Bo Wallace scrambles with the ball during a college football practice in Oxford, Miss., Wednesday, March 26, 2014. (DM Photo/Aditya Khare)
Saturday’s Grove Bowl not only marks the end of the spring season for Ole Miss football; it also marks the beginning of a new phase on the road to full recovery for senior quarterback Bo Wallace.
Wallace, who is going into his third season as the Rebel’s signal caller, will make a trip out west after the spring season to spend a week with Tom House, a shoulder specialist, who will help Wallace regain all of his strength in his throwing shoulder.
“I don’t think (spring practice) compares to what he can get in January, February, May, June and July,” Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze said. “The issue we had last year is not having the time to really strengthen and rehab (Wallace’s shoulder). The arm strength diminished as the season went on.
“He’s going to take a little trip to a specialist that kind of specializes in baseball pitchers that have had issues with elbows and shoulders and how they really restrengthen their arm. So, we’ll send him there for a week, and I think that will pay dividends even more than the 15 spring practices.”
The shoulder problems go back to Wallace’s 2012 injury against Tulane. Although he did not appear to be 100 percent entering the 2013 season, Wallace ended up having a good year. The Pulaski, Tenn., native finished the year with 3,346 yards through the air and 18 passing touchdowns. He also completed 64.8 percent of his passes and added 355 yards and six touchdowns on the ground.
However, it was obvious that Wallace’s arm got progressively weaker as the year went on. In fact, five of Wallace’s 10 interceptions from this past season came in the last three games of the year.
For now, it is all about getting the shoulder strength back to where it originally was, and that’s where House comes in.
“I saw on ‘Real Sports’ on HBO about a pitcher who had rehabbed his arm and gotten stronger,” offensive coordinator Dan Werner said. “So, I investigated on the Internet and found the guy who actually rehabbed him.”
House is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who took up coaching after his playing days ended. Now, he works with several professional athletes. His list of quarterbacks includes Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Tim Tebow, Alex Smith, Carson Palmer and Matt Cassel.
“I’m just excited to get out there and work,” Wallace said.
Until then, Wallace is concentrated on finishing out the spring on a strong note. He feels more comfortable with the offense than he ever has, and for the first time in a long time, he can make a throw pain-free.
“It feels good,” Wallace said of his shoulder. “I think everybody can tell I have more pop and zip to it than I had at the end of the year, and that’s only with two months of lifting. So, I still have three more months. I’m really excited about it.”
Wallace is still not where he wants to be, however. He has said he feels good with short and intermediate throws, but he’s not comfortable throwing deep balls consistently.
After spending a week with House and a full offseason with Ole Miss strength and conditioning coach Paul Jackson, the coaching staff is hoping to see a whole new quarterback come fall camp.
“If he can come back and get a little more zip on the ball and, most of all, be able to play the whole season with the same velocity as when he started, obviously, it’s going to be a huge plus for us,” Werner said.
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