Wake Forest Athletics
Signing Day Quotes
2/6/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
Feb. 6, 2008
Head Coach Jim Grobe
On the 2008 football signees...
"The one thing that I like about this class is it's pretty representative of all the different positions that we need. When I first got here, we ended up with a lot of make-up stuff. We would sign too many offensive guys in one year and then have to come back and sign too many defensive guys the next year. We've gotten to the point now where every coach on our staff gets an opportunity to have at least one player at his position. I think we've done pretty much everything we needed to do to balance out this class. I like this class. These are guys that we not only think are really good football players but guys that we think can leave Wake Forest with a degree. It's a class that we're excited about. As has happened in the past, we'll probably be ranked 13th out of 12 ACC teams in recruiting, but I think our guys do a pretty good job of finding good football players."
On if the recruiting classes continue to get better, including this year's...
"Yeah, I feel that. What's happening to us now is that we're getting so many early commitments. A lot of times we have guys that are committed before any other schools really get in the mix. Sometimes it doesn't look like we're beating too many people on some kids but it's because we had them here at summer camp, got early commitments and closed them out. We're getting better players. I don't think there's any question."
On how recruiting in Florida has evolved for Wake Forest...
"One of the things, if you look what has happened to us in Florida, each year we've brought a number of kids from that state. Those kids come here and have a good experience and tell their buddies about it. Especially from the better football schools and a lot of the times those are better academic schools. When we get a kid from a school that is very successful in football and good academically and that kid has a good experience, it just kind of snowballs. The kids we're bringing up from Florida are having such a good experience that we're just attracting other good players."
On if any of the signees will play next season...
"I'm sure there's somebody on there. We're really good about playing at least one. That's kind of been our deal. I've got a feeling that there could be one. Honestly, the guys that are here right now, the four guys that came here in January; those are the guys that would probably be most likely. I would say the guys that are already here, working out, lifting in the afternoons, probably have the best shot." **J.T. Dixon, Joe Looney, Chance Raines and Garrick Williams enrolled at Wake Forest in January.
Recruiting Coordinator Ray McCartney
On if playing in the ACC Championship and the Orange Bowl helps recruiting in that area...
"I think that helps us. Absolutely. When you go with (Wake Forest Assistant Coach) Tom Elrod to North Florida, especially some of the schools you see on that signing list, he has a tremendous rapport with the coaches in that part of the state. Tom has established a real base."
On CB Kenny Okoro, a Greensboro native and the lone in-state recruit...
"Kenny's a great cover guy. We kind of see him in the role of an Alphonso Smith. He's a really athletic kid and a 4.0 student at Dudley. He became more attractive to us when he ran a 4.49 (40-yard dash) at our camp last summer. That really attracted us. He's a great athlete that never leaves the field. He plays wide receiver, runs back punts, kickoffs, covers kickoffs, plays corner. He's a taller kid, he's about six foot, one-half inch, 185 (pounds). We like those corners, like Brandon Ghee. He was a no-brainer for us as far as not only our connection with Dudley High School, which won the state championship this year, but they produce tough-minded kids that have come here and had success."
