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Wake Forest Football Recruiting

I agree completely. Everyone talks about it starting with the lines, but the NIL money keeps going to the skill players. I would think that the lineman would come cheaper and a better ROI than anyone else. There have been many QB's getting MVP's because of their lineman in college. Then, many of those QBs busted in the NFL. If a QB has plenty of time in the pocket, then many of them look like superstars. Please let us spend the limited funds we have in the NIL on lineman.
 
BLWells said:
I agree completely. Everyone talks about it starting with the lines, but the NIL money keeps going to the skill players. I would think that the lineman would come cheaper and a better ROI than anyone else. There have been many QB's getting MVP's because of their lineman in college. Then, many of those QBs busted in the NFL. If a QB has plenty of time in the pocket, then many of them look like superstars. Please let us spend the limited funds we have in the NIL on lineman.
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Completely agree with this. Have to go against the grain at WF and think you stay mostly HS recruiting for qb and skill players and buy up some stud OL and DL and dominate the trenches. Your RBs look great and qb gets all the time he needs and you have to think you hit on some winners recruiting HS since so many are not investing as much there now vs portal. Sure stats will tell a story in valuation, but the key determiner is the differential between your top50 or 100 at each position vs the next 50 or 100 and have to think a much bigger differential for those hogmollies.
 
saltydeac said:
Completely agree with this. Have to go against the grain at WF and think you stay mostly HS recruiting for qb and skill players and buy up some stud OL and DL and dominate the trenches. Your RBs look great and qb gets all the time he needs and you have to think you hit on some winners recruiting HS since so many are not investing as much there now vs portal. Sure stats will tell a story in valuation, but the key determiner is the differential between your top50 or 100 at each position vs the next 50 or 100 and have to think a much bigger differential for those hogmollies.
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Take a look at the portal. Not many O-line guys who are rated higher than the guys Wake already has, meet the class criteria to play at Wake and didn't commit almost immediately after entering the portal.

I'm of the opinion that LT going to Clapp by apparently seniority and persistence was a big chunk of the O-line issues. Wake has had very good to excellent LTs for multiple years.

The one O-line incoming transfer is supposed to fix that for 2024. Some of the "youngsters" need to become really good in one more year or Wake really needs to plan to hit the portal hard for 2025.
 
Deaconblue said:
Take a look at the portal. Not many O-line guys who are rated higher than the guys Wake already has, meet the class criteria to play at Wake and didn't commit almost immediately after entering the portal.

I'm of the opinion that LT going to Clapp by apparently seniority and persistence was a big chunk of the O-line issues. Wake has had very good to excellent LTs for multiple years.

The one O-line incoming transfer is supposed to fix that for 2024. Some of the "youngsters" need to become really good in one more year or Wake really needs to plan to hit the portal hard for 2025.
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I agree that Clapp was the weak spot on the line, but we saw from Vaughan / Russell / Elmonus that the depth behind him wasn't any good, either. OT recruiting has been poor and that room has hurt from early attrition, too. The pipeline on the interior is much better, but the tackles ... woof.
 
Deaconblue said:
Take a look at the portal. Not many O-line guys who are rated higher than the guys Wake already has, meet the class criteria to play at Wake and didn't commit almost immediately after entering the portal.

I'm of the opinion that LT going to Clapp by apparently seniority and persistence was a big chunk of the O-line issues. Wake has had very good to excellent LTs for multiple years.

The one O-line incoming transfer is supposed to fix that for 2024. Some of the "youngsters" need to become really good in one more year or Wake really needs to plan to hit the portal hard for 2025.
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But then there is Jalen Travis the All-Conference tackle grad transfer from Princeton with a host of P5 offers, who hasn't committed yet or Luke Newman the grad transfer tackle out of Holy Cross who was a FCS All American. These would seem to be the type of guys who we would go after heavily, but there hasn't been indication of such. I am really curious what Higgins overall game plan is with the portal.
 
TimmyClutch said:
But then there is Jalen Travis the All-Conference tackle grad transfer from Princeton with a host of P5 offers, who hasn't committed yet or Luke Newman the grad transfer tackle out of Holy Cross who was a FCS All American. These would seem to be the type of guys who we would go after heavily, but there hasn't been indication of such. I am really curious what Higgins overall game plan is with the portal.
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Trust is already committed as a tackle.
 
