When Urban Meyer and Tom Herman took the reins in Columbus, their first order of business was to secure the quarterback they wanted and they went to Texas to do it, landing Big Ten record-holder J.T. Barrett.
The Wallace File
- Class: 2016
- Size: 6-3/228
- Pos: QB-Dual Threat
- School: DeSoto (DeSoto, TX)
- Composite Rating: ★★★★
- Composite Rank: 3
Wednesday, Meyer and Ohio State's new quarterback coach Tim Beck have landed their first quarterback together. DeSoto, Texas, four-star Tristen Wallace has committed to the Buckeyes, weeks after his first visit to Columbus. Wallace and his entire family visited Ohio State the last weekend of March.
I'm glad to Officially announce that I have Committed to The Ohio State University ! #BuckeyeNation pic.twitter.com/YGUnK8CSCx
— TWall (@Official_Wall5) April 15, 2015
Ohio State has been aggressively recruiting New Jersey's Jarrett Guarantano for months, but Wallace's decommitment from Texas Tech opened a door for the Buckeyes to get back in the race for the third-ranked dual-threat quarterback. Guarantano visited the Buckeyes in early April but at that point Ohio State was clear: they wanted the first of the two who wanted to don the Scarlet and Gray and today Wallace made his choice.
A 6-foot-3, 225-pound quarterback, Wallace reportedly runs a sub-4.4 40-yard dash and his athletic skill-set makes him a near perfect fit in Ohio State's uptempo offensive system. He had been listing a top-5 schools that included the Buckeyes, TCU, Texas, Texas Tech and Baylor, but apparently he saw what he needed to in the only non-Lonestar State option on the list.
"I know it's a long drive, but it's worth it," Wallace told 11W prior to his visit. "I need to get a feel for the campus life, and how everything is there. I want to get a better feel for the coaches and the facilities."
That feel was right.
Wallace is Ohio State's ninth commitment in the 2016 class and first commitment from Texas since Demetrius Knox in 2014. Wallace is a former high school teammate of current Buckeye wide receiver Dontre Wilson. Wallace broke his leg during his junior season at DeSoto and missed most of the year, but he's fully recovered and back to full-strength.
