NEW ORLEANS — K’Von Wallace sat in the back of class.

He was a spectator. His mother, Roxanne Barnes, was the student, juggling three jobs and two kids yet carving out time to earn an associate’s degree.

Nothing was easy. Nothing was out of reach.

“She did everything she could for us. I’m forever thankful and forever grateful,” Wallace, Clemson’s starting safety, said Saturday. “She taught me how to work hard and be committed.”

Growing up in public housing in Richmond, Va., Wallace first met his father, Kevin, in prison. At home, hot water wasn’t always an option. Sometimes, candlelight was the family’s only option. Sometimes, he’d come home to learn a friend didn’t do the same.

But Wallace had his mother, his older sister, his grandmother, his friends — and football.

“The area I grew up in made me a better person, no matter the circumstances or hard times,” Wallace said. “Not having my father in my life, drug dealers around, friends shot and killed, it didn’t have that much effect on me because of how strong a support system I had. They never wanted me to be in the streets or be one of those guys that didn’t make it.”

Wallace planned on making it at Cincinnati. Even after leading Highland Springs (Va.) High School to its first state title in 54 years, the all-state defensive back hadn’t received a scholarship offer from a power conference school.

Then, Wallace edited his own highlight package and shared it on Twitter. Less than one month before signing day, several schools found the video, leading to offers from Ohio State and Clemson, among others.

“I asked all my friends and teammates to retweet it, and it blew up. It was crazy,” Wallace said. “I wanted to show the world what I can do. You want your story to be as good as it can be.”

Wallace became a starter last season. He became important immediately.

“He’s always been a leader on the defense,” star cornerback A.J. Terrell said. “You’re always gonna get the best version of him.”

That version recorded a team-high nine solo tackles in the ACC Championship, while sharing defensive player of the game honors. In the semifinal win over Ohio State, Wallace had a sack and broke up two passes.

“He’s played every position for us,” defensive coordinator Brent Venables said. “He’s done everything.”

He has, now that he holds his family’s first bachelor’s degree.

“Graduating is the biggest accomplishment of my entire life. It was 10 times bigger than winning the national championship,” Wallace said. “That meant more to my family than anything on this earth. It wasn’t just for me, it was to better my life and impact generations behind me.”