Kevin (ATL): What do you think of the changes the conference will go through this season and next?
Jim Grobe (12:03 PM): I think it's great for the league. The teams that we've added will make it stronger. It makes my job tougher, but for the ACC we've finally developed some stability and it's great for the conference going forward.
Phillip (A stadium near you): Coach Grobe, heard you joined Twitter this morning and speaking of social media.how much freedom do you give the players when using social media?
Jim Grobe (12:03 PM): We've always given the players the freedom to be on it. We just hope that they act responsibly. We're always doing things that are positive to reflect on our team. We've never had rules against it.
Julien (Geneva, Switzerland): Coach Grobe, ACC commissioner John Swofford said the league is considering playing some football games in Europe. Would you be interested to get your team to the old continent? (sorry if my english is not perfect)
Jim Grobe (12:04 PM): I would love to do something like that. I think it would be exciting for our school, fans and players. But I hope it gets plugged in when we're playing an away game. I wouldn't want to take away a home game.
Kevin (GA): Coach, I heard you just joined Twitter this morning...how do you think that will help you as a coach or the program?
Jim Grobe (12:05 PM): I think it will be fun. I think the one thing that you're always trying to do is get in front of recruits. I think it will be fun for me and the fans. It will give us one more way to get in front of the recruiting base.
Phillip (A stadium near you): Coach Grobe,how important is senior leadership to this program?
Jim Grobe (12:06 PM): It's critical. I think one of the issues that we've had in the past few years is some of our seniors didn't contribute as much as we needed them on the field. I think this is a senior class where most of the seniors should either start or either play a lot of snaps on Saturday. It's always good for senior leadership and to have seniors actually contribute every week.
David (DC): Do you plan on following your players on Twitter to make sure they're behaving?
Jim Grobe (12:07 PM): Well, our sports information office follows all of the kids on social media, so we're constantly checking to see what's going out. I'm sure that I'll check up on them from time to time. We have lots of eyes on what's going on in social media.
Taylor (Winston-Salem, NC): Coach barring any significant injuries, how well do you see the team doing this year?
Jim Grobe (12:08 PM): I think we've got a good football team. I thought we did last year too, but we got derailed by some injuries and behavior issues. I think this is a good team.
Nolan Hauser (Winston Salem, NC): When will Wake's true offense be revealed? Against Presbyterian or Boston College?
Jim Grobe (12:08 PM): We feel like that the Presbyterian will be a really big game for us. We'll do everything we can to win that game. That's our only focus right now.
Adam (New Hartford, NY): Coach Grobe, in what ways do you stress the importance of academics to your team?
Jim Grobe (12:10 PM): That's second, as far as how we approach our players, to character. We want our players to be good citizens off the field and then we want to be good people in the classroom. If it doesn't start with that, you can have problems. We want good players, but if they're not eligible to play, that doesn't help. We always talk to our players about being good characters and then good in the classroom.
Erik (Baltimore): how much do you plan on putting out tweets?
Jim Grobe (12:10 PM): I'm not really sure. We're going to try and stay in touch. So, I would think that now we're back from all of the traveling that we've been doing this summer that it will be pretty regular.
Tommy (South Carolina): Coach Grobe, What are your thoughts on playing a Friday night game this year? Do you worry about high school recruits not getting to see the game?
Jim Grobe (12:11 PM): I think you're always concerned if your game conflicts with the recruits ability to see you. But I think there have been enough Friday night games now that it's not unusual anymore. Any time we've gotten the opportunity to play on ESPN and get out in front of the country and show the people Wake Forest, it's a good thing.
Jim Grobe (12:12 PM): I like the idea that we're opening with Presbyterian on Thursday night, so it gives us a chance to have the normal week's preparation on Friday night.
Willie (NC): Coach Grobe, what do you find as advantages that a school as small as Wake Forest can bring
Jim Grobe (12:13 PM): I think the size of our school is appealing to a lot of the recruits esepcially the parents. It's a great environment, when your players have students as friends, as well as other players. It's nice when so many of your classmates are on a first name basis. I think it's a great educational experience when some of your life long friends will be other students and not just your teammates.
