From humble roots to TCU football’s star defender, Garret Wallow is a success story
Money was tight but Lisa Wallow provided everything she could to her children. She remembers scraping together enough to buy her youngest son Garret new football cleats before a youth-league game in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, the same cleats worn by former TCU standout and Pro Football Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson at the time.
Garret scored the game’s only touchdown that day.
Years later, thinking about her son wearing LT’s cleats and eventually playing for the same college, she said: “Maybe fate.”
As fate would have it, Wallow is leaving a legacy of production and leadership on TCU’s football field just as Tomlinson did.
Wallow is the unquestioned leader of TCU’s defense. The senior out of New Orleans is coming off a 2019 season in which he led the Big 12 in tackles — his 125 were more than double TCU’s next best — and has garnered a lengthy list of preseason accolades.
Wallow has been named a preseason All-American and is on the watch lists for the Lott IMPACT Trophy, Bednarik Award, Butkus Award, Bronko Nagurski Trophy and Wuerffel Trophy. He’s also on NFL radars as a possible top-100 pick with the Senior Bowl putting him on its Top 250 list.
The biggest compliment this preseason, though, may have come from coach Gary Patterson when asked about the linebacker corps early in training camp.
“It’s Garret Wallow and then everyone else,” Patterson said.
Enough said.
But Wallow and those closest to him aren’t going to let the hype get to him. Not even Patterson.
When asked a follow-up question about Wallow and his on-field accomplishments last season, Patterson said: “It doesn’t matter what he did last year. It matters what he does this year.”
Wallow, who is TCU’s active leader in career tackles (205) and career tackles for loss (23.5), would agree with that assessment. He appreciates the preseason attention, but he’d rather be mentioned for those awards in the postseason.
That would mean he played up to expectations and put together a standout 2020 season.
“I’m just staying humble with everything that comes,” Wallow said. “All I do out there is try to do the best I can to help the team win. That’s never going to change. I’m not looking to any other standard because of what I had last year. I have to keep doing my job, keep doing what I do best. Whatever comes with it, comes with it.”
Wallow and the Horned Frogs start the season against Iowa State on Saturday at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Wallow, who will start at strong-side linebacker with Dee Winters at middle linebacker, is ready to go after a longer-than-expected camp.
TCU is on its fifth option to open the season after its last scheduled opener against SMU on Sept. 11 was postponed following a COVID outbreak among TCU’s program.
“We’re at that point where we’re just ready to go play somebody,” Wallow said. “But we also need to keep getting better day in and day out. We need to use every opportunity we have to get better.”
Speed kills
Wallow is known for his range on the field. He came to TCU as a safety but has made a name for himself as a linebacker, piling up tackles all over the field.
This is no surprise to those who knew Wallow in his younger years. One story about his athleticism and speed remains a vivid memory more than a decade later.
For those who grow up in New Orleans, there is pride in either being from the Eastbank or the Westbank, two sides separated by the Mississippi River. It’s similar to the feuds between Fort Worth and Dallas.
Wallow grew up on the Eastbank and was one of the fastest kids in the neighborhood. One of his first track coaches was Kenny Cain, the former TCU linebacker who also played at John Curtis High School.
Cain recalled a track meet between the Eastbank and Westbank when Wallow was 10 years old. At the time, the Westbank usually dominated the sprints.
In the 100-meter dash, though, Wallow out-ran everyone. It was a shocker for anyone on hand. Cain acknowledged the elephant in the room.
“There were a lot of fast guys in there and I remember he was the only white guy, to be blunt,” Cain said. “I remember giving him a speech, I’m not saying the speech had anything to do with it, but the gun went off and he smoked everyone. I just remember how excited he was after the race.”
Well, Cain would be heartened to learn his speech still resonates with Wallow to this day. And he credits that speech for serving as motivation minutes before.
“I just remember Kenny Cain’s speech. I was about to cry,” Wallow said. “He gave such a good motivational speech before we ran the race.”
Mama’s boy
Lisa Wallow likes to take credit for blessing her son with the speed genes. She ran track in high school, after all.
“It’s the big joke in our family,” Lisa said, laughing. “I was on the dance team too.”
Lisa always knew her son had athletic potential and pushed him to reach it. She still doesn’t hesitate to provide a little constructive criticism.
“I’ve always been hard on him, always pushed him,” Lisa said. “If he does nine out of 10 things right, I’ll point out the one thing that’s wrong.”
It’s worked out. Wallow has become one of the top players in the Big 12 and TCU’s team leader. This is a guy who is beloved by anyone associated with the program.
Wallow is just as comfortable talking with reporters and administrators as he is hanging out with his “Que Dogs” as a member of Omega Psi Phi, a predominantly Black fraternity.
Being comfortable in any situation is something that can be traced to his upbringing.
“I raised my kids that there’s one race and it’s human,” Lisa said. “We always had kids over. It didn’t matter if you were rich or poor, if your parents were together or divorced, if you’re in my house, you’re fine. As long as you’re respectful, you’re always welcomed.”
Still, it wasn’t easy for Lisa as a single mother of three (Wallow has twin older sisters), raising kids in a working class neighborhood of New Orleans. Lisa, who is a home health therapist, struggled at times to make ends meet.
“There were times when neighbors would help us out and bring groceries through the backdoor,” Lisa said. “But we always had a roof over our head and our home was always open. What we had we shared and we always had kids over at our house. It’s been tough being a single parent, but I know Garret is very appreciative of everything.”
Yes he is. It’s easy to tell when Garret talks about his upbringing.
Wallow and his mom talk daily and she’ll frequently text him inspirational quotes about leadership.
Hey, who can forget about where the speed came from?
“As far as I know, I get my speed from my mom,” Wallow said, smiling.
Looking ahead
Wallow has been a productive player ever since he arrived on campus.
He played in every game as a true freshman, shining on special teams with a team-leading seven tackles. He then transitioned into a starting linebacker in 2018, playing linebacker and safety throughout a season in which he had 72 tackles.
Last season saw Wallow emerge as one of the top defensive players in the Big 12 with 125 tackles, the fourth-most by any defender of the Patterson era.
All of it has landed Wallow on NFL radars. Another productive season could land Wallow in the first three rounds of next year’s NFL Draft.
“While he has some safety/linebacker tweener traits, Wallow’s range and active play style translates to production,” said Dane Brugler, The Athletic’s NFL Draft analyst. “He flies around vs. the run and shows the versatility to drop and cover.
“His versatility is why NFL scouts view him as a borderline top-100 pick entering his senior year.”
For Wallow, being a prospect for the NFL is something he’s dreamed of but it hasn’t happened by accident. He’s been on a mission to succeed since coming to TCU as a three-star prospect.
“It’s crazy,” Wallow said. “It was just the other day, I remember coming in as a freshman and looking up to the seniors and seeing them play and being the face of TCU. I was like, ‘That’s what I want to do.’
“That was what gave me my drive. It was one of those things where I dreamed of the day it was me out there making those plays and everybody cheering for me and our team. It was a dream but also had a lot of hard work behind it. No dreams become reality without hard work.”
This story was originally published September 24, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
