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2016 Football Recruiting Thread - Notes from NSD Press Conference and Reception

I think it's good to hear about the progression of Jessie Bates. A late commit last season but seems like he could add depth at the safety position and protect the red shirts Delaney and Masterson. I'm convinced that Redd will play this year.

Didn't know that Claude was known as the fastest player on the team.
 
In the past, a small part of the problem with WF's pathetic run game may have been attributable to an ineffective group of RBs, but no more. With Byrd, Carney, Reid, Bell, Robinson and Coburn, WF has a ton of tailbacks that have different styles and were offered by a ton of Power 5 schools. At least a few them will prove to be legit D-1 RBs (if not stars), the real issue for WF will be the development of the OL.

The OL improved last year, but that was more of a function of how horrible the OL had been over the previous few years and that group completely bottomed out in 2014 when they might have been the worst OL in the history of BCS football. Next year, WF will return 9 of its top 10 OL, plus WF gets the infusion of the OL that redshirted last year: TJ Haney, Nathan Gilliam and Jake Benzinger. So, in sum, WF returns 13 of its top 14 OL (only Dylan Intemann departs). No more excuses for the OL. Love that OL Coach Tabacca got after it on the recruiting trail, but it's time to see a WF OL that gives the QB time, and opens holes for the run game. Think it will happen, hope it will happen, but we need to see it.
 
Are you honestly expecting an improvement of the OL from pathetic to just bad or are you actually expecting the OL to be good?
 
YankeeInAtlanta said:
Are you honestly expecting an improvement of the OL from pathetic to just bad or are you actually expecting the OL to be good?
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They went from pathetic to bad last year. Not expecting the OL to be good (WF has had a "good OL" once in the last 20 years: Grobe's first year when WF led the ACC in rushing). Hoping that they will be average. The larger point which I was trying to make: if the OL can't be mediocre, the improvement in the RB talent will not have a significant impact.
 
I believe Tabacca has been taking a lot of criticism for what I think is a lack of talent that he inherited. Last year we saw an improvement from absolutely awful to just bad. Last year we added 2 of Tabacca/Clawson recruits and saw improvement (and they probably were still too young to see significant snaps in a perfect situation). So going from absolutely terrible to just bad IS improvement (unfortunately). We all know it takes 3 years to develop oh-linemen so I think this year is when we should criticize/access tabacca. If you really want to look at his development of individuals in just a two year period, look at Hayworth. IMO, he was a Grobe recruit on his way out the door and he has been retained for good reason. He didn't allow a sack. I think that can be attributed to Tabacca.
 
DeacsOrDie said:
I believe Tabacca has been taking a lot of criticism for what I think is a lack of talent that he inherited. Last year we saw an improvement from absolutely awful to just bad. Last year we added 2 of Tabacca/Clawson recruits and saw improvement (and they probably were still too young to see significant snaps in a perfect situation). So going from absolutely terrible to just bad IS improvement (unfortunately). We all know it takes 3 years to develop oh-linemen so I think this year is when we should criticize/access tabacca. If you really want to look at his development of individuals in just a two year period, look at Hayworth. IMO, he was a Grobe recruit on his way out the door and he has been retained for good reason. He didn't allow a sack. I think that can be attributed to Tabacca.
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Generally agree. No coach in the history of football could've done much with the OL in 2014 or last season. With that said, (I don't think this is on Tabacca issue); often the scheme failed to take into account for the fact that the OL needed help as WF often used sets where the OL had no help from either a TE or a RB, which typically resulted in a complete jail break in the backfield.
 
Thanks 94. All you do is great and I love the level headed approach you take. Particularly enjoyed how you laid out all the things that had to happen to get Byrs to come out way. Who would have thought we'd have to overcome a commitment to Missouri too and still make it happen. Wow!!
 
The players we had were brought in here to fit the offense we had with Skinner. They were a somewhat competent run blocking unit until A Ford went down with a broken leg against Maryland. The OCs never built the offense around the capabilities of the OL. I doubt any of the OCs knew what their capabilities were. Their footwork was lousy, balance poor, and they were slow out of their stances. New blood came in without the bad habits, and we improved, a little. I think the first practice of the spring,(I think its in helmets and shorts) should be dedicated to getting out of their stances. After that, put them on the sled. At least we'll be able to drive block.
 
