Arkansas, Pittman land four-star OLB Wallace

Last updated: 2024/07/03 at 1:32 AM

BigP Published July 3, 2024

Eli Lederman, ESPN Staff WriterJul 2, 2024, 08:02 PM ET
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Four-star outside linebacker Tavion Wallace, No. 37 in the 2025 ESPN 300, announced his commitment to Arkansas Tuesday night, marking a major recruiting win for Sam Pittman and the Razorbacks.

Wallace, a standout at Wayne County High School in Jesup, Georgia, is the fourth-ranked outside linebacker in the 2025 class. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound defender picked Arkansas over finalists Georgia, Florida State and Florida following visits to all four schools this spring, and he joins the Razorbacks’ incoming class as the highest-ranked recruit headed to Fayetteville in this cycle. Wallace is the brother of former Kentucky linebacker Trevin Wallace, a third-round selection of the Carolina Panthers in the 2024 NFL draft.

Arkansas defensive coordinator Travis Williams recruited Wallace’s older brother while on staff at Auburn and was the primary recruiter in helping the Razorbacks land the eighth-ranked prospect in the state of Georgia. Wallace took his first official visit of the spring to Arkansas on the final weekend of May, and despite heavy interest from a pair of SEC foes and Florida State, where Wallace took multiple visits in 2024, the Razorbacks held on for the class-defining pledge that arrived Tuesday.

Wallace clocked a 10.61 100-meter dash earlier this spring and carries a combination of size and speed that will make him an explosive addition to the Arkansas defense. A standout defender at Wayne County, Wallace totaled 75 tackles in his sophomore season in 2022, then followed with another 58 as a junior last fall.

With his pledge, Wallace now stands as Arkansas’ second ESPN 300 commit in 2025, joining quarterback Grayson Wilson, No. 269 in the ESPN 300, who committed to the Razorbacks in April 2023. Wallace is the program’s highest-rated commit since defensive end McTelvin Agim (No. 11 in the 2016 class) gave his pledge to the Razorbacks.

Wallace is set to lead an incoming Arkansas defensive class that includes athlete Markeylin Batton (No. 18 ATH in 2025), inside linebacker Jayden Shelton (N0. 14 ILB), defensive ends Caleb Bell (No. 65 DE) and Keiundre Johnson (No. 66), and defensive tackle JaQuentin Madison (No. 49 DT). Further additions could come on the defensive side of the ball as the Razorbacks remain in contention for four-star, in-state safety Omarion Robinson and three-star Louisiana cornerback Aidan Anding, among others.