A Degree In Resiliency: CJ Wall

All It took was the official visit for Princeton to sell itself to CJ Wall.

"It was a really great experience, said Wall about his visit. "Just being able to interact with people that were two, three, four years older and have them all be so welcoming, I enjoyed that."

If only Wall knew what was in store for him as the rollercoaster of injuries put him through a lot.

How did he make it through?

Well, the people of Princeton, of course.

Wall made a major impact his freshman year, playing every game, securing 40 tackles, 10 passes defended and three interceptions including a pick-six.

He earned Honorable Mention All-Ivy. It's not easy for freshmen to make contributions the way Wall did in 2017. Even, he was a little surprised.

"Coming into the year, I wasn't expecting it at all," said Wall. "I had my focus on working hard and getting into the playbook. The playbook is one thing that freshmen really must get use along with, learning coverages, defensive and offensive formations and how to read different things on the field."

2018 saw Princeton have arguably the greatest offense in Ivy League history, running away to a perfect 10-0 record, its first undefeated season since 1964. Two games were within single digits.

Wall played in three games that season before injuring his collarbone. Not being out there was tough for Wall, but he was so proud of his teammates. "I was so happy for the team to be able to do as well as they did," said the two-time Ivy League champion. "After I went down, I really wanted to encourage and hype the guys on the sidelines and get them ready any way I could. "

The injury was a difficult adjustment for Wall. He chip fractured his collarbone which swelled up and put his arm in a sling for a month. It was hard for him to sleep, and he couldn't type on his computer for class. The whole experience really set him back academically, so he took the spring semester of 2018 off.

While healing from that, Wall went through another setback, injuring his Achilles. He wouldn't officially return to school until spring semester of 2020.

"It was really sad because it felt like my body was giving up on me," said Wall about his time away from school. "It was tough to constantly be in pain and not being able to be with my friends."

He was in school for six weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Later the 2020 season was cancelled.

Wall went home, but plenty of teammates came out to visit like Trevor Forbes, Jacob Birmelin and Matthew Winston. They got together to work out, hang out and simply just socialize, something that Wall had dearly missed.

"It was the best thing ever," said Wall. "That was the best for my mental health at the time. Those are some of my best friends for life and I will appreciate them for that time."

Finally, the 2021 season came around. It would be almost three years since Wall stepped on the field to play the sport he loved.

Things had changed a lot. Wall played five games, making three tackles. He was a backup to a veteran secondary that featured a First-Team All-Ivy selection in Forbes, Honorable Mention All-Ivy honoree Delan Stallworth, Winston, Sultaan Shabazz, Christian Brown and more.

Of course, Wall would have loved to play more, but that didn't deter his attitude as Princeton went onto a 9-1 record and the program's 13th Ivy League title.

"It was like going back to the 2018 season where I was injured," said Wall. "I just cheered on the guys. It's a team sport and those are my guys. I rode with them and just want them to succeed and help the team anyway I can. It was great to see what they accomplished."

As soon as Wall knew he could come back for a fifth season, it was an easy yes for him. He took the 2021 season and what the secondary did as inspiration to come back.

As training camp came around for the 2022 campaign, Wall was unsure about his role on the team, but took advantage of the opportunity become a leader. "This training camp allowed me to use all the leadership qualities I learned from guys like Trevor (Forbes), Delan (Stallworth), Matt (Winston) and Sultaan (Shabazz)," said Wall.

The fifth-year senior has been a key cog for the Tigers as they sit 3-0 this year and 1-0 in the Ivy League. He's third on the team with 12 tackles and has a pass breakup.

"It's been amazing," said Wall about this season. "I love being out there on the field with my guys, getting a chance to play and helping Princeton football win games."

His unique Princeton journey is not lost on Charles W. Caldwell Jr. '25 Head Coach of Football Bob Surace.

"CJ has been incredibly resilient," said Surace. "He never showed frustration, he kept working, had a great attitude and I'm so happy for him to be playing his best football this fall and being an outstanding leader. Most of our athletes' careers don't completely point with an arrow up, but few have had the health and success roller coaster CJ had, and his ability to battle through the highs and lows shows the remarkable young man he is."

Looking back on his time at Princeton, Wall was appreciative of the people around him. "Princeton is about the community and networking," said Wall. "The one thing I have I've done is rely on my friends and the people at Princeton to help me get through."

Wall does his best to pay it forward to. "I tell any freshmen to find your place on campus and find the people that you're most comfortable with," said the senior defensive back. "Rely on them and become a smally family to work together because Princeton is a hard place. It's not easy and it's meant to challenge us to see how you will overcome all the obstacles that are place in front of you."

Safe to say, Wall has overcome the obstacles put in front of him.

Wall and his "family" take on Lafayette Saturday at 12:30 p.m.

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Jacob Birmelin

Christian Brown

Trevor Forbes

Sultaan Shabazz

Delan Stallworth

CJ Wall

Matthew Winston

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