I think it’s pretty clear he’s saying the academic workload at Wake Forest is much different than most P5 programs. The demands at Wake Forest somewhat limit the type of kid the Wake coaches recruit. Clawson is smart enough to know that there are hundreds of kids out there that are overlooked by other P5 programs because of weight, the amount of tape, or how much playing experience they have. Clawson consistently goes after kids that haven’t played football all their life, and are multi-sport athletes. He picks kids that still have loads of potential that isn’t being broadcasted at a 4a high school. He’s smart. When they have camps at Wake, a LOT of players are offered after based on how they do at those camps. They get to see them live, and after they trust their eyes and offer guys that impressed. This is why recruiting classes at Wake aren’t as sexy looking as Clemson or LSU. Clawson and staff look for kids that get it done in the classroom, and may be inexperienced, but talented players on the field.
I think if Wake was able to get past the double digit win threshold, they would be able to go after guys that still excel at school, but are some of the more ready made products out of high school. Jasheen Davis and James Ash are two guys that are college ready out of high school. Now, they may end up redshirting because of the players that have been developed in front of them. But make no mistake, they could come in and play by September and be damn good players. That’s what you want to see if you’re a Wake fan. Jasheen Davis picked Wake over LSU. If we can start winning more of those battles, it’s going to be hard to stop this program from winning, and winning big.
