Wallace Unamba was a three-time junior college all-American who did not allow a quarterback sack in three seasons. (UK Athletics Photo)
Kentucky offensive lineman Wallace Unamba, a 6-6, 332-pound transfer from New Mexico, appreciates the opportunity he has to play in the Southeastern Conference.
“I wasn’t highly recruited out of high school. Actually I was a zero star recruit,” the tackle said.
He eventually went to Kilgore College, a community college in his home state of Texas, because he saw the success rate the school had of getting players to the Division I level. He became a three-time junior college all-American thanks to a redo with the COVID season.
“That kind of helped put Kilgore on the map because I was the first three-time all-American,” he said.
Unamba transferred to Florida Atlantic for the 20223 season but “stuff did not go well and I redshirted.” He transferred to New Mexico in 2024 where he did not allow a sack and graded out well in pass protection.
While NIL funding seems to be a primary factor in the transfer portal, Unamba said that is not why he’s at Kentucky.
“Everybody was offering about the same. I just wanted to be in a higher conference and improve my ability and chances to get to the next level (NFL),” he said. “Playing in the SEC was obviously a factor. It’s the best overall conference in America and if you want to reach your full potential and go to the NFL, why not go to the SEC and play with and against future NFL linemen.”
He’s also a big fan of UK offensive line coach Eric Wolford.
“He told me about his background and the presentation he showed me in the O-line room about the stuff he does and guys he has brought in and sent to the league (NFL) just popped out at me. He already has a plan for me and now I just have to put in the work,” Unamba said.
“He visualizes me playing right or left tackle. If I drop some weight, I will play left tackle. If my weight stays up, I will play right tackle. My main goal is to be able to play every single position, including center if I am able to snap accurately. The more versatile I can be, the better it will be for me and the team.”
He admits when he visited Kentucky that the football facilities surprised him. It was his first trip to a SEC football facility and he was blown away.
“I had only been at small schools and I had never seen the kind of stuff Kentucky had. It really was mind blowing,” he said. “I had watched Kentucky last season when they were playing Georgia but other than that I really had not kept up with Kentucky. During the season I had to focus on myself but before games on Friday in the hotel room or on bye weeks I would look at other schools. But I had no idea the facilities would be anywhere near like what they are at Kentucky.”
