Texas recruiting: ATH Christian Wallace is a "Charlie Strong football player"

One of the top defensive back targets for the Texas Longhorns in the 2016 class is Katy Tompkins athlete Christian Wallace and Bleacher Report's Michael Felder believes that the 6'3, 211-pounder is a perfect fit for head coach Charlie Strong's defense.

Wallace wasn't in attendance at the Dallas The Opening regional camp several weeks ago, but he did make his way to New Orleans for the camp in late March, where he impressed Felder with his skills and leadership.

"If you're Charlie Strong, this is the type of guy you want to become a Longhorns football player," Felder said. "You look at Wallace and he's a tall kid, long athlete. He lined up at corner, but I expect him to play safety at the next level. You watch him play and it's not just the quick feet, it's not just the fluid hips, it's not just the length that he brings to the table -- it's his attitude. He screams, 'I'm a Charlie Strong football player" to me when I watch him play. This is a guy you see go back and pick up every one of his teammates."

Indeed, Wallace does look exactly like other defensive backs that Strong recruited in the 2015 class because of his height and length, which compares favorably to signees like Davante Davis (6'3) and Holton Hill (6'2). Not only that, but Wallace is a key target for the Longhorns at defensive back because Texas is fighting uphill battles for elite in-state safeties Brandon Jones, Eric Monroe, and Deontay Anderson, as well as the state's best cornerback, Jared Mayden.

Ranked as the No. 192 prospect, the No. 13 athlete, and the No. 28 player in Texas, Wallace isn't as highly considered as those other four prospects, but unlike the other three, he has the combination of height, length, and coverage ability that Strong covets.

So even though Felder doesn't believe that Wallace will play cornerback at the next level -- he does have good hips, but his transition ability needs some refinement to reduce wasted motion and quicken it up -- Wallace could eventually fill a similar role at Texas to what Mykkele Thompson did in 2014, playing safety at times, but then moving into the field corner position when necessary. The concern is that Wallace doesn't have the pure speed for the position after running a 4.78 40-yard dash in New Orleans.

Formerly committed to TCU, Wallace is thought to be high on Texas after visiting for the February Junior Day, though he also took in a March Junior Day at Texas A&M. His 247Sports Crystal Ball currently sits in favor of the Longhorns:

Put all together, the rare skill set of Wallace meshes extremely well with Strong's preferences, while fact that Texas trails with other top defensive backs in the state combines to make Wallace a key target for the Horns in 2016.