By Billy Watkins
Harrison Wallace III was a two-sport athlete entering his junior year at Alabama’s Pike Road High School — basketball and baseball.
Football coach Patrick Browning walked into the gym one summer day, pulled Wallace aside during a pick-up game and asked if he’d ever thought about playing football.
‘I think you would like it,” Browning told him.
“I thought about it, decided to try it and ending up really liking it,” Wallace said. “I’m so glad, so grateful that Coach Browning walked into the gym that day.”
Wallace, a 22-year-old senior transfer from Penn State, leads eighth-ranked Ole Miss in receiving with 26 catches for 464 yards and two touchdowns. He’s one of the reasons Ole Miss is 7-1 entering Saturday night’s home game against South Carolina.
Pike Road High School may sound familiar to Rebel fans. Former running back Quinshon Judkins played there, too. Wallace was one year ahead of Judkins. “(Judkins) and I were close during high school, but we lost touch after I graduated and went off to college.”
I was curious why a highly-regarded receiver, born and raised in SEC country, signed with a team from the Big Ten out of high school.
“I just wanted to experience something new,” he said. “I wanted to grow in a new environment.”
He did well at Penn State, catching 84 passes for 1,221 yards and six touchdowns in three seasons after redshirting in 2021.
He said it was a good experience except for one thing — the weather. When he arrived, Wallace didn’t own a coat suitable for the frigid temperatures of State College, Pa., in the central part of the state.
“But it didn’t take long to get one,” he said, laughing.
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Wallace caught four passes for 67 yards and a touchdown for Penn State in the 2023 Peach Bowl. When his team’s defense was on the field, Wallace studied Ole Miss’ offensive scheme, which shredded Penn State’s defense in a 38-25 victory.
“Just seeing how explosive they were got my attention,” he said. “I thought it would be fun to be a part of something like that.”
When he entered the transfer portal following the 2024 season, Ole Miss reached out. He knew it was the perfect fit.
“I really like this team,” he said. “It feels like we have been playing together much longer than we actually have been.
“This team is really connected, really close. There are no cliques or groups. We all hang out. It shows on the field.”
Wallace has been where the Rebels want to go — the playoffs. Penn State defeated SMU,38-10 and Boise State 31-14 to advance to a semifinal matchup against Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl. Notre Dame won, 27-24.
Wallace admits he still isn’t over the loss. “But, hopefully, I get another chance at it again this year,” he said.
I asked if the playoff games were different, more pressure-filled for the players.
“There is always going to be hype around those games,” Wallace said. “And there can be added pressure if you don’t handle your mind right. At the end of the day, it’s another football game. Yes, if you lose you’re done. But if you ignore the noise and keep the same mindset you’ve had all season, then it becomes just the next game. That’s what you want.”
Ole Miss should be favored in its final four games. At 11-1, the Rebels would be a lock for a playoff spot.
“But you can’t think like that,” Wallace said. “You have to keep each game as it comes. When you start over looking teams, that’s when things go sideways.
“We stayed hungry throughout the year at Penn State, and I can see that in this team. We’re hungry and that is so important.”
He used last Saturday’s victory at Oklahoma as an example.
“Bouncing back like we did after losing to Georgia the week before can be hard if you don’t approach the next game right,” Wallace said. “We found out how losing feels, and we didn’t like it. I think that loss has added fuel to our fire.”
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Wallace explained his strengths as a receiver like this: “I think my route running is really good, getting in and out of breaks. I have a big catch radius, low or high, I can adjust to the ball. Baseball and basketball really helped me. A rebound is just like having to go up for a jump ball. Playing centerfield in baseball taught me so much about adjusting to passes.”
He makes it a point to never stop learning.
“I love our receiver room. We all have different skill sets.,” he said. “It’s great to be able to talk and learn from my peers.”
He is a product of successful parents. His dad, Harrison, retired as the deputy director of Alabama’s Department of Public Health. His mom, Kendra, works in finance for Whitfield Foods. They taught him to keep an open mind when seemingly little moments come along, such as a coach approaching with an idea. “You ever thought about playing football?”
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