Class Acts

They called themselves the Fresh Deacs, and the name fit in more ways than one.

They were fresh, as in new to the Wake Forest football program. But they also had a swagger, a cocksure attitude that applied to another connotation of the word.

They came to make a difference, to leave their mark. All classes do, but perhaps none has succeeded in such a fashion as the class of 16 seniors that will be honored before Saturday's game against Boston College.

"When we came in here as freshmen, we told ourselves we're going to go to a bowl game three out of four years," senior fullback Richard Belton said. "And that's still a goal that we're trying to achieve.

"We told ourselves that we would take a year to get our feet wet, and that was our (redshirt) freshman year. And we were just going to take it upon ourselves and our class to try to make a change and make Wake Forest a contender in the ACC."

The players that left the original class -- Eric Berry, Mike Causey, Brandon Drumgoole, Eric Gaskins and Allan Holland -- all had their reasons for leaving Wake Forest. But just look at what they missed.

Since they were redshirt freshmen in 2005, the 13 fifth-year seniors -- Belton, Stanley Arnoux, D.J. Boldin, Chip Brinkman, Aaron Curry, Anthony Davis, Kerry Major, Chantz McClinic, Kevin Patterson, Alphonso Smith, Sam Swank, Chip Vaughn and Antonio Wilson -- have experienced 30 victories, the most by any class in school history. They've also helped the Deacons win an ACC championship and play in bowl games the past two years.

With a victory Saturday against Boston College or Nov. 29 against Vanderbilt, the Deacons will all but assure themselves a berth to a third straight bowl. Before last season, Wake Forest had never gone to bowls two years in a row, much less three.

"It's a great feeling," Smith said. "When we first came in, no one was really talking about Wake Forest football.

"Just to be a part of the change and be that boost that Wake Forest needed to start a football program and a football dynasty, is just special."

Calling Wake Forest a dynasty would be hyperbole, but the irrepressible Smith can be forgiven for being swept up in the emotion of the occasion.

"It's going to be hard, but at the same time it will be full of joy," Smith said. "I've grown to love this place. When you're here five years, that's what kind of effect it can have.

"How could you not love Wake? You know what I mean?"

The seniors will be honored this week because the students will be on Thanksgiving break when the Deacons close the regular season against Vanderbilt next weekend. Three other seniors, Matt Robinson, Andrew Conroy and Andrew Wright, will also be honored. Robinson, a member of the 2003 recruiting class, is playing a sixth season after being granted a hardship waiver by the NCAA. Conroy and Wright are walk-ons who joined the program after 2004.

And one member of the freshman class of 2004 who won't be on hand is Jeremy Thompson. The only player of the class not to redshirt, Thompson is now starting at defensive end for the Green Bay Packers.

"From what I hear, a lot of the students will be gone over the Thanksgiving break," Belton said. "It's a big deal to be recognized in front of your peers and your classmates, and I respect Coach a lot for that, giving us that chance to go out with a good crowd on hand.

"It's our last ACC home game, and right now we're in a position where we need this game. So it will be good to have it all come together on senior night, the last ACC home game, and a big win."

The class includes, as Coach Jim Grobe pointed out this week, some of the best to ever play at Wake Forest. Swank, who hopes to return from missing six games with a pulled quadriceps, has the school record for field goals and points. Smith has the school record for interceptions. With one more, Smith would tie Dre Bly, formerly of North Carolina, for the ACC record of 20.

Curry, a linebacker, and Smith are on the national watch list for the Chuck Bednarik Award for defensive player of the year. Smith is one of five finalists for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy for best defensive player, and Curry is one of eight semifinalists for the Lott Trophy, also for best defensive player.

"Some of the names that are going to be graduating this year have become household names," Grobe said. "Guys we've been used to hanging around the football office for five years are going to be gone.

"So it could be an emotional time for the coaches, probably as much as the players and families because we've gotten a little bit spoiled with these guys."

They did what they came to do, and in doing so set a standard that will be hard for succeeding classes to live up to. And they will be missed, starting with the first game of the 2009 season.

"I hate to see those guys go," junior quarterback Riley Skinner said. "You don't have to say it, but they're unbelievable football players.

"But for me, they're some of my best friends here, and I've been with them for four years. They mean a lot to me, and there's nothing I would like better than to send them out on a good note. I think the whole team feels the same way about that.

"There's going to be a lot of family and friends here for those guys, and hopefully they'll come for a good show."

■ Dan Collins can be reached at 727-7323 or at dcollins@wsjournal.com.