Arkansas, Pittman land four-star OLB Wallace

Eli Lederman, ESPN Personnel WriterJul 2, 2024, 08:02 PM ET

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Eli Lederman covers college football and recruiting for ESPN.com. He signed up with ESPN in 2024 after covering the University of Oklahoma for Sellout Crowd and the Tulsa World.Four-star outside linebacker Tavion Wallace, No. 37 in the 2025 ESPN 300, announced his dedication to Arkansas Tuesday night, marking a significant recruiting win for Sam Pittman and the Razorbacks.Wallace, a standout at Wayne County High School in Jesup, Georgia

, is the fourth-ranked outdoors linebacker in the 2025 class. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound protector 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 hire headed to Fayetteville in this cycle. Wallace is the brother of previous Kentucky linebacker Trevin Wallace, a third round selection of the Carolina Panthers in the 2024 NFL Draft.Arkansas protective coordinator Travis Williams recruited Wallace’s older brother while

on staff at Auburn and was the primary employer in helping the Razorbacks land the eighth-ranked possibility in the state of Georgia. Wallace took his first main see of the spring to Arkansas on the final weekend of May, and despite heavy interest from a set of SEC opponents and Florida State, where Wallace took several check outs in 2024, the Razorbacks held on for the class-defining promise 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 future of Arkansas’defense. A standout protector 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 promise, Wallace now stands as Arkansas ‘2nd ESPN 300 commit in 2025, signing up with quarterback Grayson Wilson, No. 269 in the ESPN 300, committed to the Razorbacks in April 2023. He 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 ), protective ends Caleb Bell(No. 65 DE )and Keiundre Johnson(No. 66) and defensive tackle JaQuentin Madison(No. 49 DT). Additional additions could begin the defensive side of the ball as the Razorbacks stay in contention for four-star, in-state security Omarion Robinson and three-star Louisiana cornerback Aidan Anding, among others.