Comments

Dan,

I am still waiting on the real reasons we have a new Basketball Coach. Will we ever know the real truth? Will Ron Welman ever have the integrity to at least tell all of us Wake Alumni what really happened? I do not pretend to know, but it doesn’t take much to figure out it wasn’t about winning and loosing basketball games.

Tony C on 12/21/2010 (2:30 pm)

There is going to be a fine offensive coordinator available after January 4th if he is still interested in college football. He was successful at Ga. Tech with George O’Leary and really successful with Bobby Ross and he has always been respectful of Coach Grobe. Just wishful thinking…I suppose.

pensive1 on 12/21/2010 (10:05 am)

Why on earth woudn’t Coach Grobe not be trying to bring in Miami’s recently departed Defensive Coordinator; maybe he/they could really do something that is very much needed (like learning how to blitz/pressure) with our our “youth and talent” on defense.

“With the new hires, current UM defensive line coach Rick Petri, defensive backs coach Wesley McGriff and defensive coordinator John Lovett will be let go after the bowl game”

steven on 12/17/2010 (2:38 pm)

Dan,

Obviously we have to recruit where the talent is.  And Florida high schools are known for turning out some incredibly fast and athletic players, so it’s great that we have established a good recruiting base there.  We have also started to do better in Texas. 

But how challenging is it for Coach Grobe and the staff to embark on a national-level recruiting strategy while also keeping an eye for solid North Carolina prospects?  Would Aaron Curry even be on our radar today?

DC on 12/09/2010 (11:42 am)

Thanks for the info Dan.  Fine job as usual.  Kevin sounds like a class act.  Let’s hope his commitment will entice other upper echelon recruits to join him Wake. 

All the best Kevin.

Go Deacs!

Deac Fan on 12/07/2010 (9:50 pm)

Dan,
Thanks for the info re Kevin Sousa He sounds like the genuine article.

Somebody needs to throw a little rock in the punchbowl of this party. Might as well be me.

I will really celebrate on the first (or second?) Wed of Feb11 when we receive his signed Letter of Intent. Remember, he has already backed out of one verbal commitment. We can be sure other schools are not going to sit idly by and accept the commitment to Wake. Also, if there are some changes in the Wake coaching staff, Sousa might change his mind.

I really hope this works out. Thank you for the recruiting article.

Jerry on 12/07/2010 (4:08 pm)

Kevin, First of all congrats on your decision to attend Wake Forest.  There are so many great points about Wake we cannot list them all on this blog.  Come on up this summer for summer work-outs, and maybe nose around the football camps you will see some of the same faces hanging around the brick wall at the practice facility. Just one little bit of advice any sky blue button down shirts or t-shirts you may have—hand those down to the next pup.  I’m sure Mr. Dan Collins can fill you on that prerequisite.

Doug on 12/07/2010 (8:00 am)

first of all congrats to Kevin for picking Wake and we sure are glad to have you. I was really disappointed when you picked Michigan since I really liked what I saw so when I heard you picked us I was really happy about that and this article just reaffirmed what I thought. Welcome to Wake.

Secondly Byrd didn’t redshirt. He actually greyshirted so he will be on campus in January. He stayed at him to recover and rehabilitate his knee. It will be interesting to see what we do with him since We have Harris, Pendergrass, and Nick Knott at RB next year.

Greg Magill on 12/06/2010 (10:50 pm)

Welcome to Wake Forest Kevin! I look forward to seeing you on the field in black and gold!

Dan, as always, thanks for your great work! It is second to none!

Ken Green on 12/06/2010 (9:43 pm)

Hi Chris. I agree, Sousa does sound like one worth getting. And it was Coach Elrod who got him. Kevin was right to point out the role of Coach Paradiso in the whole story. Apparently he is a renown quarterback coach who really knows what he’s doing. And Coach Hamre said that Coach Elrod and Coach Paradiso are very similar in manner, outlook and approach to coaching. Obviously a pretty strong bond was made. It’s quite a story with a number of interesting angles.

