Tylan Wallace’s Early Production, Unique Talent Have Earned Him Biletnikoff Buzz

Oklahoma State watched its leading returning wide receiver from a year ago take a knee after Game 4 and exit stage left, but there’s another wideout in orange who’s earned plenty of his own pub.

Tylan Wallace is a star. He’s not going to be a star, he is one. The highest-rated receiver to sign with Oklahoma State out of high school since Dez has done nothing but make eye-popping plays and contested catches over the first four weeks of the season. Several of his catches against Texas Tech were among the few bright spots for OSU last Saturday.

“We work on that connection every day in practice with all of our receivers,” Wallace said after the game. “All of us go out there and work with (Taylor Cornelius) and have that connection with him. Tonight my number was called, and when that happened I tried to make plays.”

His number has been called a lot this year. He’s led Oklahoma State in catches and targets in each of the last three games, starting with a breakout display against South Alabama when he grabbed 10 balls for 166 yards and a score.

If you watched the first half against Texas Tech on Saturday — I wouldn’t recommend watching the second — Taylor Cornelius looked like he was instructed to hit his Tylan Wallace quota for targets before reading any further through his progressions. He threw to the sophomore on eight of first 13 attempts and looked his way a game-high 14 times on the day.

And a playmaker like Wallace is going to turn those opportunities into production. How about seven catches for 123 yards, his third straight triple-digit outing? Only Justin Blackmon and James Washington did that as OSU underclassmen.

Wallace leads the Cowboys and is second in the Big 12 with 442 receiving yards and he’s hauled in two of his 26 catches for scores. That early success and production has helped earn him inclusion on a watch list for an award that Oklahoma State currently owns.

Congrats Tylan Wallace @OfficialTylan2 for inclusion on the Biletnikoff Award Watch List! @OSUAthletics @CowboyFB #OutstandingReceiver #NCFAA pic.twitter.com/bFAi5xkqbH

— Biletnikoff Award (@biletnikoffawrd) September 25, 2018

There are plenty of question marks all over the Cowboys offense, and with recent hits to its depth chart, more are soon to come. But there is no question who Oklahoma State’s go-to receiver is heading into the second act of its season.