Tennessee football got some more good news on Sunday. JUCO defensive lineman Jamal Wallace announced he was committing to Tennessee.
Wallace joins a group of need for the Vols, with Tyler Baron transferring to Ole Miss and several defensive linemen having their status unknown for next season. He chose Tennessee over North Texas and USF.
Wallace has two seasons of eligibility remaining and makes the fourth projected defensive lineman in the 2024 class.
The 6-foot-2, 302-pound defensive lineman out of Sierra College in Rocklin, California, called Tennessee his dream school.
“It’s always been my dream school just because of the colors, the fan base and them always being almost able to get into the playoffs and I feel like I could help with that,” Wallace said. “So that’s what interested me in Tennessee.”
Wallace played just about every position except nose guard on the defensive front for Sierra, but mainly specialized as an edge rusher. He finished with 39 total tackles and 3.5 sacks in 10 games this season. He also had a fumble recovery over that stretch.
Being from Ruskin High School in Kansas City, Missouri, former Vol and Kansas City Chief also introduced Wallace to the history of Tennessee.
Defensive line coach Rodney Garner has been the main contact for Wallace in his recruitment. Defensive coordinator Tim Banks has also made a trip to watch Wallace play.
“I know that he’s a very, very good coach,” Wallace said og Garner. “A lot of coaches that I went on visits with, they talk about him a lot. They know him.”
As he goes from JUCO to the FBS level, Wallace has learned the preparation and work it takes to succeed in college. He entered as a 190-pound wide receiver before being converted to the defensive front.
“A clean, nice environment,” Wallace said. “I would say like family-friendly, something like that. I don’t want it to be too friendly, but I need to make sure that I’m around the right coaches. Like I don’t want to be shown something fake — if we got some nice coaches, that’s what I want to see. If we got some (tough) coaches, I would love to see that too. I don’t want it to be shown just for a visit.”
Wallace also took visits to South Florida, Houston, Utah State and North Texas.