Nolan Hauser (Winston Salem, NC): Is Orville Reynolds going to be the starting running back with Josh Harris out?
Jim Grobe (12:14 PM): We've actually thought about using Orville some at RB, if some of the other RBs don't pan out.
Jim Grobe (12:14 PM): But right now, we feel good about leaving Orville in the slot. We've actually thought about having some personnel groups where we have two slots on the field at the same time.
Phillip (A stadium near you): Coach Grobe, with some ACC teams located in big cities with a big media following them, how hard is it to get the "Wake Forest Brand" out through the media?
Jim Grobe (12:15 PM): I think it's a little bit tougher, probably, than it would be in a bigger market. But you do get some coverage, you probably don't get it as regularly as some others. You have so many teams to compete with in the state that it makes it harder for the outlets to cover everybody as much as they'd probably like to.
Patrick (Brooklyn): You win the coin toss your first game: Do you elect to receive or defend?
Jim Grobe (12:16 PM): That's always a great question. Probably more than anything else, it will depend on weather conditions, especially the wind.
Scott (Raleigh): Jim, great of you to do this. WFU Alum here; looking for you to work some of the magic we have been lucky enough to see from you for many years. How excited are you for the start of the season, despite the preseason predictions? I've seen you beat the naysayers before!
Jim Grobe (12:17 PM): This is a seaon that I've probably looked forward to as much as any in my coaching career. I think we all have a bad taste in our mouth from last season and we're anxious to get started. I really don't spend too much time thinking about preseason predictions, but I do feel like this is a team that can win a bunch of games.
Larry (Charlotte, NC): What are your expectations for Michael Campanaro this season? Can you provide some color on what other wide receivers you expect to make real contributions this season?
Jim Grobe (12:18 PM): We're going to try and ride Mike as much as we possibly can. Obviously, we're going to throw him the football as much as possible, but we're also going to try and get him involved in the running game. I think the key for us is we'll try to get the ball into his hands several times a game.
Phillip (A stadium near you): Coach Grobe, in the past, you have had opportunities to go and coach at other programs, why have you chose to stay at WF each time?
Jim Grobe (12:20 PM): I've had some opportunities to go to so-called bigger programs, but my main motivation for staying has been our players. I think it always starts with the players and then I have a president and AD that I trust completely. I think our staff and families are happy here. So, even though the job is very challenging in the ACC, it's a place that I've come to love.
Tommy (South Carolina): Coach Grobe, You have a very interesting match-up this season with UL-Monroe - a very competitive squad that beat Arkansas last year. What are your thoughts on that game, and how did that series come to be?
Jim Grobe (12:21 PM): When the ACC went back from nine games to eight, we lost an opportunity to play Rice. They were on our schedule. They had already scheduled another team. We were scrambling a little bit to find a replacement. Honestly, LA-Monroe is a little more than I was looking for. They're a bowl team from last year. They have a returning QB who had a great season. And Coach has told me that most of their starters are back from last year. We're in for a tough game.
Dave (NC): coach, will you have josh harris this season?
Jim Grobe (12:22 PM): Right now, honestly, we're not sure. There is a possibility that we'll have him, but we're waiting on a decision from the NCAA and his eligibility.
Ryan (LA): will it be you tweeting out on your account, or will you have someone doing that yourself?
Jim Grobe (12:22 PM): It will be me, with some help.
Jim Grobe (12:22 PM): It's a little new to me, but I'm excited about the opportunity.
victor (Louisiana): What do you have to do to beat Louisiana Monroe sept.14th?
Jim Grobe (12:23 PM): I think games like that are often decided by turnovers and special teams play. I think our first priority will be to try and take care of the football offensively. Hopefully we'll play really sound football in the kicking game.
Tommy (South Carolina): What would be considered a successful season in your eyes? A bowl berth? ACC Championship?
Jim Grobe (12:24 PM): I think our first priority each year is to have an opportunity to play in a bowl game. Obviously, getting into the ACC championship game and getting back to the Orange Bowl would be the ultimate goal.
Jim Grobe (12:25 PM): Excited to get started. Can't wait!
