By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

Former D’Ibervillle High standout Justin Walley enjoyed a career milestone Saturday afternoon.
Walley, the 5-foot-9, 195-pound senior cornerback for the University of Minnesota, notched his first “pick six” during a 43-28 win over Maryland in Big 10 action. The Golden Gophers are 5-3 on the season after the win.
The Gophers scored on their first two offensive possessions against the Terrapins to take a 14-0 lead and then Walley jumped a Billy Edwards Jr. pass and returned it 32 yards for his first-ever college touchdown.
The defensive touchdown stamped a 21-0 lead for the Gophers with 4:25 remaining in the first quarter and put Minnesota in complete control.

The interception by Walley was Minnesota’s 14th of the season, the most by any Big Ten team and the second-most among all FBS schools.
Walley is enjoying an impressive senior season despite missing two games with an injury. According to Golden Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck Walley is playing with a “partially torn MCL”. The two games he missed were the first missed games in his four year career.
“The toughness that takes to play through that is amazing,” Fleck said.

Walley has recorded 24 total tackles this season with two interceptions and eight passes broken up.
Earlier this season, he made six tackles and returned one interception for 70 yards against North Carolina, tallied three tackles and broke up four passes against USC and notched six tackles at UCLA.

In addition to his touchdown return against Maryland, he also made seven tackles and had three pass breakups. 

Last season as a junior, Walley started all 13 games for Fleck and Minnesota and registered 45 total tackles (39 solo) and had two tackles for loss. He also broke up eight passes and had one interception while forcing one fumble and recovered one fumble as well.
His biggest game as a junior came in a season-opening 13-10 win over Nebraska when he made eight tackles, forced one fumble and broke up one pass against the Cornhuskers. He ended the season by recording four tackles against Bowling Green in a 30-24 win in the Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit.
Walley also started all 13 games  as a sophomore in 2022 and made 39 total tackles(28 solo), had three interceptions and forced one fumble and recovered one fumble.

In his first season, he played in all 13 games and started the final six of the season and was named to the 24/7 Sports True Freshman All-American team.
Aa a senior at D’Ibervillle, he le the Warriors to 10-1 record and Region 4-6A title as he was named Class 6A Mississippi Mr. Football.
His older brother Jaden started at Mississippi State and his younger brother Jorden is a sophomore starting quarterback for DHS currently.