The eternal debate about which college football conference rules the roost saw a power shift this season. The Big Ten stormed onto the scene and shut down a lot of the noise coming from the SEC. It’s no exaggeration to say the top dogs in the Big Ten are currently the best in the game. This all happened thanks to realignment, and it all went down super fast. Of course, it’s all just talk for the fans. Players don’t really care about which conference is ‘better’—they’re’ focused on their own individual success. Now, after unlocking a new gear through 2024, one player has jumped ship.

There was one rather apparent issue simmering in the Penn State team this season. Unfortunately for them, it took center stage in the biggest game of the year, the Orange Bowl. The wide receiving corps for the Nittany Lions wasn’t quite clicking. But what transpired was a grand total of 0 receptions by any wide receiver all game. Tight end Tyler Warren papered over a lot of cracks in the pass-catching department. This may well have been the final straw for their WR1. He’s trading College Station for new pastures.

Harrison Wallace III hit the transfer portal and immediately became the most coveted player traversing it. On3 industry standards rated him no.1 overall, and for good reason. Wallace garnered 720 yards to go with 4 house calls this year on merely 46 receptions. He more than doubled his production from the previous two seasons combined. During his four years at Penn State, Wallace hauled in 1,221 receiving yards and found the end zone six times. For context, Jeremiah Smith of Ohio State has 71 catches for 1,227 yards and 15 touchdowns. And he has shared the field with Egbuka and Tate. 

Harrison Wallace just wasn’t featured as much as his talent demanded. Penn State was a run-first offense, with the 2-headed snake of Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton eating up a majority of the usage. James Franklin is generally perceived as someone pragmatic, who’s averse to an air show unless requisite. As a result, Harrison Wallace has chosen to link up with an HC renowned for his offensive enterprise.

Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss Rebels have conjured the 2nd-best portal class in the country. Now, they’ve bolstered it further with Harrison Wallace. Ole Miss consistently has one of the best offenses going, and that is going to continue as long as Kiffin is at the helm. Despite losing QB1 Jaxson Dart to the NFL Draft, his deputy, Austin Simmons, is a capable successor. He will hope to get a connection going with Wallace. One that his previous quarterback couldn’t quite muster.

Harrison Wallace III had to do what’s right for the rest of his career

Drew Allar is a good football player; that much is conspicuous. He has the tools to be great, which is the frustration reverberating across State College after Penn State’s exit. Still relatively young, Allar has a high ceiling but an evidently low floor. Against Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl, even this low floor essentially left from under his feet.

He sunk to a performance that was an unprecedented disaster by all accords. 0 passes to a receiver cannot be absolved, regardless of the playcalling. It’s not far-fetched to say the chemistry just wasn’t there.

Even though James Franklin has managed to get most of the band back together, he’s lost both his primary wide receivers. Not only did Harrison Wallace bid adieu, but so did his running mate, Omari Evans. The two players depart with about 70% of the total yardage PSU receivers had between them. The ones still remaining in Happy Valley only accounted for the remaining 30%. This goes to show how much of a miss Wallace, in particular, will be, as the head of the operation.

Harrison Wallace is doing the right thing by looking out for himself. He’s entering his senior year, and going by what he’s shown this year, an NFL future is on the cards. Instead of staying put in a fractured offense, he’s headed to one that has a track record within the Lane Kiffin system. Wallace will hope this leap of faith into the SEC proves fruitful. Conversely, Penn State will now have to fill the voids!