Six years after arriving at Wake Forest, Jim Grobe is finally ready to say that the program is “his.” In 2002, his second season, Grobe took Wake to a Seattle Bowl victory, but it was with players recruited by previous coach Jim Caldwell. Since then, he’s gone 13–21 and suffered through a couple of transitional recruiting classes.

But now, the program is full of his recruits, and the talent level is as deep and as strong as it’s been in recent memory. It should be enough to put Wake back in a bowl game.

The biggest change is on the defensive side. The Deacons have ranked near the bottom of the ACC in recent years, but this year, defense should be an asset. Eight starters return, and the unit is faster and more aggressive than in the past.

“That needs to be the strength of our team,” Grobe says. “If we’re going to be a really good football team, we’ve got to be strong defensively. We can be that.

“We’re more talented than we’ve been. We’re deeper than we’ve ever been, and we’ve got an attitude that I really like. We’ve got a pretty tough mentality on defense right now.”

On offense, Grobe will have to make up for the loss of record-setting runner Chris Barclay, but he should still have a potent ground game. It’s his quarterback, and the unimaginative passing game, that he has to worry about.

The Deacons have no standout receivers, and Grobe says they’re trying to make progress in getting running backs and tight ends involved. “We’ve got to give our quarterbacks options,” Grobe says. “If you don’t involve everyone in your throw game, you limit yourself.”

LOWDOWN

Coach: Jim Grobe (6th season, 26-32)
2005 record: 4-7
ACC finish: 3-5 (t-4th Atlantic)
2005 I-A offensive rankings:
Rushing: 23rd (197.6 ypg)
Passing: 104th (161.3 ypg)
2005 I-A defensive rankings:
Rushing: 38th (133.5 ypg)
Passing: 92nd (252.7 ypg)

DEPTH CHART

Offense (8)

WR  83  *Nate Morton  Sr.  86  *Demir Boldin  So.
WR  82  Willie Idlette  Sr.  14  Kevin Marion  Jr.
LT  61  *Arby Jones  Sr.  78  Louis Frazier  Jr.
LG  79  *Matthew Brim  Jr.  77  Boomer Peterson  Fr.
C  74  *Steve Justice  Jr.  67  Trey Bailey  Fr.
RG  70  Chris DeGeare  So.  71  Eric Gaskins  So.
RT  75  *Steve Vallos  Sr.  64  Jeff Griffin  Fr.
TE  89  *John Tereshinski  Jr.  84  Zac Selmon  Jr.
QB  8  *Ben Mauk  Jr.  9  Riley Skinner  Fr.
FB  49  Damon McWhite  Jr.  35  Richard Belton  So.
TB  3  Micah Andrews  Jr.  18  De’Angelo Bryant  Jr.

Defense (8)

DE  98  *Jeremy Thompson  Jr.  93  Anthony Davis  So.
NG  90  Jamil Smith  Sr.  96  Boo Robinson  Fr.
DT  95  Zach Stukes  Jr.  55  Jyles Tucker  Sr.
DE  42  *Matt Robinson  Jr.  48  Bryan Andrews  Sr.
SLB  59  *Aaron Curry  So.  52  Dominique Midgett  Fr.
MLB  40  *Jon Abbate  Jr.  41  Eric Berry  So.
WLB  51  Pierre Easley  Sr.  43  Stanley Arnoux  So.
CB  11  *Alphonso Smith  So.  29  Kerry Major  So.
CB  10  *Kevin Patterson  So.  7  Riley Swanson  Sr.
SS  30  *Patrick Ghee  Sr.  32  Aaron Mason  Jr.
FS  22  *Josh Gattis  Sr.  20  Chip Vaughn  So.

Special Teams

K  38  Sam Swank  So.
P  -  Dan Caldwell  Fr.
KR  14  Kevin Marion  Jr.
PR  11  Alphonso Smith  So.

(#) Indicates number of returning starters
* Indicates returning starters

2006 SCHEDULE

Sept. 2  Syracuse
Sept. 9  Duke
Sept. 16  at Connecticut
Sept. 23  at Ole Miss
Sept. 30  Liberty
Oct. 7  Clemson
Oct. 14  at NC State
Oct. 28  at North Carolina
Nov. 4  Boston College
Nov. 11  at Florida State
Nov. 18  Virginia Tech
Nov. 25  at Maryland

OFFENSE

Coach Jim Grobe will have to make up for the loss of record-setting running back Chris Barclay, but Wake should still have a potent ground game.

The line that blocked for Barclay is back: The Deacons’ top seven linemen have 84 starts among them. All-ACC tackle Steve Vallos and center Steve Justice lead the way, and Wake adds depth with six redshirt freshmen.

Junior Micah Andrews (son of former NFL standout William) will take over for Barclay. He ran for 254 yards against Vanderbilt last season.

“We’re going to be a little better between the tackles,” Grobe says. “We might be more of a possession offense, and we may actually be a better red zone team.”

It’s Wake’s quarterback and the unimaginative passing attack that Grobe has to worry about. Ben Mauk started last season, but when Wake went 1–3, Grobe benched him. Mauk has thrown nine picks against three touchdowns and has been indecisive, but he enters preseason camp No. 1.

Receiver was a problem spot last season and may continue to be one. The Deacons have seven receivers with experience, but no one stands out. Tight end isn’t much clearer. 

DEFENSE

The Deacons have ranked near the bottom of the ACC in recent years, but this year, defense should be an asset. Eight starters return, and the unit is faster and more aggressive than in the past.

“We’re more talented that we’ve been,” Grobe says. “We’re deeper than we’ve ever been, and we’ve got an attitude that I really like.”

Defensive line will be key as the two units behind it should be outstanding. This has not been a strength in past seasons, as Wake has been thin and has ranked at the bottom of the league in sacks. Juniors Matt Robinson (10.5 tackles for a loss) and Jeremy Thompson are solid on the ends. But the middle of the line is still a big question mark. Wake will try to addresses the depth problem by adding five underclassmen to the mix.

The linebackers may be one of the deepest and most talented groups in the league. Jon Abbate has led the team in tackles for two straight years and leads with his relentless attitude as well. Sophomore Aaron Curry brings an aggressive personality and disruptive play (eight tackles for a loss).

Alphonso Smith could be one of the nation’s top cornerbacks, and senior safeties Josh Gattis and Patrick Ghee are both All-ACC candidates. Gattis had five interceptions last season, returning two for scores.

SPECIALISTS

Wake loses the best punter (statistically) in NCAA history in Ryan Plackemeier and has had one of the league’s worst return games. Grobe says left-footed freshman Dan Caldwell is much like Plackemeier, and sophomore kicker Sam Swank hit 19-of-24 field goals last year, including 2-of-2 from more than 50 yards.

The explosive Smith will take over punt returns, but Wake is still searching for a difference-maker as a kickoff returner.

FINAL ANALYSIS

In 2002, his second season, Grobe took Wake to a Seattle Bowl victory, but it was with players recruited by previous coach Jim Caldwell. Since then, he’s gone 13–21, and he suffered through a couple of transitional recruiting classes. But now, the program is full of his recruits, and the talent level is as deep and strong as it’s been in recent memory. It should be enough to put Wake back in a bowl. Grobe will need some more passing to keep teams honest, and his defense must use its speed to dominate.

This Wake Forest team preview was pulled from our 2006 National College Football preview magazine.  To order this or the 2006 ACC Regional preview magazine - with expanded team page coverage and conference features - click here