Georgia walk-on DL shares amazing story of Jalen Carter using scholarship money to buy him lunch

Georgia walk-on defensive lineman Weston Wallace recently shared an incredible story about how Jalen Carter was able to help him this season by buying him lunch.

Because Wallace is a walk-on, he doesn’t receive the same benefits as scholarship players. That meant that walk-ons weren’t provided lunch, though they could buy it for themselves. When Carter found out, he decided that Wallace wasn’t going to have to pay for his own lunches.

“Jalen heard about that. I’m the only walk-on in the defensive line room and he goes, ‘I’m not gonna let that happen.’ So he used his scholarship money to pay for me to get lunch every single day,” Wallace told The Athletic.

“You honestly don’t know the guy if you think that. You can ask anybody on the team, whether it’s the O-line that he bullies every day out there … everybody thinks he’s an all-around great guy, and I think he’ll be great for any team that picks him.”

In December, NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay warned that Jalen Carter may have “character issues.” Everyone in the Georgia community jumped on the opportunity to dispute that, praising Carter’s character.

For his part, Carter explained why he helped out Wallace, “The blessings I have from being on a full ride, I just wanted to help, and that was taking care of a brother.”

Tray Scott, Georgia’s defensive line coach, said that nobody told him about this and that Carter’s actions “started a wildfire with some of our good players (who benefit from name, image and likeness) picking different guys in their position group to make sure they’re good, so they can eat every time we eat just like you’re a scholarship player.”

NFL Draft expert praises Jalen Carter

Matt Miller, an NFL Draft expert praised Jalen Carter while comparing him to Fletcher Cox of the Philadelphia Eagles.

“The 2021 Georgia defense had five players selected in the first round of the 2022 draft, and Carter (not eligible in that draft) might have actually been the best defender on the team,” Miller wrote.

“At 6-3 and 310 pounds, he has great first-step quickness and a powerful frame that can split double teams. Carter battled ankle and knee injuries this season and platooned on a deep Georgia defense last year, but he still accumulated six sacks and 16.5 tackles for loss over the past two seasons.”