"I
went to Ole Miss on Friday and Saturday to Auburn for their Jr Day," added
Ryan Wallace.
Did anyone accompany Ryan on his visits?
"My
father came with me, and one of my teammates, D.L. Moore also came. D.L. is 6'
6" too. We have a lot of tall people from around here."
What
was the 6' 6", 230 pound tight end's first impression of Ole Miss?
"I
was kind of surprised. I have never been anywhere near there before. I did not
know what to expect, but I really liked it. Their indoor facility is all new.
They have state of the art football facilities."
Wallace got a chance
to take in the Ole Miss practice and came away impressed.
"Their practices
are real up tempo. They keep it loose, but they also keep you motivated where
you do not slack off. Their campus was nice too."
The coaching staff
had one message for Ryan.
"Coaches Orgeron and Freeze pretty much
told me they needed me to come down there so I can play early. They are graduating
both of their starting tight ends so they really need me. I also spoke to their
offensive coordinator, and he told me they use their TE's a lot. Another thing
that I like about Ole Miss is the fact that Coach Werner (OC) use to be the offensive
coordinator at Miami when D.J. Shockey, Kelvin Winslow, and Greg Olson were there.
His system is real tight end friendly."
The Rebels played as many
as 17 freshmen last season and that also caught Wallace' attention.
"I
really like the fact that they played a lot of freshmen and are real young. That
probably stood out the most about them to me. Coach O (Orgeron) said they are
about to get really good, and I trust him because of how many freshmen they played
and how many were named freshmen all-American. They are about to be a real successful
program when I get to college."
Ryan's father, who is also his head
coach at Bowling Green, kept his eyes on one thing during the Ole Miss trip.
"I
think he liked it because he likes their style of play. He spent a lot of time
talking to Coach Kehoe, their offensive line coach. My father also coaches our
offensive line, so they had a lot in common. I think that is pretty much all he
paid attention to, their style of play and coaches."
Ole Miss has
built up a lot of early commitments during the Orgeron era, was Ryan asked to
commit?
"No sir, they told me they would not pressure me, and I really
like that because I want to go around and see some other places. I am going to
Georgia Tech on March 31st for their Jr Day. I just want to check out a few places
before doing anything like that."
Wallace left the Ole Miss campus
Saturday morning and headed to Auburn's Jr Day.
"Auburn was holding
their second spring scrimmage. That was pretty nice getting to see that. I spoke
with Coaches Ensminger and Dunn, and they said they were going to come see me
in the Spring."
The Tiger's surroundings and school tradition is what
caught Ryan's eye the most.
"We went out and ate Saturday night at
this restaurant. Everybody was wearing their Auburn tee shirts and all of the
stores had their Auburn paraphernalia in the window. It is pretty much a stereo
type college town. They get a lot of support in that town. And what I really liked
the most was their tradition. I mean once you walk into that place, you can tell
they just expect you to win. It is kind of like our high school. They push and
will you to win no matter what. I really liked that about Auburn."
Ryan
also had a chance to visit Alabama on an unofficial visit earlier this year.
"Alabama
and Auburn are almost identical. Just the way their coaches expect you to win,
and Alabama is showing me a lot of interest. They did not have a practice going
on, so I did not get to see them practice, but I did get to tour their facilities.
Their stadium is unbelievable. They have really nice facilities down there."
Bama's
tradition is what stood out the most to Wallace.
"When you walk into
their sporting complex, you see all of the statues they have of the coaches who
have won the national championship there. All of the memorabilia and prestige
at Alabama is what really stood out to me."
Ryan is not done with
his tour.
"I am going to a practice of Vandy's this Saturday. It is
only 60 miles South of here, so our school has a real good relationship with their
program. I know a lot of people who go to Vandy. And I will for sure go to a practice
of Kentucky's sometime this Spring. They are so close to here. It is no big deal
getting over there for a practice."
Anymore schools showing Wallace
a lot of interest?
"Wake Forest has started recruiting me a lot harder
lately. I might go check them out too."
Ryan is big, strong, and really
talented. But if there is one thing that stands out the most to Wallace about
his game, it is his knowledge of the game.
"With my father being the
head coach and all, I have just grown up around the game. He has taught me so
much about football. I just think that really gives me the edge."
Ryan
had 22 catches for 325 yards as a junior but fell short of his ultimate goal.
"We
have made it to the finals for two straight years but fell short each year. That
is really in the back of our minds, and I think we are going to really use that
as a motivation tool for us this year. We had 4 players to sign D1 scholarships
last year, and we have like 5 more that are playing D1 right now. We have a lot
of tradition over here. Hopefully we can add to it next season."
Wallace
claims a 3.8 GPA / 25 ACT.
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