In its never-ending search for the kind of foot speed all college teams covet, Wake Forest didn't have to look far.
Dominique Tate of Winston-Salem has committed to play football for the Deacons. Tate, who will be a senior this season at Carver High School, is a 5-11, 190-pound cornerback who has been clocked at 4.4 seconds in the 40-yard dash.
He was recruited by several programs but said his only other major-college offer for a scholarship came from Duke.
"N.C. State was recruiting me pretty hard," Tate said. "They didn't offer me, though."
Keith Wilkes, who coached Tate at Carver High School before becoming the coach at Shiloh High School in Snellville, Ga., this spring, said that Tate has performed well both on the football field and in the classroom.
"Wake had really been on him hard, and (Coach Jim) Grobe and his staff had really seen the potential," Wilkes said. "He has great speed, a great knack for the ball. He had a lot of interceptions the last couple of years.
"He's a great student in the classroom, probably well over a 3.5 or better (grade point average) and a real good SAT score."
Tate said he was drawn to Wake Forest because of the Deacons' recent success, as well as the potential for playing time in the defensive backfield by the time he enrolls in 2009.
Cornerbacks Alphonso Smith and Kerry Major and safeties Chip Vaughn and Kevin Patterson will be seniors this season.
"The football program itself is just coming up," Tate said. "And they've got (four defensive backs) leaving after this year.
"So it was a smart decision."
Dan Collins can be reached at 727-7323or at dcollins@wsjournal.com.
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