Linebacker Garret Wallow hears his name called in the fifth round of the NFL Draft by Houston

The Captain is a Texan.

Garret Wallow, who has served as the face of TCU Football for the last several seasons, will begin his professional career in Houston after hearing his name called in the fifth round of the NFL Draft Saturday.

The linebacker out of New Orleans, who was recruited by the Frogs as a three star safety, isn’t the prototypical NFL linebacker, but he has four years of incredibly productive tape, a super high football IQ, and off the charts intangibles. That seems to be what the Texans fell in love with.

A natural leader, Wallow was the voice and face of the Frogs for the last two seasons especially, starting the final 22 games of his collegiate career. Garret has been on the field for the Frogs in all 49 contents TCU has played the last four seasons, helping him amass 295 career tackles, good for fourth best of the Gary Patterson era. His 2019 campaign was one for the record books, as Wallow led the Big 12 with 125 tackles and tied for ninth nationally with 10.4 tackles per game. His 125 stops that season ranked fourth in a season in the 19-year tenure of Head Coach Gary Patterson, and he had a team-best 18.0 tackles for loss. He topped TCU in tackles in 10 of 12 games and reached double figures in stops in seven of 12 contests, including four of the last five.

For 2020, the image of Wallow striding out by himself for the coin flip came to symbolize college football in the COVID era — a grind that was often without the hoopla of a normal year. Despite the Frogs early struggles, Wallow was a stalwart: leading TCU in tackles for the second consecutive year as his 90 stops placed second in the Big 12 overall. One of the most memorable moments of the season and his career was his forced fumble on Keontay Ingram at the goal line against Texas, with the Longhorns driving late looking for the go-ahead score. The stop helped TCU finish Wallow’s career 3-1 against UT, which is the same record the Frogs had against Baylor over that run. Wallow led the Horned Frogs in tackles in seven of 10 games and in 17 of his last 22 contests overall, as well as reached double figures in stops in six of the last eight games and in 16 career contests. He was a constant go-to in press conferences and post games, always good for a quote and a smile, even after the most crushing of losses. He’s one of my favorite all-time interviews, and not just because of his delightful Bayou accent.

With Houston, Wallow will likely start as a special teams ace, but there’s little to no doubt he will get himself noticed in a good way by his new team. And he will be reunited with an old friend, as Ross Blacklock joined the Texans as a second rounder last year. A master in the film room and a true student of the game, Wallow works too hard not to get his opportunity. I know TCU fans will look forward to rooting for him for a long time.