Riley Skinner
Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame 2020 Class: Riley Skinner
6/9/2020 12:00:00 PM | Football
The Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame selection committee recently held its annual meeting and selected the newest members of the Hall of Fame. The new inductees will be introduced one per day this week exclusively on GoDeacs.Com.
Wake Forest wasn't looking for a quarterback in 2005. Head coach Jim Grobe had secured a commitment from Brett Hodges of Winter Springs, Fla. That fall the Deacons would have a returning starter in Cory Randolph and a redshirt sophomore, Ben Mauk, waiting in the wings. Grobe didn't want more than one quarterback in the recruiting class and he already had one in Hodges.
The Deacons were, however, pursuing defensive tackle John Russell at The Bolles School in Jacksonville, Fla. when Bolles head coach Corky Rodgers mentioned that Skinner would be a good fit at Wake Forest. Skinner had offers from Miami of Ohio and Hawaii but none from a Power 5 school.
"So many times, coaches try to recruit one kid to get another one and I was really pretty stubborn about that," said Grobe in 2008. "I had pretty much made my mind up that I wasn't going to take another quarterback."
On his final visit to Bolles to secure Russell's commitment, Rodgers corralled Grobe into his office to watch film on Skinner.
"Corky wouldn't let me leave until I took another look at Riley," Grobe said. After quarterback coach Jeff Mullen flew to Jacksonville to take a final look at Skinner, he called Grobe. "Jeff called me on the phone and said, 'Coach, I know you don't want to take another quarterback, but we need to take this guy.'"
Skinner made his official visit to Wake Forest three days after signing day on February 3, 2005.
Now, 15 years after the last-minute offer to become a Demon Deacon, Riley Skinner is a member of the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame's next induction class. He will be one of six new inductees that comprise the 47th Hall of Fame class. The date of the induction is pending while the world deals with the Covid-19 pandemic.
But getting Skinner to Wake Forest is only part of the story. Getting him on the field took another twist.
After Skinner and Hodges redshirted in 2005, the two were competing to back-up Mauk, the projected starter in 2006. In the final scrimmage of the preseason, Hodges injured his shoulder, moving Skinner into the No. 2 spot behind Mauk.
Late in the third quarter of the season-opener against Syracuse at then-Groves Stadium, with the score tied 10-10, Mauk dove for a loose ball and was hit by a pair of Orange defenders. Mauk suffered a broken right arm and dislocated right shoulder. After being taken off the field on a cart, his season was over.
Wake Forest recovered the fumble and Sam Swank booted a 40-yard field goal to put the Deacons ahead of the Orange 13-10. On Wake Forest's next possession, Skinner would be the quarterback.
"He was so unprepared to go into the game that when Ben got hurt and I turned around and said, 'Riley, you're up' he couldn't find his helmet," said Grobe.
The timing on Skinner's first play from scrimmage was off. He called for the snap just as wide receiver Willie Idlette was behind the center. Steve Justice's snap bounced off Idlette and rolled loose. Skinner recovered and would lead the Deacons on a fourth quarter drive that sealed the 20-10 win.
From those inauspicious beginnings, a legend was born.
In his first start vs. Duke the following week, Skinner led the Deacons on a 65-yard drive in the final 3:30 to score a 14-13 win. That 2-0 start would soon become a 5-0 start and would put the Deacons in the ACC Championship game in Jacksonville. Swank's three field goals propelled the Deacons to a 9-6 win and a berth in the Orange Bowl.
Skinner's fourth quarter drive against Duke was the first of his school record nine fourth quarter game-winning drives.
Skinner finished his freshman year as the ACC Rookie of the Year and the league's second team quarterback. He was a second team Freshman All-American after winning three ACC Rookie of the Week awards and setting 10 school passing records.
From there, the legend of Riley Skinner continued to grow. With back-to-back bowl victories over Connecticut in the 2007 Meineke Car Care Bowl and Navy in the 2008 EagleBank Bowl, Skinner became the first Deacon quarterback to lead a team to three straight bowl games and back-to-back bowl victories.
Skinner led the nation in completion percentage as a sophomore at 72.4 percent. As a junior he was an honorable mention All-ACC quarterback and became the winningest quarterback in school history with his 26th victory.
