By LARRY VAUGHT
larry@amnews.com

Even though he has to pay his own to Kentucky this year and sit out the season as a transfer, tight end Ryan Wallace is excited to be joining the Wildcats.

The former Bowling Green standout originally committed to Louisville before changing his mind and signing with Colorado. He redshirted last season and was No. 5 on the depth chart after spring practice but three players ahead of him were seniors.

Still, he missed Kentucky and decided Kentucky, which will have three senior tight ends this season, was the best spot for him.

“Obviously, I wanted back closer to my family. Lexington is far enough away that I can be myself and still get home to see my family if need be,” said Wallace. “I should have a chance to play after I sit out this year and it doesn’t get any better than playing in the SEC.”

Wallace will be one of 105 players reporting Aug. 6 when UK starts preseason workouts. He’ll become a scholarship player in 2010 and have three years of eligibility remaining.

“I know that sitting out another year will be difficult, but he seems very happy with his decision,” said Kevin Wallace, Ryan’s father and coach at Bowling Green. “While it is not in my inner fiber to accept quitting at anything, I have realized over the past month that for Ryan to get the most out of his college experience, it is essential for him to have a level of happiness that will at least make him comfortable in his surroundings.”

Ryan Wallace played with UK offensive guard Stuart Hines at Bowling Green and has known him since elementary school. He also has friends from the Kentucky all-star team he was on.

“They have great guys and great coaches. I am really  looking forward to it,” Wallace said. “My dad was not very happy with the transfer at first, but once I settle in at Kentucky he was glad he would get to see me play.

Wallace had 47 catches for 669 yards — an average of 13.9 yards per reception — and seven touchdowns in 2007. He caught 22 passes for 325 yards in 2006.

“Sitting out a year will be tough, but it will give me an opportunity to learn the offense and the overall system,” he said. “I was on the scout team last year at Colorado and it still took me time in the spring to get the system down. It will also give me another year to get bigger, stronger and faster.”

He already did that at Colorado where he increased his weight to 245 while lowering his 40-yard dash time to 4.8 seconds — the second fastest among the Colorado tight ends.

“Overall I got more athletic. In high school I did not do a lot of lower body stuff. They were geared to core stuff and working on your lower body. It made my athleticism better,” Wallace said.

He says he enjoyed the players and coaches at Colorado.

“It was just so far from home,” he said. “I missed my family. It’s tough to live in the same city all your life and the move 1,200 miles away. Kentucky is just better for me. I just had to learn that by being away a year.”

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