Football Season is Finally Here
The first practice of the Wake Forest football season is scheduled to begin in an hour and 45 minutes, but I plan to get there early. Anticipation if running high and the Deacons might not wait until 5:15 to get started.
Before I head out the door, I thought I’d run down a quick and in no way complete list of what I’ll be looking for these first few days.
A) Who’s going to provide depth in the defensive line? We have a story that will run in tomorrow’s Journal that Michael Carter, a valuable redshirt junior who played in nine games last season, has been declared academically ineligible, which shouldn’t be huge surprise to anyone paying attention. He wasn’t even included in the media guide that was released last week. Carter fell behind from the beginning of his freshman year and struggled mightily to catch up. He didn’t play in the Meineke Car Care Bowl two seasons ago because Coach Jim Grobe wasn’t pleased with his progress. And of course he was suspended along with safety Alex Frye for the final four games last season for a violation of team rules. Grobe discusses the loss of Carter and the impact on the defensive line at length at length in the article. With Carter not available, redshirt senior Michael Lockett is the only defensive tackle other than starters John Russell and Boo Robinson with any experience.
B) Which of the younger players will make an early impression at linebacker and in the secondary? Grobe and his assistants have said they’re feeling pretty good about the projected starters at linebacker (Hunter Haynes, Matt Woodlief and Jonathan Jones), cornerback (Brandon Ghee and Josh Bush) and safety (Frye and Cyhl Quarles). The fate of the defense, though, will likely rest on the ability of players who heretofore have seen little-to-no action to emerge as quality reserves capable of competing against the starters for playing time. So it will be an important first week for the likes of Kyle Jarrett, Gelo Orange, Riley Haynes, Joey Ehrmann, Scott Betros and Lee Malchow at linebacker, Kenny Okoro, Michael Williams and D.J. Jones at cornerback and John Stamper and Junior Petit-John at safety.
C) Is senior Ryan McManus, a former walk-on who has been given a scholarship, ready to fill a backup role to Riley Skinner at quarterback, or will the staff have to look to younger players such as redshirt sophomore Skylar Jones, redshirt freshman Ted Stachitas or even first-year freshman Brendan Cross?
D) Will the wealth of experience in the offensive line, where seven players have started a combined 116 games, translate into a vast improvement over the disappointing performance of 2008? And will the younger players such as Joe Looney, Michael Hoag, Doug Weaver, Dennis Godfrey, Chance Raines, Ryan Britt and Garrick Williams be able to give the old guard a run for its money? If so, the line has the potential of being the deepest in school history.
E) Which of the regular wall-birds—super fans like Frank Queen, Tom Taylor, Jody Puckett, Ashby Cook and David Lawson—will I see along the wall? My bet is they’ll all be there along with others who, in my haste not to be late, I’ve forgotten to mention. I’ll apologize when I see you in a bit.