Dekin said:
Hey 94........Now that the 2016 class is finalized, are you going to take a break before diving in full time to 2017?
This has been a fun year on the recruiting front. Let's do it again next year.

Prediction - we get at least 2 4-stars in the next class
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Haha. Nope. Favorite hobby. While fewer people probably follow along during this time of year it's my favorite time to follow recruiting. I like it better than Dec/Jan. Last year over half of our commits were offered before the end of Feb. I'm eager to set the board, ID our top targets and see who visits. There are several storylines for 2017 that I'm excited about:

First class to be recruited with the indoor constructed. That's huge. Plus the potential for SPC to be announced during this cycle. We now look like we are getting serious about P5 football. Now the campus tours can show them more than Deacon Tower, the business school and the Quad.

The staff looks like they are going even harder into the greater Atlanta area. I'm eager to see how that develops this spring.

I'm eager to see how things develop with the in-state recruits that appear to be key targets (Madison Cone, Germane Crowell, Dmitri Emmanuel, Chase Monroe and Aapri Washington).

I love following the high stakes game of musical chairs that is QB recruiting (is musical chairs the right analogy, or is it chicken??). A lot of that is going to unfold over the next 60 days. Certainly possible that we have our QB commit in that timeframe.

In the last cycle over half our commits were offered before the end of February, and we had six commits by the end of April. So things could/should move quickly. I'm looking forward to it.
 
More Notes from NSD Press Conference and Reception

20 of the 22 commits come from within driving distance at Wake. The staff estimated six hours drive but counted a couple of kids (Cole, Nash) that are probably a little further away than six hours. The only two that were outside of that radius were Zimmer (Orlando, FL) and Masterson (Naples, FL). It’s clear that the staff is very partial to recruiting kids within this radius because of the tie-in to their philosophy that recruits need to be on campus early and often (before and after they commit). Makes sense. This “driving distance” approach is probably a better way of describing their recruiting territory. While the population centers in that area tend to be in NC, GA, VA and MD, I think we have already started to see more offers in places like NE Alabama, eastern Tennessee and Cincinnati as well.

Clawson emphasized that 16 of the 22 commits participated in camp at Wake this summer. I’m not sure why that stat was important, since many of those recruits were already committed when they camped. Maybe he was just trying to emphasize that they already know the recruits in this class well.

Thomas Cole was a McDonald’s All-America nominee for basketball. I hadn’t heard that before.

Jamie Newman’s high school offense switched a more run-oriented approach last year. An odd decision when you have a top QB, but it explains why his stats were down. Newman showed this year how effective he can be running the ball.

Clawson described this year’s QB competition as between Wolford and Hinton. I thought that was interesting because he had previously called it a three-man competition (Wolford, Hinton and Kearns).

The vibes around the football program seem so positive right now. The indoor is done. The SPC might get started soon. Every interaction with the staff gives you the impression that they “get it”. I mentioned in the other thread how positive, ambitious and pro-Wake the 2016 commits are. The Byrd win at the end. The majority of fans seem to have realistic expectations and know that this is a long-term project. Clawson did nothing to play down bowl hopes for this season, in fact he WELCOMED them and set that as his own expectation. Exciting times.

One thing you can tell is that the coaching staff is eager to get more Wake fans in the seats. They want more of a home field advantage and a better game day atmosphere to show recruits. Obviously the biggest influencer of that is the product on the field, but with more Saturday games this year and better weather (hopefully) maybe those factors will help as well.
 
I'm about as surprised as you, 94, that Clawson would in a sense close off the QB competition to just two. With as much as he preaches competition you would think Kearns would be just as much a chance to start as anyone. Maybe he just forgot to mention him but still has him in mind. Obviously if he out shines the other two he will play, I believe that.
 
Hello everyone from sunny Florida. Thank you very much for the kind words below. Hayden is my son and he's extremely excited about heading to WF in a few months. I think everyone will be happy to see his work ethic and his brains on the field. And of course he can throw the ball pretty darn good too.

