Film Room: Trevin Wallace

Well, this is a big one. For the second recruiting class in a row, Jon Sumrall went into the Deep South and pulled off a monster recruiting win. Last year it was stealing Josaih Hayes out of Mississippi and this year it was going into South Georgia to pluck linebacker Trevin Wallace. There was only one late addition in the class of 2021, but this was a big one.

Jamin Davis is off to the NFL Draft and due to handful of players entering the portal in the last few years to go along with no Chris Oats as he recovers, there are limited options at inside linebacker. Wallace will enter the inside linebackers room this fall where there will only be six other scholarship player for the two starting positions. There is room for playing time and the newest member of the program is bringing an impressive skill set to the table.

Now it is time to step into the KSR Film Room to see what the blue-chipper is bringing to the table. There is a reason why 247 Sports has the newest Wildcat ranked in the top-50 while he is a composite four-star elsewhere. This is a big-time prospect who will have a legit chance to play significant snaps very quickly.

First things first, you realize that Wallace was a very important player for Wayne County last season. The Yellow Jackets would use him quite often as a wildcat quarterback in addition to getting him the ball on jet sweeps and even throwing to him out of the slot. This is an all-around football player who played multiple positions in high school and flashed some high-level football IQ in different ways.

This play is a perfect combination of Wallace’s burst, instincts and play recognition. As soon as the football is snapped, he knows exactly where it is going and that is thanks to terrific scouting. The young linebacker took instruction from coaching, but also flashes top-notch processing ability to read-and-react that quickly. The result is a huge tackle for loss where you can see the potential of this young player. He has size, burst, and instincts. There is a lot in the toolbox already.

There is no hiding from the fact that football is a physical game and contact is required. This is a collision sport and the name of the game on defense is to get the ball carrier on the ground. However, the offensive guys are on scholarship and there will be blockers in the way to navigate through. Sometimes you can slither by the opponent, but eventually you will have to strike.

Thumping and finishing are on tape for Wallace. The outside linebacker runs through the block and finishes the play with a strong tackles for loss. He strictly played outside backer for Wayne County, but he’ll need to slide inside at Kentucky. In the transition, Wallace will have to get through blocks and go make tackles. The newest signee checks both of the boxes.

Playing downhill and stuffing the run is fun and all, but the game is changing. Players now have to make things happen in space and that’s certainly the case for off-ball linebackers. Wallace shows the ability to get big inside and deliver a blow, but he also has the athleticism to make plays in space.

This is an athlete first who does a great job always playing under control in space. Once again, his play recognition is on tape and he finishes the deal with a textbook tackle. This is not an easy thing to do and is not something you see from very many inside backers at the high school level. Wallace can hold his own inside and can deliver with sure tackles in the open field. That’s some big time stuff.

Blitzing is a very important part of the game and Wallace will be called to do that for Brad White’s defense. However, you have to finish when you get there. It can be a back-breaker for defenses when a free runner misses his shot at the quarterback. You have to make the play when your number is called.

On the blitz, Wallace shows some nice change of direction to adjust to the play fake. He does not take the bite on the play-action and does a great job of tracking the quarterback’s steps on the fly. He finishes it with a sack. There is a lot there and it’s clear why this is such a coveted prospect.

His running back tape is almost as good as his play at linebacker.

There is no hiding from the fact that this was a major recruiting win for the University of Kentucky football program. In-state recruiting to go with Ohio and occasionally Michigan is always going to be the backbone of the program, but to get to where they want to get to it is going to require some wins in the south. This is a perfect example of that.

Sumrall plucked Hayes out of Mississippi last year while UK was able to steal Joel Williams from Louisiana. This year, we saw Kentucky hold onto the commitment of receiver Christian Lewis and in the end they were able to land a linebacker that Auburn wanted very badly. This is progress in the right direction and recruiting wins like this are going to allowing the program to continue further growth.

On the field, Wallace has the ability to play multiple positions and could even be used at Sam, but he feels like a Mike linebacker all the way. The blue-chip prospect has the full package and seems to have everything it takes to be able to contribute early. Expect him to be in the mix as Kentucky looks for a replacement at Mike.

South Georgia continues to be good to program as UK replaced one linebacker in with another from the same area. Wallace will join Martez Thrower and Chauncey Magwood in this class as that region is becoming a bigger emphasis.