I've always been impressed by offensive linemen.

Tough job.

More often than not, they are great guys--gentle giants would be the cliché'—who are extremely close-knit. The bond they enjoy might be the most special on any football team.  And, more often than not, their worth to the team is underrated.

It is the offensive line that makes a football team go, to my way of thinking.  If a team can't run the football, its success is in jeopardy.  By the way, they also protect the team's most valuable asset, its quarterback.

Wyoming's current Spring Training period is Zach Wallace's fourth and final one as the Pokes' starting offensive left tackle (the guy who protects a righty quarterback's blind side). It's hard for me to believe that, but collegiate careers fly by much faster for me these days.  It seems like only yesterday that he was a skinny freshman. The Cowboys' left tackle is already the grizzled veteran. The wise, old sage. He has played in every game since he got here, and has started all but two.

"I was thinking about that the other day," says the most veteran of Wyoming's gentle giants. "In the moment it seems like a grind, but in reality it has flown by.  I'm having a hard time believing that this is my last spring.

"We've come a long ways since I got here," Wallace continues.  "We went from a 2-10 season to putting together two pretty good years. We certainly have more work to do, but I'm proud of this team and how far we've come.  We changed the mentality here, and brought Wyoming back.  And, I'm part of a team that is driven to take the next step."

Wallace is the anchor of an offensive line that has four starters returning. He has continued to improve to the point that he is one of the top left tackles in the Mountain West, according to his position coach, Scott Fuchs.

"I'm really proud of Zach," says Fuchs. "Being a good football player is really important to him and he's continued to improve.  We had to throw him into the mix as a freshman when he really wasn't ready with his weight or strength.  But he worked through that and has been outstanding for us.  He is smart, he is athletic, and he is dedicated."

Wallace came to Wyoming with the perfect height for an offensive tackle, 6-7, but certainly not the perfect weight.  "I weighed 265 pounds when I got here," he says shaking his head.  "I certainly knew I had to put on weight, and get stronger, but I guess I didn't know how difficult that would be.  Right now I'm at 314, and I feel that's a good weight for me to perform my best."

Age has its benefits, and gives one sharper vision.  "As a group I think we are taking steps forward," Wallace says.  "We want to be able to have seven or eight guys who can come into a game and get the job done.  With injuries and the long season, an offensive line has to have at least that many. I think we are getting there.  We have some good young players to go along with us older guys."

His position coach totally agrees.  "It finally looks like we have seven or eight guys we can go into a game with," says Fuchs.  "I really like this group.  They are a sharp bunch, and they work hard.  We are getting better every day."

Wallace and fellow-senior Kaden Jackson—at right guard—are the 'older guys' up front.  The two other returning starters are junior guard Gavin Rush and sophomore center/guard Logan Harris.

"We are approaching the spring with the mind-set that no position is a lock, nothing is set in stone, Zach says.  "We all have to earn our starting spots.  We have a lot of good, young players who are pushing us and that's healthy."

Wallace is a native of Lake Zurich, Illinois.  He was highly-decorated while playing at Lake Zurich High School and was selected to the 2014 Illinois All-State Class 7A team—the second largest classification in Illinois-- by the state's Football Coaches Association.  He also was an outstanding center on the school's basketball team.

"That's only because I was the tallest guy on the team," he muses.  "I'd been playing football all my life, and I knew that was going to be my future."

As far as Wyoming is concerned, he made the right choice. "He has turned into one of the better tackles in our league," says Fuchs, "and he can get even better.  He certainly has improved his run blocking because he plays low.  But I want to see him score 100 percent on his pass-blocking, which he can do.  He should have an outstanding senior season."

There is no doubt an offensive lineman must have a special mentality.  In a sport of fury, he has to be under control.  "We probably lack athleticism compared to some of the guys we are up against, that's a fact.  So we have to keep our feet underneath us, and be under control.  That's difficult sometimes.  I do think that's part of the reason why offensive linemen have such a strong bond.  We are close, and enjoy spending a lot of time together."

Wallace had been majoring in engineering—it seems like a lot of Cowboy o-linemen have been engineers—but he has recently switched to mathematics with a minor in statistics.  Are all offensive linemen smart? "Well sure we are," Wallace smiles, "but I wouldn't say we were all engineers.  I was in engineering but switched.  I'm a guy who loves math, and I've always been pretty good at it.  Don't ask me to write a paper, but I do love to crunch numbers, and when football is over, I can see myself going to work for a cooperation as a numbers guy."

Wallace's dry sense of humor is revealed when asked if he ever thought of going into coaching. "Oh, I thought about it, but not for very long.  That's a tough job, but there are some upsides to it.  They get to make everyone run, they like to do that, and they have the power to do that.  I would love being able to say, 'back in the day' like coaches always do,' he grins

What will he remember long after he's completed his Wyoming career?  "I think the fact we came in here and were 2-10 with a promise of a new building," he says.  "Now we've had two eight-win seasons, and I sit in front of my locker shaking my head that we are actually in this beautiful building.  I will always be grateful that the end zone building was finished during our time here, and I will always be proud that we were able to change the culture of this program, and bring success back to Wyoming."