Jeff Battle

With all the threads about Wellman, Buzzout/in, Randolph, etc., I started thinking about Jeff Battle.

By about April 10th or so, we will know if Jeff Battle will be returning to W-S. By then most of the head coaching jobs will be filled. Hopefully, he'll get one of them.

Also by then the top assistant jobs will also be filled. He may take one of those.

I'd love for Jeff to stay a Deac forever, but that is likely is not in the cards. For the past years he has been a great coach and a better man. We have been blessed and graced by his presence.

Sometimes it's just time to move on in life. This may be one of those times.

If he does we should celebrate his days as our coach and friend and wish him the best of everything.

He'll have both great and terrible memories of his days in W-S. He helped build two teams that reached #1. He helped a lot of kids become great young men. He watched his family grow.

Conversely he saw his friend and mentor die suddenly. After which he was put in a position no one should ever see. He was offered a chance at his dream of being a high D1 head coach.

Then he showed his character in saying no. The other terrible moments were due to his wife's failing health. I'd guess she told him to take the job. She'd be OK. That's what husbands and wives do in such situations.

Jeff couldn't do it. That's what people of great character do. Most wouldn't.

Somehow Jeff carried on. He has helped Wake Forest and raised his son.

From his actions, I'm sure Jeff is torn. He truly cares about Wake Forest and looks like he has helped put us back on the right track with this incoming recruiting class.

If another opportunity comes for Jeff this year, my greatest hope is that this community handles it as it should. We should thank Jeff for all he's given us and celebrate the next chapter in his life.

We should show him the same class and grace he's taught us.

Good post. Coach Battle is a hero of mine; he's a great man and a soft-spoken guy with an aura of class & intelligence following him around that lets him be heard loud & clear. Hopefully he ends up where he & his family will be happiest.

First he isn't necessarily leaving anytime soon and why wouldn't he be treated with class and grace.

BTW, we'd have been one heck of a lot better off if RW had made him the head coach.

If he leaves, it will be a massive, massive blow to the program, and he'll be sorely missed.

RJKarl said:

With all the threads about Wellman, Buzzout/in, Randolph, etc., I stated thinking about Jeff Battle.

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This is always dangerous.


Seroiusly though, I think Battle has had a lot to do with the big recruiting names we have landed in the last 7-8 years.

I have always wondered what would have happened but for the untimely illness of his wife coinciding with Skip's passing. But for that, Battle would likely be our head coach right now, and the program would likely be in a lot better place.

I'm just glad he didn't leave for the Providence assistant job this summer. That would've looked really bad.

I have never heard a negative word about him and the players, past and present, all see him as a father figure. It will be interesting to see what he does now that his son is through high school. Would love for him to stick around for as long as possible. He's the only one on the staff that I really have any confidence in.

I think it would probably make a lot of sense for him to move on, both personally and professionally, but, like everyone else, I will be a little sad when it does happen.

He has given a lot of himself to this university.

Would Nix be promoted or would Randolph start coaching?

Nice post, completely agree.

I love Randolph, but with how inexperienced our staff will be once Battle leaves, I'd really like someone who's been in coaching (at the D1 collegiate level) longer. It would also be nice to bring in someone from outside the program as well.

wfumike02 said:

Nice post, completely agree.

I love Randolph, but with how inexperienced our staff will be once Battle leaves, I'd really like someone who's been in coaching (at the D1 collegiate level) longer. It would also be nice to bring in someone from outside the program as well.

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I think this is very important as well.

ETA: Of course, only if and when Coach Battle leaves...which I don't want to happen.

I hope our next coach brings in Tim Fuller with him.

Very touching moment when they honored Coach Battle's late wife at halftime of one of our games, and the whole team spontaneously came out from the bench and started giving him hugs and pats on the back.

TheIshThatSaved WakeForest said:

I hope our next coach brings in Tim Fuller with him.

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I would love to see Fuller back with the Deacs, although, getting him away from Frank Haith may be a little difficult. He played under Haith and has a pretty strong relationship with him. Missouri, with Haith, Fuller, and Ernie Nestor are playing pretty well this year.

coach battle seems like a great guy, but isnt he also the primary recruiter on staff? isnt the problem that we dont have enough talent?

how can you drag dino and bzz over the coals, complain that we dont have enough talent, but then deify the top assistant/recruiter?

showbzz said:

coach battle seems like a great guy, but isnt he also the primary recruiter on staff? isnt the problem that we dont have enough talent?

how can you drag dino and bzz over the coals, complain that we dont have enough talent, but then deify the top assistant/recruiter?

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Dino's main problem wasn't about a lack of talent but not getting the most of that talent.

But this thread isn't about Dino or [Redacted].

RedSoxFaithful said:

If he leaves, it will be a massive, massive blow to the program, and he'll be sorely missed.

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I don't disagree that he would be sorely missed, but I don't think there is enough of a program left to make a massive, massive blow possible. So we win 1 conference game instead of 2?

If he leaves, we should thank him for his efforts, wish him well in his future endeavors, and envy him for being able to break himself away from this clusterfuck in a way that most of us will never be able to do.

2&2 Slider To Leyritz said:

I don't disagree that he would be sorely missed, but I don't think there is enough of a program left to make a massive, massive blow possible. So we win 1 conference game instead of 2?

If he leaves, we should thank him for his efforts, wish him well in his future endeavors, and envy him for being able to break himself away from this clusterfuck in a way that most of us will never be able to do.

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That's about as narrow-minded and pessimistic a view as you could possibly have. Big picture, Battle's an exceptional recruiter and has been well-liked for years by just about everyone involved with the program.

You can make your snarky "GUESS WE WON'T WIN ANY ACC GAMES NOW" comments all you like, but Battle is as important to the rebuilding of the program as any individual person involved with it, [Redacted] included. I personally believe that, as good as Bz's scouting ability is, he could maximize that ability by having someone on staff with some proven recruiting ability, and Battle is that guy.

2&2 Slider To Leyritz said:

I don't disagree that he would be sorely missed, but I don't think there is enough of a program left to make a massive, massive blow possible. So we win 1 conference game instead of 2?

If he leaves, we should thank him for his efforts, wish him well in his future endeavors, and envy him for being able to break himself away from this clusterfuck in a way that most of us will never be able to do.

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He is our best recruiter by 2000 miles.... Him remaining with the program has been important for securing our 2010, 2011, and 2012 classes. Don't think anyone will disagree with me. We will literally be rebuilding from the ground up with Bzz and Rusty as our veterans if Battle left. It's a big deal.

RedSoxFaithful said:

You can make your snarky "GUESS WE WON'T WIN ANY ACC GAMES NOW" comments all you like, but Battle is as important to the rebuilding of the program as any individual person involved with it, [Redacted] included.

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You're feeding the troll.

RedSoxFaithful said:

That's about as narrow-minded and pessimistic a view as you could possibly have. Big picture, Battle's an exceptional recruiter and has been well-liked for years by just about everyone involved with the program.

You can make your snarky "GUESS WE WON'T WIN ANY ACC GAMES NOW" comments all you like, but Battle is as important to the rebuilding of the program as any individual person involved with it, [Redacted] included. I personally believe that, as good as Bz's scouting ability is, he could maximize that ability by having someone on staff with some proven recruiting ability, and Battle is that guy.

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Unlike must of our fanbase, you still seem to believe Bzz is going to rebuild the team. The rest of us gave up on that long ago.

Battle is smart...he'll jet as soon as he can.