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Wake Forest Football Recruiting

I missed this. Welcome back, 94!
 
Alright, folks. It’s time to start following football recruiting again. Camps start on Friday. As a reminder, the camps are a really big part of Wake’s recruiting process. The current staff relies heavily on the evaluations obtained in this setting. While there are certainly offers extended that are committable before camps start, there are also many that are likely contingent on camp performance. So who the staff gets to come to these camps, and how those recruits perform, is a big, big deal. There might not be another P5 program where the summer camps have a bigger impact on who ends up in the class.

I’m eager to see who makes it to Winston-Salem for these camps and who emerges as top targets for Wake.

For starters, here is the updated Deac94 Big Board:

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Next, I’ve used a Q&A format to give my views of where Wake stands with recruiting and what to expect in the next 60-75 days.

How many spots are left in total? What positions? How many commits are expected this summer?

I think there are approximately 10 more spots in this class. I think that we could see 8-9 of those spots fill in the next 60-75 days.

I would expect more one commit at each of the following positions: RB, TE, Slot WR, Outside WR, OL, DE, and LB. Then two DBs. That would leave one more spot which would probably go to a DT, a second LB, or another receiver.

Who are the top targets going into camp season?

It’s been unusually difficult to figure out the top remaining targets this year. However, I’d name three at this point: TE BEN BRESNAHAN (West Forsyth HS / Cumming, GA), RB MATAEO DURANT (McCormick HS / McCormick, SC) and DL DAVONTAE McCRAE (Northwestern HS / Miami, FL).

Bresnahan has appeared to be a top target since we started talking about this class. Wake didn’t take a TE in the last class and the roster is light on candidates to replace Cam Serigne in the TE role that is more of a threat in the passing game (remember that there are two TE roles in Wake’s offense). Bresnahan has a big offer sheet that includes some SEC schools. He is thought to top the TE boards at three schools: Wake, Vanderbilt and Minnesota. That sets up an intriguing battle with two familiar recruiting foes. Also, don’t count out Tennessee if the Vols miss on some other targets.

Durant attended Wake’s Junior Day and seems like an ideal fit for Wake (both on and off the field). But he’s also thought to be a top target for both Duke and Virginia Tech. So expect a tough battle to land him.

McCrae has P5 offers from Tennessee, Louisville, NC State, Oregon State, and Purdue. Wake is thought to be his leader at the moment. He visited on April 12 and plans to return again in June. NC State is probably the main threat in his recruitment, although I’m also watching UCF. They just landed a commitment from a friend/teammate of McCrae’s.

Whoa…there are a lot of receivers on the list! What’s up with that?

Indeed. The WR offers have been flying out the door. 40% of the recruits on my Big Board are WRs. I think the staff is trying to get a lot of receivers into camp. It will be interesting to see how many actually come in and how many spots will be used for WRs. In any scenario I think those spots will be very competitive.

How is the RB picture looking?


I’ve already mentioned the Wake/Duke/VT battle for MATAEO DURANT, but those same three schools have also offered CALEB STEWARD (Ed White HS / Jacksonville, FL). However, it’s possible that Wake might prefer JA’VEON MARLOW (Winter Haven / Winter Haven, FL) or TIJAI WHATLEY (Darlington HS / Rome, GA).

Earlier in the cycle, Marlow was linked with open RB spots and both Vanderbilt and Nebraska but I’m not sure where those stand at the moment. Wake was P5 offer #7 for Marlow when the Deacs pulled the trigger on May 2.

Whatley visited Wake on March 31. For a while Wake was the P5 school that was recruiting him the hardest, but he just received new offers from Georgia Tech (May 12) and UNC (May 18), so we’ll have to see where his recruitment heads next.

Don’t we need a kicker in this class?

I would have thought so, but I haven’t picked up on any kicker offers yet. So it’s possible that the staff is planning to have Adam Centers and Dom Maggio compete for the placekicking job in 2018. That would then leave Maggio or a true freshman as the kicker in 2019.

What are the chances that Wake lands a big fish – like a recruit ranked in the Top 300 on RankByOffers?

Slim. But I’m always a little pessimistic on these things. I don’t think JAYCEE HORN (#52 on RankByOffers) is really considering Wake any longer. Wake made the Top 10 for DB TELLY PLUMMER (#287) and the Top 11 for DE KINGSLEY ENAGBARE (#367).

To be honest, I’m more focused on the depth of this class than whether Wake can land one big fish. Each NSD I’ve been posting the % of signees that had two or more P5 offers. Last cycle that number dropped to a Clawson-era low of 37%. But there seems to be a lot of momentum with this class and I’m very, very optimistic that we will see that number increase this cycle.

How does the Deac94 Big Board break down by state?

16 recruits from Georgia. 11 from Florida. 4 from North Carolina. 3 from DC/MD. 3 from New York. 5 from other states.

Who will be Wake’s main recruiting competition this summer?

ACC schools like NC State (who has offered 9 recruits on my Board), Duke (8) and Virginia Tech (7). There is a lot of overlap with West Virginia (10 recruits), who also places a big emphasis on recruiting Georgia.

