Whitefield's LaVallee commits to North Caraolina

Caleb LaVallee started playing football at Whitefield academy in fifth grade.

Having been committed to the Wolfpack’s program for six years, LaVallee has now committed to another.

Earlier this week, the rising senior committed to play college football at North Carolina.

LaVallee, the state’s 76th-ranked player in the class of 2023 class according to 247Sports, chose North Carolina over other Power Five programs such as Florida, Miami, Mississippi and Georgia Tech.

“I think North Carolina was different with the blend of academics and football they have, and the location being not far from home,” LaVallee said. “And also, my relationship with the players — I think that’s what pushed me over the edge and really made me feel at home.”

LaVallee said he already communicates with the Tar Heels’ players and coaches daily, surrounding himself with “like-minded guys.”

At Whitefield, the 6-foot-1, 210-pound LaVallee has played integral roles as both a linebacker and running back. His two seasons on both sides of the ball have him poised to take further steps this fall.

Since the 2020 season, LaVallee has registered 253 total tackles, including 170 solo and 33 for a loss. On the offensive side, he has rushed for 835 yards and 13 touchdowns on 125 attempts, with an additional 15 career receptions.

Whitefield coach Coleman Joiner said LaVallee was often then one to make game-sealing tackles or score last-minute touchdowns for the team. He said playing both sides of the ball helped LaVallee develop an understanding of different defensive schemes, while simultaneously contributing to the offense.

“That only made him more appealing to (college coaches) because being able to play at a high level on that side of the ball only gives him a better understanding of how to defend different positions,” Joiner said.

The ability for LaVallee to elevate his game as a two-way player is no anomaly. Rather, it was a product of months of early mornings dedicated to training during the COVID-19 pandemic. He said he focused mainly on exercises dedicated to increasing on-field speed and agility, two attributes intrinsic to a dominant linebacker.

“Playing both sides really helped me just become an all-around better athlete and helped me just helped me become a better linebacker, too, because I was running back and you’re seeing the exact same thing a linebacker would but from a different perspective,” LaVallee said.

As a product of those months during his sophomore season, Joiner said LaVallee made one of the largest jumps in athleticism, tenacity and football IQ in any player he had ever coached. It resulted in a breakout season and all-state selection.

That sophomore season helped catapult LaVallee and developed himself into an athlete Joiner described as “explosive from sideline-to-sideline.”

“He just came back a totally different kid,” Joiner said. “When we started watching him play those first few games of the (2020) season, that was when it really stood out to us, as coaches, that he was going to be somebody really special.”

LaVallee intends to focus primarily on defense at North Carolina, which finished 12th in the Atlantic Coast Conference last season in points allowed, at just over 32 points per game.

Joiner thinks LaVallee’s skills will lead to a relatively seamless transition to college football, especially his interior dominance.

“They definitely see him as an interior guy,” Joiner said. “I think what sets him apart from a lot of other linebackers is, again, just Caleb’s playing speed and his closing speed and how fast he plays.”

LaVallee said his passion for the position has never been greater.

“I’ve always had it in my heart that I want to be a linebacker,” LaVallee said. “It’s just a position that I’ve always played and always been really successful in. It just feels natural.”