Wallow Settling in to New Role
9/27/2018 10:43:00 AM | Football
By Jay Hinton
TCU Athletics Communications
FORT WORTH, Texas — TCU's Garret Wallow saw action in 14 games as a true freshman last season mostly on special teams and at safety.
This year, TCU football coach Gary Patterson asked the New Orleans native to step out of his comfort zone and play linebacker for the first time in his career.
"He always told me he was going to move me," Wallow said. "He would always joke around with me, so I knew it was coming."
With the move, Wallow had to refine his focus by slowing down, playing smart, playing relaxed and playing physical.
"With every young player, it takes experience," said the sophomore who prepped at John Curtis High School where he left at the third-ranked safety in the state of Louisiana.
"The more experience I get, the more I slow down and the more attention I pay to the little things," he said.
Former Frog and TCU's all-time tackles leader Travin Howard (343) and Ty Summers, who is fourth all-time in tackles (287), have been Wallow's sounding boards while making the transition.
"I have talked to Travin Howard a lot and asked him certain questions, Wallow said. "We talk every couple of weeks about what helped him switching from safety to linebacker and what he studied differently. I try to get as much from as him as I can."
Four games into the transition, he likes how he's progressed, but he still has more room for improvement.
"Once you slow yourself down, the game slows down a lot," he said. "You see everything 10 times better than you did."
The proof is in his numbers.
In the season opener against Southern, Wallow had four tackles followed by five against SMU. Against No. 4 OSU, he had eight stops, including a sack, and last week at Texas, he recorded 11.
"It's been a learning process, but it's getting easier and easier," said Wallow, who leads the team in tackles with 28. "I feel like I'm more conformable with it each week and each game. That's going to keep happening with experience."
TCU Athletics Communications
FORT WORTH, Texas — TCU's Garret Wallow saw action in 14 games as a true freshman last season mostly on special teams and at safety.
This year, TCU football coach Gary Patterson asked the New Orleans native to step out of his comfort zone and play linebacker for the first time in his career.
"He always told me he was going to move me," Wallow said. "He would always joke around with me, so I knew it was coming."
With the move, Wallow had to refine his focus by slowing down, playing smart, playing relaxed and playing physical.
"With every young player, it takes experience," said the sophomore who prepped at John Curtis High School where he left at the third-ranked safety in the state of Louisiana.
"The more experience I get, the more I slow down and the more attention I pay to the little things," he said.
Former Frog and TCU's all-time tackles leader Travin Howard (343) and Ty Summers, who is fourth all-time in tackles (287), have been Wallow's sounding boards while making the transition.
"I have talked to Travin Howard a lot and asked him certain questions, Wallow said. "We talk every couple of weeks about what helped him switching from safety to linebacker and what he studied differently. I try to get as much from as him as I can."
Four games into the transition, he likes how he's progressed, but he still has more room for improvement.
"Once you slow yourself down, the game slows down a lot," he said. "You see everything 10 times better than you did."
The proof is in his numbers.
In the season opener against Southern, Wallow had four tackles followed by five against SMU. Against No. 4 OSU, he had eight stops, including a sack, and last week at Texas, he recorded 11.
"It's been a learning process, but it's getting easier and easier," said Wallow, who leads the team in tackles with 28. "I feel like I'm more conformable with it each week and each game. That's going to keep happening with experience."
Players Mentioned
TCU Football | 2026 Signing Class Press Conference (December Group)
Wednesday, December 03
TCU Football: Frogs Cruise Past Cincinnati in 2025 Regular Season Finale (Postgame Press Conference)
Sunday, November 30
TCU Football | Frogs Cruise Past Cincinnati in 2025 Regular Season Finale
Sunday, November 30
Behind the Mic: TCU vs. Cincinnati
Saturday, November 29
