Wake Forest 2012 Recruiting

Wake Forest Demon Deacons 2012 .... Head Coach: Jim Grobe

 
Wake Forest
Demon Deacons

2011 Record: 6-5

Sept. 3 at Syracuse L 36-29 OT
Sept. 10 NC State W 34-27
Sept. 17 Gardner-Webb W 48-5
Sept. 24 OPEN DATE
Oct. 1 at Boston College W 27-19
Oct. 8 Florida State W 35-30
Oct. 15 Virginia Tech L 38-17
Oct. 22 at Duke W 24-23
Oct. 29 at North Carolina L 49-24
Nov. 5 Notre Dame L 24-17
Nov. 12 at Clemson L 31-28
Nov. 19 Maryland W 31-10
Nov. 26 Vanderbilt

2010 CFN Prediction: 3-9
2010 Record: 3-9

Sept. 2 Presbyterian W 53-13
Sept. 11 Duke W 54-48
Sept. 18 at Stanford L 68-24
Sept. 25 at Florida State L 31-0
Oct. 2 Georgia Tech L 24-20
Oct. 9 Navy L 28-27
Oct. 16 at Virginia Tech L 52-21
Oct. 23 OPEN DATE
Oct. 30 at Maryland L 62-14
Nov. 6 Boston College L 23-13
Nov. 13 at NC State L 38-3
Nov. 20 Clemson L 30-10
Nov. 27 at Vanderbilt W 34-13
- Get Wake Tickets 

The Entire 2012 Recruiting Class

Top 5 Wake Forest Recruits To Care About
Player writeups by Scout.com

1. CB Laronji Vason
5-10, 178, Scout.com 32nd ranked, three-star cornerback.

2. LB Kevis Jones
6-3, 210, Scout.com 41st ranked, three-star outside linebacker.

3. QB Tyler Cameron
6-3, 216, Scout.com 53rd ranked, three-star quarterback.

4. DT Josh Banks
6-4, 250, Scout.com 63rd ranked, three-star defensive tackle.

5. TE Anthony Rook
6-3, 215, Scout.com 43td ranked, three-star tight end.

The 2012 Class Was Heavy On... The passing game. Wake Forest is hardly known for its air attack, bit it has to have the pieces in place for 2014 with Tanner Price and Ted Stachitas done in a few years. The receiving corps lost talented Chris Givens a year early to the NFL, and this year’s class could produce a prospect or two to make an early impact. More than anything else, head coach Jim Grobe wants to go after as many good players as possible regardless of position.

Team Concerns For 2012: Finding a No. 1 target in place of Givens is a must, and getting more out of the running game without Brandon Pendergrass will be a task. The defense doesn’t lose much, but starting safeties Josh Bush and Cyril Quarles are both gone. It’ll be a very, very young secondary that’ll take its lumps early on.

Looking Ahead To The 2012 Season: The second half of the season might have been awful, losing five of the final six games, but it was still a bowl season and a nice step forward under Jim Grobe. Tanner Price is a good quarterback to work around, but he loses star receiver Chris Givens a year early to the NFL and RB Brandon Pendergrass will be missed. The big issue is the O line with four starters gone and only center Garrick Williams returning. The defense that didn’t get any pass rush, but three starters are back to the line and five starters return to the front seven. Both safeties – Josh Bush and Cyhl Quarles – are done meaning corners Merrill Noel and Kenny Okro needing to do even more. Considering the team has so many question marks on offense, PK Jimmy Newman could become the MVP.

The 2011 Class Was Heavy On … Offensive linemen. This is a smallish class after coming up with a little bit of everything last year, and while head coach Jim Grobe got a few good players like quarterback Kevin Sousa and receiver Airyn Willis, the key are the three offensive linemen brought in to build the foundation to finally get the offense moving again. Hunter Goodwin is a tall, athletic tackle, while Cody Preble and Dylan Intemann were brought in for the interior. Andre Wiggins will eventually be a star somewhere in the defensive back seven.

2010 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 53. That Class Was Heavy On ... Variety. Jim Grobe got a little of everything across the board with Tanner Price the passer to take over the offense in the near future, while Nick Knott and Joseph Byrd are quick backs who fit the system. Antonio Ford and Daniel Blitch are promising offensive linemen for the interior, while Duke Mosby has anchor potential on the defensive front. Only six defensive recruits were signed on, but four of them are for the secondary with Merril Noel a good corner who would've been rated higher if he was a wee bit taller than the generously listed 5-8.