Northern schools like Rutgers (11 recruits), Boston College (8 recruits) and Syracuse (5 recruits) always offer a lot of recruits in the South, although this year there is also overlap with three recruits on my Board from New York State.

After taking the Minnesota job, PJ Fleck said that the Gophers would focus on recruiting closer to home, however Minnesota has made another big push into Georgia. In particular, they are reportedly targeting TE Ben Bresnahan, OL Gabriel Gonzalez and DB Kenneth Dicks III.

What’s the deal with satellite camps? Are those gone now?

Not gone. Perhaps diminished though as a result of recent NCAA rule changes. Coaches now have limitations on the number of days that they can work camps. The camps can only be held on college campuses, or facilities regularly used by college teams. So that’s left some organizers scrambling and info even more difficult to come by.

I read that Wake Forest will team up with Jim Harbaugh again at least once this year. Wake, Michigan and Vandy will reportedly share a camp at Tennessee State University on June 9.

What’s up with South Florida? Is Wake investing there again?

It sure seems that way. I think Coach Hemphill has been working that area like a maniac. It will be interesting to see how many recruits Wake ultimately pulls from there. I’m also curious whether the Wake staff is asking those kids to make the trip to Winston-Salem, or whether Hemphill and others will be making a trip down to the Miami-area for a satellite camp.

GO DEACS!


I hope this is a year when we can get some stud OL. We seem to have enough OT but could likely use an OG and C this year. Thanks for the update '94. I was starting to worry about you!
 
I hope this is a year when we can get some stud OL. We seem to have enough OT but could likely use an OG and C this year. Thanks for the update '94. I was starting to worry about you!

I don't worry too much about the differences between guard and tackle at the HS level. In many cases the best O-lineman is made the left tackle, even if he might be better suited for RT or guard.

Center is a different story. Really need somebody who has proven skills at making the snap and the line calls. This is one position where I don't think Clawson's staff has done well these first few years.
 
Thanks, as always, 94. I agree with Deaconblue about the center position. They can be developed, but it takes time. If we get Bresnahan, Liverpool moves to defense. I feel the same way as you do 94, about a kicker. The coaches must have a plan. As far as recruiting in So Fl, NY, DC. You cannot have enough cards in your roller deck. Maybe a coach will call us back about an up and comer. That Skinner kid comes to mind.
 
I think bresnahan would be a huge get for us. The last two years we have missed on a receiving type tight end. With serigne and pike both gone after next season, there is a glaring hole that needs to be filled. Bresnahan has offers from multiple P5 schools, including many from the SEC. I think he could make an immediate impact at the position. Hopefully the staff can work some magic. Of note, however, is that he has a crystal ball for vandy (by a vandy insider).
 
2018 Wake Forest Football Recruiting- New Board / Camp preview posted

Isaiah Isaacs, wr from Georgia, just committed to the Deacs. Class of '18.


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Isaiah Isaacs, wr from Georgia, just commuted to the Deacs. Class of '18.


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I had him on my board that I posted over the weekend. 5'8.5 / 168 are the official measures. Wake just offered on May 26. I assume Wake has filled the open the slot WR opening before camps even started. They must be really high on Isaac. Looks really quick on film.
 
Welcome Isaiah! Where ever he plays on the field, I wish him all the best. His teammate Bryson Richardson committed to the 'hole today.
 
Staff said they were going to be selective for this class. I'm assuming they think he was worth the early offer.
 
I have always wondered why we do saturations bombing of offers. Grobe would do it, but he rarely, if ever, had it backed fired on him. I'm talking about lower level targets that jump on the offer that might have gotten us higher rated talent in time. I think Grobe got some commits from the Tidewater area that didn't work out. But back when Grobe first got here, he signed a bunch of 2*s that took us to the Orange Bowl. Clawson is betting his paycheck on these kids. He doesn't want '16 to be a mirage.
 
Seems to be a bit of a reach to me. Very very small with no P5 offers? Can't find much out there on him at all which makes the early offer puzzling, hopefully they went mining and turned up a nugget?
 
Seems to be a bit of a reach to me. Very very small with no P5 offers? Can't find much out there on him at all which makes the early offer puzzling, hopefully they went mining and turned up a nugget?

I thought so as well but the coaches apparently have watched him live and thought he was worth it.
 
Clawson and his staff know what they are doing. They wouldn't have offered Isaacs this early with so many other slot receivers uncommitted if they didn't believe he will be a contributor. Wouldn't be surprised if Isaacs' offer list grows.
 
Agreed. I am not sure how anyone can doubt Clawson's teams' ability to evaluate talent. He has had very few misses on evaluating kids. I have much more confidence in him than Grobe's latter years band of idiots after all the good assistants left.
 
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Just learned that the Wake Forest camp at BB&T on Saturday will include Butch Jones and some (or all) of the Tennessee staff. This is the first time that I can recall having another P5 program at the Wake camp and is most certainly a result of the recent NCAA rules changes. This is a potential win-win as Tennessee can get a better look at some top prospects in North Carolina and Wake can get some kids into camp that normally wouldn't come.
 
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