing time was reduced in favor of Kevin Johnson, but he rebounded with a signature moment in Week 15, intercepting Devlin Hodges to seal a 17–10 Bills victory on Sunday Night Football and help Buffalo clinch a playoff berth. In the regular-season finale against the Jets, he added another interception off Sam Darnold before suffering a sprained ankle that kept him out of the Bills’ playoff game against the Houston Texans. He finished 2019 having started all 16 games, posting 76 total tackles, two interceptions, and nine passes defended.
On April 2, 2020, Wallace was re-signed to a one-year contract by Buffalo and regained his starting position despite the team’s addition of veteran cornerback Josh Norman. In Week 3 against the Los Angeles Rams, he recorded his first interception of the 2020 season during a 35–32 win. After an ankle injury the following week against the Las Vegas Raiders, Wallace was placed on injured reserve on October 7, 2020, before being activated on October 31. He spent a short stretch on the reserve/COVID-19 list in mid-November before returning. In Week 14 against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football, he intercepted a pass from Ben Roethlisberger late in the fourth quarter to secure a 26–15 win. In the Divisional Round of the playoffs, Wallace also recorded a sack on Lamar Jackson during a 17–3 victory over the Baltimore Ravens. He finished 2020 with 48 total tackles, two interceptions, and eight passes defended across 12 games, all starts.
Wallace re-signed with the Bills on March 26, 2021, on another one-year deal and became the team’s top cornerback after Tre’Davious White suffered a torn ACL in Week 12. Despite that loss, Buffalo finished the year with the league’s top passing defense, and Wallace in particular allowed just a 72.6 passer rating when targeted by opposing quarterbacks. In 2021 he started all 17 regular-season games and both of Buffalo’s postseason games, finishing with 58 total tackles, two interceptions, and 10 passes defended.
Pittsburgh Steelers Era (2022–2023)
On March 17, 2022, Wallace signed a two-year, $8 million contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers that included a $2.96 million signing bonus. He slotted in as a starting outside cornerback and provided steady play on the boundary, helping to stabilize a defense that was adjusting to new personnel. In the 2022 season he appeared in 15 games and started nine, finishing with 48 total tackles, a career-high four interceptions, and 13 passes defended.
Wallace remained with the Steelers through the 2023 season, giving Pittsburgh two years of experience and ball production at the cornerback position before his contract expired.
Denver Broncos Era (2024)
On April 22, 2024, Wallace signed a one-year contract with the Denver Broncos, joining a retooling secondary. His most prominent stretch came in Week 13 against the Cleveland Browns, when he filled in for an injured Riley Moss and struggled in coverage against former Broncos receiver Jerry Jeudy, who posted nine catches for 235 yards and a touchdown, the majority of which came against Wallace. He was benched in the fourth quarter in favor of rookie Kris Abrams-Draine, and on December 24, 2024, Wallace was waived by Denver.
Jacksonville Jaguars Era (2025)
On August 2, 2025, the Jacksonville Jaguars signed Wallace, looking to add veteran depth at cornerback. He was placed on injured reserve on August 9, 2025, and released on August 13, 2025, ending that brief stint with the team.
Driving Style and Strengths
Wallace is a long, physical cornerback whose best work has come on the outside in man and match coverage. He has shown a knack for timing his break on the ball in zone concepts and has produced several late-game interceptions in high-leverage spots, including the clutch pick against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2019 and the late interception of Ben Roethlisberger in 2020. His special-teams background and comfort playing through contact have helped him hold up in run support.
Notable Events and Milestones
Wallace’s signature moment came in Week 15 of the 2019 season, when his interception of Devlin Hodges clinched a Bills victory and a playoff berth. He is also a two-time College Football Playoff National Champion with Alabama, having been part of the 2015 and 2017 title-winning teams, and he played in the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship Game that Alabama won in overtime over Georgia.
Levi Wallace Family
Family Background and Football Lineage
Wallace’s strongest football connection is to his late father, who grew up in Tuscaloosa and was a devoted Alabama Crimson Tide fan. It was that family tie, and his father’s encouragement, that ultimately led Wallace to walk on at Alabama rather than abandon his playing career after high school.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 NFL calendar began with Wallace as a free agent following his late-2024 release from the Denver Broncos. He signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars on August 2, 2025, but the stint lasted only days, as he was placed on injured reserve on August 9, 2025, and released on August 13, 2025. As of the 2025 season, Wallace is not on an active roster.