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With the news that three starters are out for the season, it’s been a bad week for TCU Football. It got a little worse Wednesday, when rumors that junior cornerback Tony Wallace had opted out for the season were confirmed.
TCU defensive back Tony Wallace opts out of 2020 season:https://t.co/xKBJyVlI3E pic.twitter.com/AUEJPJb1vg
— 247Sports (@247Sports) October 28, 2020
Wallace, a native of Las Vegas, NV, originally signed with Arizona as a three star prospect in 2017. As a true freshman, he appeared in 10 games for the Wildcats, but elected to transfer to Independence Community College following the season to get a fresh start.
In 2019 he chose the Horned Frogs despite a late push by Nebraska, and spent last season buried on the depth chart behind seniors Jeff Gladney and Julius Lewis, as well as true freshmen Tre’vius Hodges-Tomlinson and Kee’yon Stewart. He was expected to play a significant role this season, with Jeremy Clark saying:
With the loss of Jeff Gladney and Julius Lewis, the competition at both cornerback spots will be wide open. If Wallace is healthy, he will see action one way or another; TCU isn’t recruiting a JUCO cornerback to watch from the sidelines. Unfortunately, he didn’t get to prove much last year. For the 2020 season, he will be fully expected to be in the two deep at cornerback and also be a special teams contributor.
But when Noah Daniels left the game against Oklahoma early with an injury, it was Stewart that took his place, and Wallace has struggled to crack the two-deep in the defensive secondary. Opting out, in a season that won’t count against his eligibility, likely means he is headed for greener pastures and more PT.
With Daniels out for the season, TCU is left with Stewart and CJ Cesar as the experienced players looking to take his spot. True freshman Keontae Jenkins could also see time.