2023 Penn State football snapshot profile: No. 6 Harrison Wallace III
Going into the 2023 football season, Nittany Lions Wire will be looking at each scholarship player listed on the Penn State roster. Over the preseason, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for James Franklin this season.
Continuing this effort is a look at rising wide receiver Harrison Wallace III, a redshirt sophomore who could compete for some legitimate playing time in the Penn State offense this fall. Wide receiver is one of the key question marks for the Nittany Lions this season, Wallace could be a player to keep a watchful eye on as a potential breakout contributor in the passing game.
Preseason Player Profile
ayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Hometown: Montgomery, AL
Height: 6-1
Weight: 196
247Sports Composite Ranking
Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports
[3-stars] | [No. 10 in Alabama] | [No. 35 overall wide receiver]
Class of 2021
Class in 2023: Redshirt sophomore
Harrison Wallace was a late addition to Penn State’s Class of 2021 recruiting efforts. Originally committed to Duke, Wallace flipped his commitment to the Nittany Lions weeks before the early signing period for the Class of 2021 recruiting cycle. Although the 247Sports composite rankings gave Wallace a three-star recruiting profile, 247Sports’ own recruiting evaluation gave him a fourth star.
Wallace was a top 10 player in the state of Alabama according to the 247Sports recruiting rankings.
Career Stats
Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports
Games | Receptions | Yards | Touchdowns | |
2021 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2022 | 13 | 19 | 273 | 1 |
Wallace appeared in just three games as a true freshman during the 2021 season, thus preserving redshirt eligibility. After not recording any stats in 2021, Wallace made appearances in all 13 games played by Penn State in the 2022 season, largely in a reserve role behind established starters in front of him.
Wallace capped his 2022 season with a pair of catches for a total of 47 yards in Penn State’s Rose Bowl victory over Utah.
Depth Chart Overview
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Penn State loses two established starters with experience from the wide receiver position in 2023 following the NFL departures of Parker Washington and Mitchell Tinsley. KeAndre Lambert-Smith is the top returning starting wide receiver for the Nittany Lions, but the transfer portal addition of Dante Cephas from Kent State is expected to solidify one of the vacant starting jobs.
That leaves one spot left to grab, and Harrison Wallace III is a legitimate contender for that role. Omari Evans, who is coming off a standout performance in the Blue-White Game from the spring, could have generated some momentum for his shot at the job, and Florida State transfer Malik McClain could compete for some playing time in the receiving game. But Wallace is a player that is expected to make a push for some more playing time as Penn State figures out its receiving corp for new starting quarterback Drew Allar.
