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'The Right Direction'
Grobe's Deacons will be trying for their third straight winning season
Journal Photo by Lauren Carroll
Coach Jim Grobe says that his players and staff must avoid complacency.
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Published: August 22, 2008
Complacency has never been a concern for a Wake Forest football coach in the ACC era.
That's another of the countless changes the program has experienced in the past couple of seasons.
Jim Grobe, the only Wake Forest football coach to win more than eight games in a season, is coming off campaigns of 11-3 in 2006 and 9-4 in 2007. If they have another successful season -- expected by most, given the wealth of returning talent and experience -- the Deacons will have had three straight winning seasons for the first time since Peahead Walker fielded five straight winners from 1944 through 1948.
Grobe's accomplishments are manna from heaven for the Wake Forest faithful who suffered through a historically abysmal 20th century, when the Deacons won 39 percent of their games (341-528). Grobe, still the unassuming self-professed hillbilly from Huntington, W.V., says he's just happy to do it.
He says, in fact, that he has never been happier to be coaching football at Wake Forest. The Deacons are only two years removed from an ACC championship. They're ranked in a preseason Top 25 (No. 23 in the USA Today Coaches Poll) for the first time -- ever. Their success and reputation are expanding their recruiting pool. And the seven-story Deacon Tower that will open this season at BB&T Field stands as a modern, glimmering symbol of the commitment Wake Forest has made to Grobe and his program.
"This is us," Grobe said. "We're going in the right direction.
"Our facilities are going where they need to go. We continue to do a good job recruiting. We're bringing our kids in. I think our kids are having fun playing. I think we are competitive with our schedule. I think our school has made a commitment to us, and that's where we want to be.
"Plus, I think our wives would shoot us if we left. I think we've got wives and families that are really happy in Winston-Salem. Everybody's embraced us."
Grobe's testimonial raises a question.
If he's so happy, why does he entertain entreaties from other programs? Why, specifically, did he consider an offer over an early December night before telling Arkansas and Athletics Director Ron Wellman of Wake Forest that he was staying with the Deacons?
His answer is that he's doing only what's best for himself, his coaches, his program, and his school.
He is battling the one concern unique for a Wake Forest coach of the ACC era.
"My biggest concern in being successful is that nobody (gets) complacent -- your coaches aren't complacent, your players aren't complacent and the school you're at is not complacent," Grobe said. "And if I didn't feel like we were moving in the right direction…. You see what we've done with the Tower project. The good thing about Ron Wellman is everything he's ever told me he would do, he always exceeds what he tells me what he'll do."
Grobe said for the record that he did not use the offer from Arkansas to leverage more money from Wake Forest. He did get more for his assistants, five of whom arrived with him at Wake Forest in 2001.
"When other schools make overtures to you, you're always trying to figure out what is best not only for yourself personally but your chances to win," Grobe said. "Your chances to win are very closely tied to your ability to keep coaches.
"If you can't stay competitive salary-wise with the rest of the league then it makes it really hard to keep your coaches. And that makes it really hard to win.
"But I've got to tell you that we're very competitive with everybody in this league from the head coach down through the assistants."
The Deacons should remain competitive on the field as well, with nine starters returning on defense and the two most recent ACC rookies of the year featured on offense.
The secondary of seniors Chip Vaughn and Kevin Patterson at safety and senior Alphonso Smith and junior Brandon Ghee at cornerback is talented and experienced enough to provide plenty of options for Brad Lambert in his first season as the Deacons' defensive coordinator. Smith made first-team All-ACC last year after tying for the conference lead with eight interceptions. He enters this season with more career interceptions (14) and interceptions returned for a touchdown (4) than any other active player in college football.
"When you have those kind of players it gives you the confidence," defensive tackle John Russell said. "And it has allowed Coach Lambert to put in some things that I am extremely excited about."
The starting linebacker corps of seniors Aaron Curry, Stanley Arnoux and Chantz McClinic returns intact. Curry was named preseason All-ACC, and the Wake Forest coaches remain convinced that Arnoux is one of the most underrated players in college football.
The defensive front of Matt Robinson and Anthony Davis at ends and Russell and Boo Robinson inside is as explosive as any at Wake Forest.
Any offense featuring Riley Skinner at quarterback and Josh Adams at tailback is going to have potential to score. Skinner, the ACC's rookie of the year in 2006, led the nation last season with a completion percentage of .724, but he is eager to make amends for throwing more interceptions (13) than touchdown passes (12). Adams, last season's ACC rookie of the year, is a threat to break the 1,000-yard mark after gaining 953 a year ago.
And if redshirt freshman Brandon Pendergrass is as good as he has shown on the practice field, the Deacons could conceivably have two running backs with 1,000 yards.
The offensive line was a concern going into spring practices, but Grobe said he felt better after emerging with a lineup of juniors Jeff Griffin and Joe Birdsong at tackles, junior Barrett McMillin and sophomore Russell Nenon at guards and junior Trey Bailey at center. Depth remains a worry.
But Grobe has always built his teams on defense and special teams. Sam Swank holds Wake Forest career records for most points (286) and most field goals (60). He has not missed an extra point in 106 tries and will chase the ACC record of 393 points held by Nick Novak of Maryland.
Over the years, thousands of football players have come to Wake Forest to make a difference. But none succeeded like the ones that will line up against Baylor on Aug. 28.
"When we first got here, we were 4-7 and the students were ready for basketball season once the school year started," Griffin said. "Now they're like ‘Oh are we going to win the ACC again? Are you going to beat Florida State again? Are you going to do this again?'
"All the students around here are really excited, which is really cool."
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