Filling the Gaps in Deacons’ Defense
Wake Forest’s defense resembles a granite outcrop abutting a field of clover. The Deacons are rock solid at three of the four defensive line positions and pretty much green everywhere else.
As Boston College proved last season, the interior line is a great spot to build a defense around. And in John Russell and Boo Robinson, two rising seniors, the Deacons have a pair of strong, skilled and highly-motivated defensive tackles who, between them, have started 43 games. Robinson is sidelined this spring while nursing a herniated disc, but Coach Jim Grobe is not concerned.
Kyle Wilber, who barged his way into the lineup last season as a redshirt freshman, showed enough in his seven starts to get everyone excited. He was good by the end of last season, and should be better by the start of 2009.
The other defensive end position, though, is there for the taking. If Tristan Dorty turns out to be the player the Deacons’ coaching staff thought he might be coming out of West Rowan High School after the 2006 season, then the defensive front could be as athletic as any in school history. Dorty, who is 6-2, 249 pounds, chose the Deacons over North Carolina, N.C. State, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Ole Miss. He played sparingly last season, missing stretches with an elbow injury.
“Tristan Dorty is the guy right now,’’ Grobe said this week. “I thought Tristan was on track to really be something special and then he hurt his elbow. Remember he got his elbow hyper-extended. That set him back a little bit. He’s a really tough kid. He played a little bit as a redshirt freshman. That’s not all bad. But I think that guy can be really good.’‘
One of the most intriguing players on the roster is Kevin Smith, a 6-4, 210-pound freshman who was good enough in basketball at East Plano High School in Texas to be nominated for the McDonald’s All-American High School basketball game. He’s still light, and he has missed some practices this spring with what Grobe described as typical knot-head behavior. But if he ever grows up, and grows into the position, he might be playing football for many years to come.
If he doesn’t get there this season, then Will Wright will probably be Dorty’s main competition. Wright never cracked the depth chart last season as a 6-4, 232-pound redshirt freshman. Wright, who played at Hoggard High in Wilmington, picked Wake over South Carolina, N.C. State and East Carolina.
“Will Wright has grown up quite a bit,’’ Grobe said. “He’s more dependable now, and we’ll see how that goes. But I’m optimistic about Will.’‘
Grobe said that Tripp Russell, a converted linebacker from Mount Tabor High School in Winston-Salem, will probably swing back and forth from defensive end to defensive tackle, much like Michael Lockett, who played in all 13 games last season as a redshirt junior. Russell will enter his redshirt junior season still looking to make a contribution.
“We’ve got him playing some down inside,’’ Grobe said. “I’m hoping he can be a little bit like John Russell, can be undersized, but play good. But we’ll move him around in there. With Boo out this spring, that’s giving us some depth issues in there. And Mike Carter has got a little bit of a knee injury (sprain), so we’re really thin down inside.’‘