Bo Wallace's new role includes coaching brother

Marshall County quarterbacks coach Bo Wallace gives his brother Bryce Wallace instruction during a drill.

Marshall County quarterback Bryce Wallace throws a pass as quarterbacks coach Bo Wallace watches on. Bo Wallace led Ole Miss to three bowl games.

Marshall County quarterbacks coach Bo Wallace talks to his brother Bryce Wallace during practice on Tuesday.

Marshall County quarterbacks coach Bo Wallace, left, gives instructions to his younger brother Bryce Wallace. Bryce is a first-year starting quarterback with the Tigers.

Marshall County quarterback Bryce Wallace, left follows through on a pass while quarterbacks coach Bo Wallace watches on. Bo Wallace, Bryce’s brother led Ole Miss to three bowl games.

Marshall County quarterbacks coach Bo Wallace, right, gives his brother Bryce instructions during a drill.

LEWISBURG — Bo Wallace stood behind his younger brother watching every move.

He quietly gave instructions, waiting for him to throw it. He’d make an arm motion, demonstrating how he wanted the ball to leave the younger quarterback’s right hand.

This is Wallace’s new role on the football field. The former Giles County and Ole Miss quarterback has said goodbye to his playing days and traded it for a ball cap and a play list.

He’s now in his first-year as the quarterbacks coach at Marshall County, two years removed from life as an SEC quarterback. He had an opportunity to play in the CFL. He passed on it to move on with his life.

“Yeah, I miss it,” Wallace said of playing the game. “Especially when the preseason started kicking off and the college football season kicking off.

“Last year, it killed me not being around the game. This year, I’ve put everything I’ve got into this. It’s still competing. At the end of the day, I’m still competing. I want to beat that team as bad as I wanted to beat Alabama.”

And this week, “that team” is his alma mater — Giles County. Marshall County (4-0, 1-0 4-4A) hosts Giles County (3-1, 1-0) at 7 p.m. Friday.

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Bryce Wallace, a 5-foot-11, 160-pound sophomore, has blossomed this season in his first year as a starting quarterback. He’s completed 64 of 82 passes for 878 yards with 10 touchdowns and just one interception.

“The goal is to be better than him — always,” Bryce said of his brother. “I’ve been watching him my whole life. This is all I’ve ever wanted to do — be a quarterback.”

Bo Wallace played under Giles County coach David O’Connor, who is in his second stint with the Pulaski school. Marshall County coach Thomas Osteen was an assistant there.

Osteen has put together a high-powered offense since coming to Lewisburg three years ago. The Tigers reached the Class 4A state semifinals a year ago.

Bo Wallace (14) led Ole Miss to three bowl games.

Marshall County currently is averaging 44.5 points a game in an offense similar to the one Bo Wallace ran at Ole Miss, albeit with some pro-style formations.

“Ole Miss is the best you could compare it to at the college level,” Osteen said. “(Bryce) is running a very complex, quarterback-decision-making system.”

Bo Wallace is committed to coaching this season at Marshall County and continuing to work with his brother to become a better quarterback.

He often sits in his family’s dining room at a dry erase board and goes over formations and general knowledge with his brother.

“He wants to be a college quarterback, so I try to prepare him to be that,” he said.

Bryce Wallace admittedly has room to improve but has two more seasons to do that before college.

At 5-11, he’ll probably have to grow a few more inches. His brother was 6-4 at Ole Miss, where he threw for more than 9,500 yards and led the Rebels to three straight bowl games.

After this year, who knows? Bo Wallace’s goal is to work his way up to the highest level of coaching. However for this year, he’s right where he wants to be.

“I saw something special in this team,” Bo Wallace said. “I want to be part of it.”

Reach Tom Kreager at 615-259-8089 and on Twitter @Kreager.