2009 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 59. That Class Was Heavy On ... linebackers. Now that Aaron Curry and Stanley Arnoux have exhausted their eligibility, it’s time for the Deacons to replenish at linebacker. While this year’s four recruits aren’t very big, they can all fly to the ball, which is exactly the way Wake likes its defenders. The prototype is Justin Jackson, a 6-1, 203-pounder with 4.5 speed and a better vertical leap than most of the ACC’s receivers.

Nov. 26 Vanderbilt 41 … at Wake Forest 7
CFN Analysis: What happened to the Wake Forest run defense? It wasn’t exactly a rock this year, but it went bye-bye against Vanderbilt with the defensive front not doing enough to slow down Zac Stacy. The Demon Deacons failed to come up with a sack and got a pathetic three tackles for loss. … The offense could never seem to find a groove because the defense kept getting marched on. Tanner Price didn’t have a great day throwing the ball, but Brandon Pendergrass was fine on the ground; the offense couldn’t move. … A bowl is all but set, but losing four of the last five games, and especially to clunk like this at home, is a huge step back considering the team looked so strong at the beginning of the year. Everything went south after the Florida State win.

(AP) WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Zac Stacy ran for 184 yards and three touchdowns and Vanderbilt became bowl eligible by beating sluggish Wake Forest 41-7 on Saturday night.

Quarterback Jordan Rodgers had 229 total yards for the Commodores (6-6). Rodgers, the younger brother of NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers, threw for 139 yards and one touchdown and ran for 90 more.

Stacy scored on runs of 1 and 20 yards in the second quarter as Vanderbilt built a 20-point halftime lead, then iced the win for Vanderbilt with his 40-yard TD run midway through the fourth quarter.

Larry Smith, the Commodores' former starting QB, also hit a 45-yard flanker option pass for a score, and Ryan Fowler made field goals of 33 and 30 yards, as Vanderbilt became bowl eligible for the first time since 2008. Tanner Price threw for 157 yards and one touchdown before coming out of the game late in the fourth quarter for the Demon Deacons (6-6), who had their lowest-scoring game of the season.

Aided by Wake Forest mistakes, Vanderbilt drove into the Demon Deacons' red zone on its first two possessions but came away with only Fowler's field goals for a 6-0 lead in the first quarter.

Wake Forest finally got its offense going near the end of the first quarter. Price hit 4 of 5 passes on a 10-play, 75-yard drive, capped by a 10-yarder to Terence Davis in the back of the end zone for a 7-6 Demon Deacons lead with 12:44 left in the second quarter.

But the Commodores responded with three unanswered touchdowns in the second quarter to take a 27-7 halftime lead. Stacy had two of his touchdown runs, and Rodgers hit Brandon Barden on a 73-yard TD pass.

Catching Wake Forest in a safety blitz, Rodgers hit a wide-open Barden down the sideline. He hurdled one Demon Deacons defender and stiff-armed two others en route to scoring on Vanderbilt's longest TD pass play of the season.

The Commodores added to their lead in the second half on Dixon's flanker-option pass to Jordan Matthews with 4:17 left in the third quarter, and Stacy's 40-yard TD run with 9:04 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Nov. 19 at Wake Forest 31 … Maryland 10
CFN Analysis: Tanner Price threw at will on the mediocre Maryland secondary, and the running game that’s been so pedestrian got a great performance out of Brandon Pendergrass, who ran for 125 yards and as score. Price’s 320 yards and three touchdowns turned the game into a blowout. … The defense got rumbled on by the Terp ground game, but it did a decent job of getting off the field with several key plays behind the line. The ball control from the offense helped. … The win stopped a three game losing streak and made the Demon Deacons bowl eligible, but a win over Vanderbilt to close out the regular season would be a plus to solidify a decent trip.   

Nov. 12 at Clemson 31 … Wake Forest 28
CFN Analysis: Wake Forest stayed alive by not making any mistakes. There was only one penalty and no turnovers, while coming up with three takeaways. The offense had to take advantage of the mistakes and couldn’t do much to go on long, sustained drives, but Brandon Pendergrass ran for 134 yards and two scores having one of his most effective days of the season. … The defense seemed gassed late. It did a great job for about 50 minutes, and then it couldn’t get off the field. … On a three-game losing streak, a win over Maryland is a must to end any concerns about a bowl game. Vanderbilt isn’t a layup to close out the year. 