Can't wait to become part of the WF family. Very excited.

Thanks again!!!!

Scott


Deac94 said:
I feel silly posting this following the basketball meltdown, but hey it happened tonight so here goes….

This evening Wake got a preferred walk-on commit that I am VERY excited about: QB Hayden Kingston from Viera, FL.

Kingston is the #59 pro-style QB in the country on QBHitList.com. Had a scholarship offer from Florida A&M. Second Team All-State in Florida in the 7A classification. Led his team on a deep playoff run, getting to the state championship game. Over 3,800 passing yards and 42 TDs in his senior season. 66% completion percentage and I think his TD/INT ratio might have been 42/9.

Kingston was also impressive at the Elite 11 Regionals. He made the regional finals in both Orlando and Atlanta.

His scholarship opportunities may have been limited by the fact that he is under-6’0 tall.

Hudl highlights are here: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/1929622/hayden-kingston
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Congratulations and welcome to the Wake Forest family!
 
Welcome Scott and Hayden. Tell Hayden that in his 1st season to work on his craft and to make friends. He won't be the only Deacon to worry and get home sick, but teammates are the ones who will help him out the most. Congrats once again.
 
Deac94 said:
Haha. Nope. Favorite hobby. While fewer people probably follow along during this time of year it's my favorite time to follow recruiting. I like it better than Dec/Jan. Last year over half of our commits were offered before the end of Feb. I'm eager to set the board, ID our top targets and see who visits. There are several storylines for 2017 that I'm excited about:

First class to be recruited with the indoor constructed. That's huge. Plus the potential for SPC to be announced during this cycle. We now look like we are getting serious about P5 football. Now the campus tours can show them more than Deacon Tower, the business school and the Quad.

The staff looks like they are going even harder into the greater Atlanta area. I'm eager to see how that develops this spring.

I'm eager to see how things develop with the in-state recruits that appear to be key targets (Madison Cone, Germane Crowell, Dmitri Emmanuel, Chase Monroe and Aapri Washington).

I love following the high stakes game of musical chairs that is QB recruiting (is musical chairs the right analogy, or is it chicken??). A lot of that is going to unfold over the next 60 days. Certainly possible that we have our QB commit in that timeframe.

In the last cycle over half our commits were offered before the end of February, and we had six commits by the end of April. So things could/should move quickly. I'm looking forward to it.
Click to expand...

94 -- My calculations are 15 recruits for this class broken down by following:

Defense 8
DB - 4
LB - 2
DL - 2

Offense 7
RB/TB - 1
QB - 1
WR - 1
TE - 1
OL - 1

Does this align with your thinking?
 
Board Member said:
94 -- My calculations are 15 recruits for this class broken down by following:

Defense 8
DB - 4
LB - 2
DL - 2

Offense 7
RB/TB - 1
QB - 1
WR - 1
TE - 1
OL - 1

Does this align with your thinking?
Click to expand...

My bad - posted in wrong thread -- meant the 2017 class
 
Board Member said:
94 -- My calculations are 15 recruits for this class broken down by following:

Defense 8
DB - 4
LB - 2
DL - 2

Offense 7
RB/TB - 1
QB - 1
WR - 1
TE - 1
OL - 1

Does this align with your thinking?
Click to expand...

Overall class size for 2017 should be closer to 20. There are 10 seniors and 6-7 redshirt juniors that appear likely to graduate early. Normal attrition should open up 3-4 more spots, so 20 looks like a safe bet.

We know there will be a QB. We know that Wake isn't recruiting many RBs right now, so that seems to signal that Beal may be the only RB in the class. After taking 4 slot WRs in the last two classes, I'd be surprised to see one in this class. OL recruiting has been very active, but WR, TE, DL, LB, and DB have also seen a number of offers.

Best guess at a 20 recruit class:

Offense (8)
QB - 1
RB - 1 (Beal)
TE - 1
Outside WR - 2
OL - 3

Defense (9)
DL - 3
LB - 2
DB - 4

That still leaves **3 scholarships** to give to the best player available regardless of position.
 
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