BLWells said:
I agree completely. Everyone talks about it starting with the lines, but the NIL money keeps going to the skill players. I would think that the lineman would come cheaper and a better ROI than anyone else.
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Not sure this is true. From what I hear, one reason you don't see a lot of high profile linemen in the portal is that everyone is using their NIL money to keep their good linemen in whom they have invested a lot of time and resources already.
 
TimmyClutch said:
I was led to believe that we need more help on our Oline than just 1 guy.
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Losing Clapp and Jurgens. Bringing back three guys who started all season plus Sharpe returning from injury. Thus needing only one new starter. Really difficult to get portal guys as backups.
Trost (not trust, #@%&$## autocorrect) is a grad LT. If the youngsters don't develop 2025 will need two portal tackles.
 
We need to upgrade our recruting across the board. Pretty simple concept, someting we find hard to do.
 
dcon69 said:
We need to upgrade our recruting across the board. Pretty simple concept, someting we find hard to do.
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It's not easy to convince 4 a s 5 star guys to come to Wake. Actual class attendance and participation required.
 
Tobacco Road said:
I don’t think the opportunity for a real education is a detriment to our recruiting. It probably has a lot more to do with our lack of winning tradition and big time gameday atmosphere.
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I don’t disagree, but it has been my experience that many public high school athletes do not share any real interest in the opportunity for a real college education at a Wake Forest regardless of tradition or gameday atmosphere.
 
Neurodeac said:
Not sure this is true. From what I hear, one reason you don't see a lot of high profile linemen in the portal is that everyone is using their NIL money to keep their good linemen in whom they have invested a lot of time and resources already.
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I don't know but I'd think linemen are like their skill position brothers. If they are not first string and would rather start, I'd think they'd be open to transferring, too. A Clemson backup would probably be a great upgrade for us. Gotta believe there are more gems to be mined from middle to bottom teams in the P5. I'd take those from Ivy League or FCS schools if they pass the grade and eye test.
 
80deacon said:
I don't know but I'd think linemen are like their skill position brothers. If they are not first string and would rather start, I'd think they'd be open to transferring, too. A Clemson backup would probably be a great upgrade for us. Gotta believe there are more gems to be mined from middle to bottom teams in the P5. I'd take those from Ivy League or FCS schools if they pass the grade and eye test.
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That Alabama center is in the portal, any interest in him?
 
If he plays center for WF, maybe WF should play Marek Houston at QB to handle his wayward snaps.
 
Deaconblue said:
It's not easy to convince 4 a s 5 star guys to come to Wake. Actual class attendance and participation required.
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I don't think it's a matter of 3 vs 4/5 ⭐s. We play a lot of teams (e.g. Syracuse, Pitt, BC, GT, etc) with a bunch of 3s and they still kick our lines all over the field. It's the size and athleticism of the 3s.
 
80deacon said:
I don't think it's a matter of 3 vs 4/5 ⭐s. We play a lot of teams (e.g. Syracuse, Pitt, BC, GT, etc) with a bunch of 3s and they still kick our lines all over the field. It's the size and athleticism of the 3s.
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When it comes to line though, Clawson is big on projection. Can this guy put on 30-50 lbs and still be athletic, and unfortunately there is no science to that, you are guessing. Taking a recruit at 260 and projecting how he will move at 290 is never going to be a sure thing.
 
Hecklinski will be playing in the All-American Bowl on NBC Saturday at 1:00 pm.



JEREMY HECKLINSKI (Wake Forest)

One of the most productive arms entering this week in San Antonio, high three-star Jeremy Hecklinski has lived up to his billing as one of the most high-floor prospects at his position in attendance. Measuring in at a shade under 5-foot-11 and 168-pounds, the Wake Forest signee has been in command in his first two days of practices, showing an ability to get the ball out quickly and distribute on time and with anticipation. Throwing for more than 3,000 yards in each of his last two seasons at Marietta (Ga.) Walton, Hecklinski provides the Demon Deacons with a proven winner who should compete for playing time after adding some necessary weight to his frame in Year 1.
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