As a senior in 2009, Skinner set school season records for passing yards (3,160), touchdown passes (26) and passing efficiency (147.81) as well as the record for total offense yards (3,216). During his career he set the NCAA record for completion percentage in a bowl game when he completed all 11 attempts in Wake Forest's 29-19 win over Navy in the EagleBank Bowl in 2008. He was awarded the ACC's Jim Tatum Award as the league's top senior scholar-athlete.
Even down to his final game vs. Duke in 2009, Skinner was still setting records. He completed 28 of 38 passes for 372 yards and five touchdowns in a 45-34 win over the Blue Devils. Skinner finished his remarkable career just one completion shy of being the ACC's all-time passing accuracy leader, instead settling for second. Matt Schaub of Virginia completed 66.978 percent of his career pass attempts. Skinner completed 66.938 percent.
Oh, and the game captains for that final game? Riley Skinner and John Russell.
There are two records that Skinner achieved that will take a gargantuan effort to beat. Skinner's 31 victories as a starting quarterback, and the Class of 2009's 33 victories over their four years.
"I am incredibly humbled and elated to receive this honor of being inducted into the prestigious Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame," said Skinner upon being informed of his pending induction. "This accomplishment would not have been made remotely possible without my incredible teammates, Coach Grobe and his staff, my professors and most importantly my supportive and loving family. Each one of them sacrificed and assisted me along the way and they absolutely share this honor with me. I didn't know it in the beginning but coming to Wake Forest would turn out to be a dream come true for me and my family. I am forever grateful to those who took a chance on me and gave me the opportunity. I want to personally thank the entire Wake Forest community and Deacon Nation for making my years in Winston-Salem a time I will cherish for the rest of my life. Go Deacs!"
As a member of the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame, Skinner will join ranks with Larry Russell, the only other quarterback in school history to lead the Deacons to an ACC Championship. Russell was at the helm of Wake's 1970 title run.
When Grobe and the Deacons signed Riley Skinner in 2005, they may not have needed a quarterback. Instead, they wound up signing an icon.
Wake Forest wasn't looking for a quarterback in 2005. Head coach Jim Grobe had secured a commitment from Brett Hodges of Winter Springs, Fla. That fall the Deacons would have a returning starter in Cory Randolph and a redshirt sophomore, Ben Mauk, waiting in the wings. Grobe didn't want more than one quarterback in the recruiting class and he already had one in Hodges.
The Deacons were, however, pursuing defensive tackle John Russell at The Bolles School in Jacksonville, Fla. when Bolles head coach Corky Rodgers mentioned that Skinner would be a good fit at Wake Forest. Skinner had offers from Miami of Ohio and Hawaii but none from a Power 5 school.
"So many times, coaches try to recruit one kid to get another one and I was really pretty stubborn about that," said Grobe in 2008. "I had pretty much made my mind up that I wasn't going to take another quarterback."
On his final visit to Bolles to secure Russell's commitment, Rodgers corralled Grobe into his office to watch film on Skinner.
"Corky wouldn't let me leave until I took another look at Riley," Grobe said. After quarterback coach Jeff Mullen flew to Jacksonville to take a final look at Skinner, he called Grobe. "Jeff called me on the phone and said, 'Coach, I know you don't want to take another quarterback, but we need to take this guy.'"
Skinner made his official visit to Wake Forest three days after signing day on February 3, 2005.
Now, 15 years after the last-minute offer to become a Demon Deacon, Riley Skinner is a member of the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame's next induction class. He will be one of six new inductees that comprise the 47th Hall of Fame class. The date of the induction is pending while the world deals with the Covid-19 pandemic.
But getting Skinner to Wake Forest is only part of the story. Getting him on the field took another twist.
After Skinner and Hodges redshirted in 2005, the two were competing to back-up Mauk, the projected starter in 2006. In the final scrimmage of the preseason, Hodges injured his shoulder, moving Skinner into the No. 2 spot behind Mauk.
Late in the third quarter of the season-opener against Syracuse at then-Groves Stadium, with the score tied 10-10, Mauk dove for a loose ball and was hit by a pair of Orange defenders. Mauk suffered a broken right arm and dislocated right shoulder. After being taken off the field on a cart, his season was over.