Nov. 5 Notre Dame 24 … at Wake Forest 17
CFN Analysis: Wake Forest did just enough to win the game … except close. There was only one turnover, and the defense did a terrific job of keeping the high-powered Irish offense under check, but two stalled drives when knocking on the doorstep killed the upset bid. RB Brandon Pendergrass couldn’t get loose, running for 47 yards on 17 carries, and his lost fumble ruined one drive, and poor pass protection and a missed field goal killed another. Tanner Price was solid, completing 17-of-24 passes, and Josh Bush had a whale of a game with eight tackles and two interceptions, but the missed opportunities meant a third loss in four games with Clemson up next. If the lines aren’t far better than they were against the Irish, there’s no chance of getting by the Tigers. 

Oct. 29 at North Carolina 49 … Wake Forest 24
CFN Analysis:  The offense moved the ball a bit, but the turnovers wouldn’t stop flowing. Meanwhile, the defense couldn’t have picked a worse time to struggle so mightily against the run. It was a rough loss, getting dominated way too much for an ACC title contender, but all is not lost. As bad as this was, and as poor as the team looked a few weeks ago against Virginia Tech, if the Demon Deacons can shock Clemson in two weeks, after facing Notre Dame, then they’ll win the Atlantic if they can get finish the drill against Maryland. To pull out the wins, Tanner Price has to be more secure with the ball, and the offense has to do a far better job of grinding out long drives. Holding the ball for 23:24 isn’t going to get it done against the Tigers. 

Oct. 22 Wake Forest 24 … at Duke 23
CFN Analysis: 5-2. That’s all that matters no matter how the team got there and no matter how things might look. It was a struggle to get by a mediocre Duke team, but in a game that could’ve easily have gone the other way, the Demon Deacons came through with what might be their signature play of the season on Tanner Price’s bomb to Chris Givens for the win. The running game didn’t work and the passing game didn’t click outside of two scoring passes to Givens, but the defense did a nice job and the offense came through with a decent enough second half to get out with a win. Now the Demon Deacons just need one more win to get to a bowl, and considering how bad last year was and with so many question marks going into this season, that’s a major turnaround no matter what happens with so many tough games over the new few weeks. If Wake can get one win at North Carolina, Notre Dame, and at Clemson, it’ll be a positive. 
 
Oct. 15 Virginia Tech 38 … at Wake Forest 17
CFN Analysis: The Demon Deacons had everything going their way, and the passing game was working with Chris Givens coming up with a big first quarter touchdown catch, but the defense couldn’t handle the balance of the Hokie offense. Outside of the one big play and one nice drive in the third quarter, the Wake Forest offense didn’t do enough to move the chains converting on just one of 13 third down chances with Tanner Price having problems getting the time to operate. Three of the next four games are on the road, including nasty dates at North Carolina and Clemson wrapped around the home game against Notre Dame, but getting Duke up next is a plus. Running the ball better would be nice, but for Wake Forest to keep winning, it has to win the turnover margin again.
 
Oct. 8 at Wake Forest 35 … Florida State 30
CFN Analysis: Wake Forest took a bad performance from Florida State and came up with a brilliant game of its own to pull off the shocker. The defense came up with five turnovers with four picks, and the offense managed to take advantage time and again with Tanner Jones coming up with a sharp game against a swarming defense completing 21-of-35 passes for 233 yards and three touchdowns, while Josh Harris was brilliant running 13 times for 136 yards. Now the spotlight is one with the Virginia Tech came a monster for the ACC title chase. With three ACC road games in a row against Duke, North Carolina, and Clemson. This week, the Demon Deacons showed the poise and maturity to handle the challenges.  

Oct. 1 Wake Forest 27 … at Boston College 19
CFN Analysis: It’s not like Wake Forest is doing anything special, but the passing game is doing a good job, the run defense has been stout, and the team is coming up with timely plays. There’s no pass rush and the special teams have been mediocre, but the 3-1 start is nice with home games against Florida State and Virginia Tech coming up. Tanner Price had a good day, throwing for 252 yards and a score, and Chris Givens was terrific catching seven passes for 132 yards and a score, while the defense held firm against the BC passing game that threw the ball 48 times. This isn’t an ACC title contender, but the 2-0 start in conference play is terrific after last year’s disaster.  

