Dominique Tate won't play football play for Wake Forest next season, Josh Harris might and Brendan Cross, barring some unforeseen development, will.
Coach Jim Grobe said yesterday that Tate and Harris have been declared academically ineligible by the University and Cross was one of five freshmen players arrested by the Winston-Salem Police on Saturday night for under-age drinking.
Tate, a cornerback from Carver High School in Winston-Salem who played in eight games last year as a first-year freshman, is not enrolled, and will not be able to regain his eligibility before the start of fall semester.
Harris, a freshman running back from Duncanville, Texas, is not enrolled either, but Grobe said Harris may be able to complete enough hours during the summer-school sessions to be eligible by the start of the 2010 season.
Cross, a quarterback from Alpharetta, Ga., is battling redshirt freshman Ted Stachitas and sophomore Skylar Jones for the starting position. He and the others charged, tight end Matt Muncy of Tazewell, Va., defensive lineman John Gallagher of Ponte Vedra, Fla., tight end/fullback Zach Massey of Kannapolis and safety Josh Strickland of Winston-Salem have a court date set for April 18.
None of the five played last season while being redshirted. Massey and Strickland are walk-ons.
Grobe said that he has no plans to suspend any of the five.
"We'll wait and see how things turn out," Grobe said of the court proceedings. "I think the thing you've got to do as a football coach is realize there's a difference between felonies and misdemeanors. That's the No. 1 thing I learned as a head coach. I never thought about any of that stuff when I was an assistant coach.
"Now you find out that there are some things you need to go off the deep end over and other things you need to deal with."
The loss of Tate, who was impressive in his first season while intercepting two passes, is a blow. He was expected to compete for a starting position.
Grobe said that junior Alex Frye has been moved from safety to cornerback, and that sophomore Josh Bush may split time between the two positions. Redshirt freshman Kenny Okoro will return after leading the Deacons last year with three interceptions and 11 passes broken up and Grobe said he may seek immediate contributions from an incoming class that includes three cornerbacks, Merrill Noel of Pahokee, Fla, A.J. Marshall of Durham and Kevin Johnson of Clarkesville, Md.
"I should have redshirted (Tate)," Grobe said. "That's my fault. The kid needed to be here on weekends doing academic stuff, and not traveling. I think I hurt him a little by not redshirting him.
"But we'll redshirt him next year. Hopefully we can get him back into school and get him back on track. I feel like he can be OK. We've just got to be patient with him. He's a good kid."
Tate, according to Grobe, intends to do what is necessary to regain his eligibility at Wake Forest.
Harris, who has been clocked at 4.34 seconds in the 40-yard dash, may compete with junior Josh Adams and sophomore Brandon Pendergrass for playing time if he is able to regain his eligibility.
"Hopefully we'll get him reinstated for summer school," Grobe said. "If we do that, he'll be eligible for the fall if he comes back and does what he is supposed to do."
dcollins@wsjournal.com
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