Wake Forest recovered the fumble and Sam Swank booted a 40-yard field goal to put the Deacons ahead of the Orange 13-10. On Wake Forest's next possession, Skinner would be the quarterback.
"He was so unprepared to go into the game that when Ben got hurt and I turned around and said, 'Riley, you're up' he couldn't find his helmet," said Grobe.
The timing on Skinner's first play from scrimmage was off. He called for the snap just as wide receiver Willie Idlette was behind the center. Steve Justice's snap bounced off Idlette and rolled loose. Skinner recovered and would lead the Deacons on a fourth quarter drive that sealed the 20-10 win.
From those inauspicious beginnings, a legend was born.
In his first start vs. Duke the following week, Skinner led the Deacons on a 65-yard drive in the final 3:30 to score a 14-13 win. That 2-0 start would soon become a 5-0 start and would put the Deacons in the ACC Championship game in Jacksonville. Swank's three field goals propelled the Deacons to a 9-6 win and a berth in the Orange Bowl.
Skinner's fourth quarter drive against Duke was the first of his school record nine fourth quarter game-winning drives.
Skinner finished his freshman year as the ACC Rookie of the Year and the league's second team quarterback. He was a second team Freshman All-American after winning three ACC Rookie of the Week awards and setting 10 school passing records.
From there, the legend of Riley Skinner continued to grow. With back-to-back bowl victories over Connecticut in the 2007 Meineke Car Care Bowl and Navy in the 2008 EagleBank Bowl, Skinner became the first Deacon quarterback to lead a team to three straight bowl games and back-to-back bowl victories.
Skinner led the nation in completion percentage as a sophomore at 72.4 percent. As a junior he was an honorable mention All-ACC quarterback and became the winningest quarterback in school history with his 26th victory.
As a senior in 2009, Skinner set school season records for passing yards (3,160), touchdown passes (26) and passing efficiency (147.81) as well as the record for total offense yards (3,216). During his career he set the NCAA record for completion percentage in a bowl game when he completed all 11 attempts in Wake Forest's 29-19 win over Navy in the EagleBank Bowl in 2008. He was awarded the ACC's Jim Tatum Award as the league's top senior scholar-athlete.
Even down to his final game vs. Duke in 2009, Skinner was still setting records. He completed 28 of 38 passes for 372 yards and five touchdowns in a 45-34 win over the Blue Devils. Skinner finished his remarkable career just one completion shy of being the ACC's all-time passing accuracy leader, instead settling for second. Matt Schaub of Virginia completed 66.978 percent of his career pass attempts. Skinner completed 66.938 percent.
Oh, and the game captains for that final game? Riley Skinner and John Russell.
There are two records that Skinner achieved that will take a gargantuan effort to beat. Skinner's 31 victories as a starting quarterback, and the Class of 2009's 33 victories over their four years.
"I am incredibly humbled and elated to receive this honor of being inducted into the prestigious Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame," said Skinner upon being informed of his pending induction. "This accomplishment would not have been made remotely possible without my incredible teammates, Coach Grobe and his staff, my professors and most importantly my supportive and loving family. Each one of them sacrificed and assisted me along the way and they absolutely share this honor with me. I didn't know it in the beginning but coming to Wake Forest would turn out to be a dream come true for me and my family. I am forever grateful to those who took a chance on me and gave me the opportunity. I want to personally thank the entire Wake Forest community and Deacon Nation for making my years in Winston-Salem a time I will cherish for the rest of my life. Go Deacs!"
As a member of the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame, Skinner will join ranks with Larry Russell, the only other quarterback in school history to lead the Deacons to an ACC Championship. Russell was at the helm of Wake's 1970 title run.
When Grobe and the Deacons signed Riley Skinner in 2005, they may not have needed a quarterback. Instead, they wound up signing an icon.
Wake Forest Field Hockey Inside the Circle: Episode Seven
Thursday, October 30
Football Media Availability (10/29/25)
Wednesday, October 29
Football Media Availability (10/28/25)
Wednesday, October 29
Wake Forest Football vs SMU | Cinematic Recap
Wednesday, October 29