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2015 Football Spring Practice Thread (Spring Game 4/11/15 at 3:00pm)

Any reports on practices?
It's way too quiet.
 
Big switch up in the offensive lines based on that article. Seems like the freshman who redshirt made some strides in the weight room. It's good to hear encouraging news about Tyree.
 
It's based on 30 minutes of observation. Who's to say reps didn't switch up?
 
Saw this Q&A on ESPN. didn't see it posted elsewhere.

Q&A: Wake Forest QB John Wolford

By Andrea Adelson | March 23, 2015 11:00:20 AM PDT
John Wolford started all 12 games for Wake Forest as a true freshman a season ago, throwing for 2,037 yards, 12 touchdown passes and 14 interceptions.

But he was one of many young players pressed into starting roles, contributing to the offense's struggles. Now that he is headed into his second year, hopes are much higher for the Deacons' offense. Not only do Wolford and his teammates have more experience, they are more comfortable in the offensive system coach Dave Clawson brought with him.

I had a chance to catch up with Wolford to ask about his expectations, the race to keep his starting job and how Wake Forest can improve on its 3-9 record.



Mark Dolejs/USA TODAY Sports
John Wolford was thrust into the Wake Forest offense as a true freshman.
How much will being more experienced help you in 2015?

John Wolford: Experience in general is really important, especially at my position, as far as seeing defenses and different looks you get from week to week and it helps you with preparation week to week. There’s stuff in practice you try and simulate, but being able to play in those games, on the field experience is going to slow everything down for me so I continue to improve going into my sophomore year.

What was it like playing as a true freshman?

JW: I just wanted to play. Obviously, the season didn’t go as we wanted, but it was a great experience for me. That was my goal coming in, to be the starter and my goal throughout these next years is to hold that role and take us to the ACC championship. Being able to play as a true freshman was a great experience for me.

What was the biggest difference between your first start, and your last start?

JW: In Week 1, you try and emulate the game situations but everything’s full speed. By Game 12, you’ve seen a lot more different looks. You understand the procedures, how the offense works. If I could restart how I felt Game 12 and start back at Game 1 that would have been great. There definitely was a difference I felt by the end of the year.

How has everybody responded during spring practice now that you know what to expect?

JW: There was a change in culture with the new staff coming in. Everyone’s more familiar with the system. When you know what you’re doing, you’re moving better as a team. You’re more productive in practice, you know where you’re going. You’re more disciplined, all that stuff. And then I think in the locker room, we’ve got some senior leadership setting the standard higher than what it has been before at Wake Forest. We have to continue to do that.

Even though you didn’t win as many games as you wanted, your team rarely quit in games last year. How will that characteristic help this year?

JW: It’s obviously a good foundation for us. If we’re a team that can hang our hat on playing for four quarters as hard as possible, as we get better, you’re playing four quarters as long as possible and you have a bunch of guys who are talented, disciplined and bought into the program you win football games. It was important we played hard and didn’t quit. It sets a foundation.

Coach Clawson has said your job is not guaranteed, and competition is open. Right now, early enrollee Kendall Hinton is in practice with you. How does that make you feel when you hear your coach say your job is up for grabs?

JW: That’s important. No one’s locked in. There’s no exception for me or for any of the other guys. You have to perform well in practice. You have to show the guys on the team that you’re the starter and competition makes you better and you’ve got to embrace it to be great. The great quarterbacks, like Tom Brady, they’re always embracing competition in practice. It’s something you’ve got to embrace, and I’m embracing it.

You had more interceptions than touchdown passes a year ago. What can you focus on to change that?

JW: Watching extra film, understanding defenses better, throwing the ball away when there’s tight coverages and a chance for an interception, timing with receivers, all that stuff builds to a better completion percentage and fewer interceptions. A big motto on our team is to win the turnover battle. That’s a big focus for me. I want to make sure I’m on time completing the ball and doing the right thing.

You only threw three interceptions in the second half of the season. Was that because you were growing more comfortable in the offense?

JW: I understood situations better. We can’t turn the ball over in the red zone. Those are huge plays in games, but as the year went on I had to focus on not turning the ball over because we had a pretty good defense to keep us in games so that was a big thing. Defenses didn’t trick me as much as the year went on.

What do you expect out of your team this year?

JW: The goal every year is to win the ACC title. We’re not going to shy away from that expectation. We can’t let what outsiders say about us or the stigma around Wake Forest affect us. We’re going to continue to work and push as hard as we can so we can get to those goals.
 
Liked the interview; Wofford seems like a savvy kid. Would have been easy for him to slip in a comment about the inexperienced o-line, but he put all of last season struggles on himself. Was very impressed with Wolford when he had time to throw (which was not often).

Thanks for posting!
 
It's going to be really hard for Hinton/Kearns to unseat Wolford, IMO. He came on strong at the end of the year and I think a guy like Wolford is heady and will learn from the growing pains.
 
DeacsOrDie said:
It's going to be really hard for Hinton/Kearns to unseat Wolford, IMO. He came on strong at the end of the year and I think a guy like Wolford is heady and will learn from the growing pains.
Click to expand...

Yes, obviously. At least to me. I think the new QBs only chances to take over somehow will be to come in to an actual game and display uncommon talent. Wolford is very good, if not terribly quick on his feet.
 
Lohengrin said:
Yes, obviously. At least to me. I think the new QBs only chances to take over somehow will be to come in to an actual game and display uncommon talent. Wolford is very good, if not terribly quick on his feet.
Click to expand...

Yeah I know obvious statement is obvious, kinda. But there are
Some fans who get caught up in the "next years big recruit" hype and start having unrealistic expectations that they will come in and start right away.
 
DeacsOrDie said:
Yeah I know obvious statement is obvious, kinda. But there are
Some fans who get caught up in the "next years big recruit" hype and start having unrealistic expectations that they will come in and start right away.
Click to expand...

I didn't mean "obvious" in a captain obvious way. I was agreeing that Wolford was really good and the fans who thought new recruits would easily supplant him didn't have much basis to say that, because Wolford's grip on the position is, well, fairly obvious. And rightfully so, at least to me.
 
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