Harrison Wallace 'coming on' at WR for Penn State ahead of Alabama homecoming

Growing up 45 minutes west of Auburn, near Montgomery, Ala., Harrison Wallace had to pick a side. Like any other college football fan from the state, he could root for Auburn or Alabama. 

Now a second-year receiver at Penn State, Wallace didn’t hesitate when asked to reveal his choice. Meeting with the media this week ahead of Penn State’s trip to Auburn, the 6-foot-1, 193-pound receiver is making something of a homecoming this weekend. 

All to face the team he grew up rooting against.

But, with Wallace’s fandom a distant memory now that he’s a Nittany Lion, his personal goal for the trip has nothing to do with the heated intra-state rivalry.

“I wouldn’t say the game is like an Iron Bowl,” Wallace said Wednesday. “I want to win because it’s Penn State. And, I want to be 1-0 at the end of the week. We’re looking forward to this game. It’s our next game, so that’s our main focus.”

Harrison Wallace’s early impact

Through the first two weeks of the season, it’s a good bet that Wallace will make an impact on that outcome for Penn State.

And, if James Franklin’s comments this week serve as any indication, he likely will be. Injecting himself into the receiver rotation, Wallace will be counted upon in the passing game this week and moving forward. 

“It’s a cool opportunity for him to be able to go home. And it makes it easy to play in front of friends and family, which we are aware of and I’m happy for him with that situation,” Franklin said. “His preparation and approach have been really good. I don’t see a whole lot of change in the way he’s doing it. But, he is the guy that’s coming on right now, that’s gaining confidence in himself. The coaches are gaining confidence in him as well, and we’re going to need guys like him to continue to step up as the season goes on.”

After appearing in three games as a true freshman during the 2021 season, Wallace has been a fixture among the team’s receivers at Purdue and, most recently, against Ohio. Though he finished without a reception on two targets in the win over the Boilermakers to open the season, he bounced back with a career-high 28 snaps against the Bobcats, grabbing four receptions on seven targets. His total catches tied for a game-high with Parker Washington. 

Next steps

All part of a development that has produced rapid dividends for Wallace, concentrating on football-only for the first time last year, sixth-year senior quarterback Sean Clifford has witnessed that growth first-hand.

“I think that he’s done a lot of good things. We saw during the spring when he took a big jump. And then fall camp as well,” Clifford said. “The previous year, I think he took a lot of ownership in the spring to make himself into the player that he is right now. He’s making a lot of strides. 

“It’s gonna be cool to have a little homecoming for him. I know that he loves his hometown in Alabama and all the people there, his family, and everybody. So I’m sure he’s excited to get back down there and have that experience.”

As of midweek, that looked like it would take shape with eight family members set to make the short trek to Auburn’s Jordan-Hare Stadium, Wallace said. 

Familiar with the game’s locale, having been there at least a handful of times growing up both as a fan and once as a recruit, Wallace added that he’s looking forward to the experience on tap.

“They have a great fan base,” Wallace said. “The stadium was big. It’s gonna be a great environment. It’s gonna be a great environment to go down there and play. You come to Penn State to experience games like this.”