2011 Wake Forest Demon Deacons Football Preview

Toiling in relative obscurity, Jim Grobe has quietly built a reputation as one of the hardest working and most respected coaches in college football. Remembering that he is working, and staying committed to, a school with so many natural disadvantages as Wake Forest only increases the admiration for his abilities. It would be nearly impossible for any coach to make Wake Forest a consistent championship contender in the ACC. That being the case, the fact that Grobe has a 62-60 record with a conference championship in his 11 seasons at Wake Forest is incredible. Last season the Demon Deacons were extremely young and as is his custom, Grobe took his lumps with the young guys with an eye for the future. The schedule will make it tough, but with a break or two, Wake could be headed for the postseason again.

At its most successful point, Grobe’s misdirection offense was run by a smooth, strong armed quarterback named Riley Skinner. The Deacons have missed having a quarterback of Skinner’s caliber but are beginning to feel that sophomore Tanner Price can develop into that role in 2011. Price was inconsistent in 2010, but at times showed some of the potential that has coaches confident in his abilities. If Price doesn’t take the next step in his development, keep an eye out for true freshman Kevin Sousa. Grobe is often reluctant to play any true freshman, but, Sousa might force his hand. Sousa is the ideal quarterback for Wake’s offense. At 6’4, 220 pounds he can make all of the throws and is an elusive runner. Wake managed to win the recruiting battle for Sousa over the likes of Miami and Michigan. He’s a major talent.

If Wake gets better production at quarterback, the offense could take a significant step forward. Tailback Josh Harris returns after sharing duties and rushing for 720 yards and seven touchdowns. The Wake offense relies on a great deal of misdirection and everyone being a potential ball-carrier, including the receivers and the quarterback. The Deacons also return leading receiver Chris Givens. None of the receivers beyond Givens was particularly productive, so there are plenty of opportunities for underclassmen to nab starting roles when fall camp opens. Whoever is running or throwing the ball will benefit from an offensive line that returns four of five starters and as many as eight linemen with starting experience.  Look for Grobe to lean on his offensive line and the running game even more in 2011.

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There is experience at every level of the Wake Forest defense. Nine starters in total return from a unit that, like the offense, played a lot of sophomores and inexperienced juniors with an eye toward this season and beyond. The defensive line returns two of three starters, led by its best pass rusher Kevin Smith. Still, it is an undersized unit with defensive tackle Nikita Whitlock 260 pounds. The linebackers are a bigger and more physical group. Three of the team’s four linebackers return, led by seniors Tristan Dorty and Kyler Wilber. Wilber is the team’s best pass rusher, registering six sacks in 2010, and with the lack of size up front, the Deacons often rely on stunts and exotic blitzes to create confusion. They’d be at a significant disadvantage were they to simply line up and take teams head on.

The secondary is deep and very experienced. Kenny Okoro and Kevin Johnson return at cornerback, while Cyhl Quarles and John Bush return at the safety positions. The Deacons were very susceptible to the pass early in the season, but slowly showed improvement as the year wore on. This season they’ll need to take the next step and become a team strength. With a defensive front that will be overmatched in most games, Grobe needs to play a lot of man coverages and be very blitz-happy. A shaky secondary will make that a tall order.

The schedule is tough and may very well mask what should be a much improved team. Wake travels to face a much improved Syracuse team in the opening weekend, and then faces NC State a week later. October features a trip to Boston College, then back to back home games again Florida State and Virginia Tech. Ouch. November isn’t much better, with the Deacons facing Notre Dame, Clemson, and Maryland before the season finale against Vanderbilt. There’s aren’t many automatic wins on the schedule, so while the team should be improved in 2011, it’s difficult to imagine them finishing much better than last season’s 3-9 record.