Dan on 12/06/2010 (8:21 pm)

Great stuff, Dan.  I hate putting pressure on young kids that haven’t even walked on a college practice field yet, but I smell a Heisman!!

Seriously, sounds like a great get.  Which assistant was responsible for his recruitment?

Chris on 12/06/2010 (8:07 pm)

Good job Dan!!!  Kevin, welcome to Wake Forest.  I am truly excited to watch you develop and see you do great things at Wake Forest.  Thanks for deciding to be a Deacon!!!

Chad on 12/06/2010 (7:13 pm)

Kevin, First off, congratulations on your decision. I know you’re glad to have it behind you so you can enjoy your final semester of high school. From all I’ve heard, I do indeed need to talk with Coach Paradiso. Coach Hamre could not have been more complimentary of Coach Paradiso or emphatic about his role in your development. And I heard he was a pretty fair QB in his time as well.
One last thing. I appreciate the respect, but I’d feel better if you called me Dan. I see myself more as a Dan than a Mr. Anything. When you meet me, you’ll see why.
Looking forward to meeting you and watching you play, and I know I’m not alone.

Dan on 12/06/2010 (7:07 pm)

Great job as usual Dan.

Bob on 12/06/2010 (6:39 pm)

Thanks Dan for writing about an often ignored subject for Wake.  Every ESPN article, and every quote from Coach Grobe, always suggests a foregone conclusion that Wake has and can never successfully recruit; rather we have to find “gems” who need a year of weight training, etc. to become good football players.  That was the description of one Aaron Curry if I recall?  I get so sick of hearing about that because other smaller schools do very well in recruiting.

But I’ve always wondered why a Dan Mullen at Mississippi State, or June Junes at SMU, and I can name many others receive credit for their “turnarounds”, the same way Coach Grobe has for what he’s done these past 5-10 years.  Why is it that Bobby Petrino leaves Louisville, and they’ve been inconsequential since then, and he ends up at Arkansas and they’re right back to being relevant in the SEC again.  Look how long it’s taken Steve Spurrier to get South Carolina back in the hunt?  It’s got to be as much about recruiting as it is schemes and OC/DC hirings/gameplans, and that’s why landing Kevin Sousa is so awesome.  I almost fell out of my chair last night watching that news come across the bottom of ESPNU last night. 

Speaking of recruiting and Arkansas, do you remember last February we received another “coup” by stealing Joseph Byrd away from Arkansas.  Do you know anything about his redshirt year, his knee, and what impact he may or may not have on next year’s Deacs?

What I’m driving at is that we SHOULD care about recruits, what they bring to the table, and types of recruits we are trying to bring, because that’s what ultimately drives the success of a program.  Why else do other schools bring in who they bring in; it’s largely for their ability to recruit kids like this and to identify what type of athlete fits what scheme, etc.

steven on 12/06/2010 (5:57 pm)

Mr. Collins, please contact Coach Paradiso at paradia@ocps.net if you have any questions because he is my coach and mentor.  He has coached and mentored me for each year I have played.  He is the reason i am where i am and he has been on the journey with me from day 1.  Thank you.

Kevin Sousa on 12/06/2010 (5:42 pm)

Dan,

Thanks for the updates.  I completely understand your opinion on recruiting in general.  It’s probably easier to speculate on basketball recruits than football, and even basketball recruiting can seem like a bit of a crapshoot. 

However, I am excited to hear about Sousa solely because of the drive that you hinted at in your latest post.  There’s really no way to tell whether he will pan out from a skills standpoint, but we can never have enough players on the team who are simply not satisfied with whatever success we experience and who believe that they can always get better.  That is especially the case with our football team, which I think is composed of several individuals who don’t truly believe that Wake Forest can/should be a perennial contender in the ACC. 

Thanks again for the update.

DC on 12/06/2010 (4:42 pm)