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SEE WALLACE PAGE 46 P enn State has the keen eye of a high school strength coach to thank for one of the three wide receivers it signed in its 2021 recruiting class. Harrison Wallace III arrived at Pike Road High in Montgomery County, Ala., in the summer of 2019. At the time, he was a standout basketball player and was even better on the diamond, where he played as an out7elder. Football wasn't on his radar. "It was our strength coach who actually talked him into coming out to play foot- ball," said Patrick Browning, Pike Road's head football coach. "He just looked like such a good athlete in the weight room, so [the coach] told him he had to give foot- ball a try. Of course, he wasn't wrong. He proved to be just an unbelievable athlete on the 7eld. For someone that's only played varsity for two years, his upside is just absolutely through the roof." Penn State hasn't shied away from pur- suing newcomers to the sport. Recently, Jayson Oweh has proved to be a big suc- cess a9er starting his football career as a junior in high school. He might hear his name called in the 7rst round of the NFL Dra9 this spring if things break right. Wallace showed in high school that he's got excellent potential, and plenty of ability in the here-and-now to go along with it. He caught 19 passes for 429 yards during his 7rst season as a junior. The fol- lowing year, he really took o8. Pike Road made a more concerted e8ort to get him the ball, and Wallace responded by total- ing 696 receiving yards and seven touch- downs, along with 115 yards and a score on 13 carries. He even threw 7ve passes Wallace makes smooth transition to football CLICK HERE to see video of Wallace in action. though, so I understand it, but I don't think it really represents the player that he is." "It was still a great experience for me," Veilleux said. "I learned so much down there, so I have no regrets. I wanted to make the Elite 11, and I made that. I was the 7rst Canadian to make the 7nal, so that's an honor. But I know what I'm ca- pable of." Veilleux enrolled at Penn State in January. Getting the opportunity to work with the team and scrimmage this spring should prove invaluable considering he hasn't put on pads since November 2019. Before en- rolling, he said he had a few goals in mind for this spring, both on and o8 the 7eld. "Getting o8 to a great start academi- cally is a big one. That's one reason why I wanted to enroll early," Veilleux said. "Getting comfortable with campus and that lifestyle is important, too. But I also just want to get in there and learn. Penn State has some of the best coaches and trainers in the world. Working with them every day is so important for me. Another thing is just showing my teammates that they can trust me and that I'm here to compete. I'm here to win." Tedondo proved to be very important for Veilleux, too. "I wouldn't be where I am without him," Veilleux said. That's a theme we've heard from multiple Canadian play- ers over the years, including Jonathan Sutherland and Jesse Luketa, who also bene7ted from Tedondo's guidance. As for quarterbacks, Veilleux is the third that Tedondo has helped reach the Division I level. Michael O'Connor, who also went to Penn State before transferring to the University of British Columbia when Bill O'Brien went to the NFL, was another. O'Connor now plays for the Calgary Stam- peders in the Canadian Football League. So, how does Veilleux stack up to O'Connor? "He's the most dynamic quarterback I've worked with," Tedondo said, "and I love Michael. Michael is my son's godfa- ther. Me and Michael are very close. What is di8erent about Christian is that he's an A+ athlete. Michael was always a pro- style guy who did all of his work with his arm. He was meant for a certain kind of o8ense. Christian can pick between a few di8erent o8enses and adapt. He can do so many di8erent things. ... Christian can improvise and make something out of nothing. Penn State fans are going to enjoy that." ■ THE WALLACE FILE STATS Finished with 1,130 all-purpose yards as a senior, in- cluding 696 receiving yards and seven TDs on 27 catches... Totaled 115 yards and one TD on the ground... Had 429 re- ceiving yards and nine TDs on 19 catches as a junior HONORS Named a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, as well as the No. 71 receiver nationally and No. 25 prospect in Ala- bama... Received All-State, All-Region and All-City honors as a junior and senior... Was invited to play in Alabama's North-South All-Star Game |

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