Sept. 17 at Wake Forest 48 ... Gardner-Webb 5
CFN Analysis: The Demon Deacons are 2-1, could easily be 3-0, and the prospects are bright with Boston College up next and struggling. The pass rush has been non-existent and the offensive line hasn’t been great in pass protection, but the passing attack has been fantastic with Tanner Price on fire completing 21-of-32 passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns, and running for a score, in the blowout. The defense was terrific, holding GW to 22 yards rushing and only allowing three of 17 third down conversions. With home games against Florida State and Virginia Tech ahead, and with road dates at North Carolina and Clemson down the road, the game at BC against a desperate team could mean everything to bowl hopes. 

Sept. 10 at Wake Forest 34 ... NC State 27
CFN Analysis: The Demon Deacons came within an eyelash of being 2-0, and it appears they’re close to being back to the form they showed a few years ago. The running game can’t get going, and the defensive front is having a hard time getting to the quarterback, but Tanner Price has been terrific so far and he’s getting production from a variety of good-looking receivers. Cyhl Quarles dominated on the defensive side with 12 tackles, and while NC State was great through the air, it wasn’t enough to come back late. It would’ve been nice to have close out with a score to put it away without any sweat, but 1-0 in the ACC with Gardner-Webb coming up is a great start.

Sept. 1 at Syracuse 36 … Wake Forest 29 OT
CFN Analysis: How fast can Wake Forest bounce back? Last year it couldn’t seem to get the offensive production over after a little bit of adversity hit, and once again it’s the injury bug that’s the biggest issue. Tanner Price threw three touchdown passes and 289 yards before getting knocked out, and while Ted Stachitas did a nice job under pressure-packed circumstances, the offense needed Price in the clutch. Stachitas didn’t push the ball down the field and he couldn’t move the attack late; he was a bit too indecisive. The Ten penalties were bad and the defensive breakdown late was worse, but the offense outgained SU 406 yards to 299 and this looked like a night-and-day better team than last year’s squad. 

The 2011 Recruiting Class Is Heavy On … Offensive linemen. This is a smallish class after coming up with a little bit of everything last year, and while head coach Jim Grobe got a few good players like quarterback Kevin Sousa and receiver Airyn Willis, the key are the three offensive linemen brought in to build the foundation to finally get the offense moving again. Hunter Goodwin is a tall, athletic tackle, while Cody Preble and Dylan Intemann were brought in for the interior. Andre Wiggins will eventually be a star somewhere in the defensive back seven.

Five Wake Forest Recruits You Should Care About
Player writeups by Scout.com

1. QB Kevin Sousa
6-4, 235, Scout.com’s 42nd ranked quarterback. Turned down Miami, Michigan, South Florida, Louisville, and West Virginia

2. LB Anthony Harrell
6-3, 215, Scout.com’s 36th ranked middle linebacker

3. CB Allen Ramsey
5-11, 175, Scout.com’s 58th ranked cornerback

4. LB Andre Wiggins
6-2, 200, Scout.com’s 59th ranked outside linebacker

5. S Sherman Ragland
6-1, 180, Scout.com’s 79th ranked safety

2011 Entire Recruiting Class

Brandon Chubb ILB 6-0 230 Powder Springs, Ga. Hillgrove
Desmond Floyd DE 6-5 235 Jonesville, S.C. Union County
Hunter Goodwin OT 6-4 285 Baltimore, Md. Gilman School
Josh Hunt OLB 6-1 210 Duncanville, Texas Duncanville
Dylan Intemann OG 6-5 300 Wake Forest, N.C. Wake Forest-Rolesville
DeAndre Martin RB 6-3 195 Hialeah, Fla. Hialeah-Miami Lakes
Godspower Offor DE 6-2 220 Hialeah, Fla. American Senior
Cody Preble OL 6-5 315 Lake Worth, Fla. Park Vista
Sherman Ragland III WR 6-1 195 Durham, N.C. Southern
Allen Ramsey CB 5-11 175 Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Dillard
Orville Reynolds RB 5-8 175 Coral Springs, Fla. Stoneman Douglas
Kevin Sousa QB 6-3 230 Orlando, Fla. Lake Nona
Andre Wiggins OLB 6-2 200 San Antonio, Texas James Madison
Airyn Willis WR 6-2 180 High Point, N.C. Southwest Guilford