Comments

Dan,

Do you agree that Coach Grobe has never before expressed such openness to playing true freshmen has he has been since signing this year’s class?  Do you think that change in position is more of a reflection on the talent of the upperclassmen or the incoming freshmen that might be jumping over them on the depth chart?  Thanks as always.

DC on 02/04/2012 (4:39 pm)

I’m not sure what to make of this recruiting class.  First impression is one of excitement; we signed a few offensive linemen, which we needed desperately, and all of whom have good size.  The only question is can they play football?  Only time will tell.  The question that interests me right now is, “Who’s going to be there coach?”  I guess we’ll know the answer to that question fairly soon with Spring Practice only about a month away.

Second impression is one of unease with the running back position.  The situation is definitely disconcerting.  Josh Harris still hasn’t said if he’s staying or transferring so we could be in a real predicament.  Reynolds is a nice back and showed potential this past season but is he a 20-25 carries per game back at his current size?  That remains to be seen but I’m not counting on it.  When we had a shortage of running backs a few years ago Kenny Moore stepped in and did a nice job.  Could “Scooby” Jackson or Quan Rucker help out at running back on a limited basis?  It’s better than sitting on the bench.

If there’s one consistent attribute Coach Grobe has shown during his tenure at Wake it’s the ability take good players, coach ‘em up and make them better.  But I agree with BJJB, if any of these freshmen show they’re ready to play and are better than the upperclassmen play them immediately!

Looking forward to spring ball.  GO DEACS!

Deac Fan on 02/04/2012 (9:29 am)

I listened to Grobe talking about the incoming football squad. Couldn’t believe the lack of running backs. He kept saying that they tried to get one(1) more but it didn’t workout. What don’t I understand? Since when can’t a division 1 team not get another back? This past year they had to waste a red shirt due to insufficient running backs healthy enough to play. Don’t they learn from past mistakes?

jack on 02/03/2012 (7:27 pm)

You see that class Vanderbilt hauled in?—- Uncle Ronnie time to re-think that contract we are with Vandy and call Eastern Michigan.

Doug on 02/03/2012 (12:12 pm)

Wonder how the new OL coach will impact the progress of our young guys?

gary on 02/02/2012 (9:19 pm)

As of late yesterday still on the board. Hello anyone , anyone? If I hear one cricket from University Pkwy.
5. RB Marion Grice, Undecided
A change of staff in College Station meant a change of heart for one of the nation’s elite transfer backs, who had originally given a verbal to Texas A&M. Grice has now opened up his recruitment to include Arizona State and hometown Houston among a handful of interested schools. Although well-sized at 6-0 and 215 pounds, he’s more of an elusive runner, darting in and out of holes and making defenders miss. While at Blinn (Tex.) College, Grice authored back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, and cobbled together a body of work that’s been digested and broken down by intrigued coaches from the SEC to the Pac-12.

Doug on 02/02/2012 (7:53 am)

DO NOT RED SHIRT THESE GUYS! Repeat do not red shirt these three recruits! Have platoons of offensive lines. Group one the “ultimate power” line get in there we are on the goal line and smash their line back so we can score. Group two you “steel curtain” you get in there we are down by 14 with ten mins to go and need to air this out. Group three you “fleet footed scat cats”  you get in there we are up by 14 with ten minutes to go and need to drag this clock out by running the ball. When we say build offensive line I mean have a borderline NAVY SEAL TEAM 6!

Billie Jo Jim Bob on 02/02/2012 (7:39 am)

Ken,

I completely agree with you, although I think this latest group did have its share of solid games.  In particular, they did a very good job of opening holes for Pendergrass during the Clemson game.  Nevertheless, between this recent group and our o-line back in 2009 (the last veteran group) I hope we’ve dispensed with the fallacy that experience makes a huge difference.  We’re gonna know what we have out of this group right away.  Hopefully they’ll be ready because, even with the loss of Chris Givens, I think we have some very solid skill players coming back this year. 

I do have some questions.  I guess I understand that certain guys might be predisposed to blocking effectively for an option attack vs. a pro-style passing game.  But in reading coach Grobe’s comments about the evolution of our recruiting of offensive linemen, I can’t help but ask… why is it an epiphany to now sign guys who can block for both the run and the pass?  Moreover, why can’t we take guys who are good run blockers and teach them to “absorb the rush” on passing downs?  Isn’t that what’s supposed to happen during that redshirt year?

DC on 02/01/2012 (11:46 pm)

With all the experience on the O-line this past season, I, frankly, was disappointed in their performance. Hopefully, these 6 new guys can change that.

Ken Green on 02/01/2012 (8:39 pm)