Pike Road head coach opens up about Harrison Wallace & Penn State
When Harrison "Trey" Wallace transferred to Pike Road High School in the summer of 2019, he had no intentions of playing football. All it takes is a scan of his Twitter account to see that basketball was his first love, although even that may not be his best sport.
"He's actually a better baseball player than football or basketball," said Wallace's father, who goes by the same name.
A 6-foot-1 shooting guard and outfielder, Wallace has proven to be one of the best athletes in not just Montgomery, but all of Alabama over the past few years. His addition was a major-plus for the Pike Road athletic program, which began just five years ago when the school opened. But as head football coach Patrick Browning explains, the school's strength coach thought there was another sport that Wallace could excel at once he began working with him, and that's when he went to Browning.
“It was our strength coach that actually talked him into coming out to play football," Browning said. "He just looked like such a good athlete in the weight room, so he told him he had to give football a try. Of course, he wasn't wrong. He proved to be just an unbelievable athlete on the field. For someone that's only played varsity for two years, his upside is just absolutely through the roof."
In his first season, Wallace showed almost immediately that he had real potential, totaling 429 yards receiving on just 19 receptions. He was also third overall in touchdowns scored and led his team in receiving touchdowns with nine. That's pretty good on a team that had a few other athletes with Division I talent. In fact, looking back on his junior campaign, Browning said he wishes he would've gotten Wallace the ball more to help speed up his exposure.
“We should have gotten him the ball more as a junior. I look at that as my fault. I put that on me," Browning said, when asked why Wallace wasn't getting attention from schools sooner. "Now, like so many kids, did he take a big leap between his junior and senior year? Absolutely. They all do that to some degree, but we should have just gotten him the ball more last season because he's got all the tools. He really could play on Sunday if he stays healthy and listens to the coaches and goes to class and does all the little things he's supposed to do. That's what kind of athlete he is.”
Browning made up for that and then some in 2020, getting him the ball in just about every way possible. He even played Wallace at quarterback for a game when the starter went down with an injury. They ended up winning 50-0.
For the season, Wallace totaled 1,179 all-purpose yards and 12 touchdowns. Awards haven't been published yet, but he was selected to play in Alabama's annual North-South All-Star Game, which will take place this weekend, Dec. 18.
“On film, you'll see speed, body control, the athleticism and the jumping ability. That's all there," Browning said. "But one thing you won't see on film is that, when we first got him, and he was learning the offense, he's the only player I've ever coached that can watch a route and what it's supposed to look like, then run it perfect after he watched it. That's a trait you won't see on film, but the coaches are going to absolutely love him for that. He also has a good IQ and knows how to take care of his body. That's another thing you won't see on film. But his ability to learn what you're doing and adapt quickly is what separates the really great athletes.”
Before the season, Wallace ran a hand-timed 4.3-second 40-yard dash. Even more impressive, he was clocked at running 22 miles per hour during a game this fall while wearing a GPS monitor.
"I don't think most people realize how fast he is," Browning said. "Another thing I love about him is that he does not like to lose at anything he does. He's a strong competitor. I'm really interested to see how he competes against better athletes because he's almost always been the best athlete in any game we've played. But also, those few times where he went against Division I players, he always elevated his game. That's what I'm excited about. Those are the kinds of players that succeed.”
While Wallace did earn a scholarship offer from South Alabama this past April, it wasn't until October, when teams began watching his senior season film closely, that offers came pouring in. Duke was the first major school to make a move on Oct. 13, and they were followed by South Carolina two days later. Not wanting to miss out on his opportunity, Wallace committed to the Blue Devils almost immediately, announcing his decision on Oct. 17.
What he didn't realize at the time was that other Division I programs were also watching him closely. Virginia offered about a month later on Nov. 12. Penn State and Maryland then offered about a week after that. Almost immediately, Penn State's openness about the process and their interest grabbed not just the attention of Wallace and his family, but also Browning.
“The thing that really stood out to me is their transparency, communicating the details with everybody, not only at a high level, but being personal about it and real at the same time," Browning said. "[James Franklin] did a great job with that in this process, and also Coach [Taylor] Stubblefield. You can really tell that's important to them. Transparency and just being personable is how they attack everything and it's just refreshing to see.”
It took the Nittany Lion coaching staff just over two weeks to change Wallace's commitment, as he wound up joining Penn State's Class of 2021 one week ago, Dec. 7. He's now set to sign in just two days.
“Coach Franklin has done just such a good job here," Browning said. "The way he handled the recruiting process with Trey was phenomenal. From my perspective, as a head coach, you kind of get to sit in the passenger seat for these recruitments with all these different universities, and you really get a feel for how they handle recruiting.
"There's no secret to why some of these programs are as good as they are, and Penn State is a great example of this. There's a direct correlation for how the best coaches at the collegiate level handle the recruiting process, not just with the players, but with the coaches and their families. Penn State is right up there with the best I deal with on the recruiting process. Penn State fans should feel very good in that regard, especially when it comes to a recruiting strategy. They're doing everything the right way.”
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