Penn State Nittany Lions Transfer, Ole Miss Rebels Wide Receiver Making Impact

Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss Rebels attacked the NCAA Transfer Portal during the offseason after signing double-digit newcomers via the free agent market.

The Rebels reeled in Penn State Nittany Lions wide receiver Harrison Wallace III in January after the Big Ten star made the move to the Southeastern Conference.

After an impressive 2024 campaign where Wallace led the Nittany Lions' receiving corps, he's eyeing a big year with the Rebels after bursting on the scene during camp.

The Montgomery (Ala.) native logged 84 catches for the Nittany Lions while hauling in six touchdowns across his four seasons with Penn State.

Wallace is coming off a career-year which saw him rank second for the Nittany Lions in receptions (46) and receiving yards (720).

Kiffin's fast-paced offense is what intrigued Wallace during the NCAA Transfer Portal process where he quickly bought into what Ole Miss could provide.

Ole Miss Rebels Football. — Aug 30, 2025; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels wide receiver Harrison Wallace III (2) runs after a catch during the first quarter against the Georgia State Panthers at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

“It’s a great offense. Just, during that transfer portal recruiting window, just coming in and seeing how they run the offense and just get their receivers the ball in space just so they can do what they do, it’s just an opportunity you couldn’t pass up on," Wallace said.

Now, Ole Miss is already reaping the benefits of having Wallace in Oxford with the first-year Rebel making an impact on both offense and special teams.

He's coming off of a standout debut for Kiffin's program this past weekend after leading the game in receiving yards with 130 (career-high) and a touchdown while logging five receptions.

In Saturday's Week 1 matchup against Georgia State, it marked the first time Wallace recorded at least 100 receiving yards since Week 1 of the 2024 season.

"I feel like I played really good," Wallace said following Tuesday's practice. "Left some plays out there on the field, but just wanted to do as much as I could to get the dub…As a veteran player, just the years that I've played and things I've done over time helped me learning the playbook — taking notes, things like that. I felt like it was a pretty smooth transition."

But Wallace is also impacting the game on special teams where he's fielding punts for the first time in his career.

"I wouldn't say it was something that we really talked about (during) the transfer portal window, but it's just a role I stepped into once I got here practicing and competing with the guys. I feel pretty comfortable out there," Wallace said. "Playing baseball over the years growing up — it's kind of like playing center field."

"This is literally my first time ever doing it. I was in a special teams meeting one day and then I saw my name on the depth chart. From there it was just practicing that."

Now, Kiffin and Co. will continue falling back on the Penn State transfer as a critical component to the program moving forward with a Week 2 clash against Kentucky set for Saturday at Kroger Field.

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