When Wake Forest football coach Jim Grobe and his staff recruit players, they don't recruit for the moment.
They recruit for the long term.
It's not the most popular approach and it annually results in the Deacons' being somewhere in the second half of the national recruiting rankings. Scout.com, for example, has the Deacons' incoming class ranked 71st at the moment, though it could change a little when all the papers have been signed on national signing day Wednesday.
But Grobe's approach - similar to the recruiting philosophy employed by Boise State - is built on the idea of signing good players who can be coached and sculpted into being quality players by their third year at Wake Forest.
That doesn't mean true freshmen can't play at Wake Forest - if a Jadeveon Clowney type player signs with the Deacons, Grobe and his staff will get him into the lineup - but in Grobe's 11 seasons in Winston-Salem, he's played only 20 true freshmen, never more than three in one season.
It's the philosophy that earned the Deacons the 2006 ACC championship and a spot in the Orange Bowl and, after a couple of down years, got them back into the postseason in 2011.
"Their whole philosophy is built on the idea that they will be different players when they're 20 years old than when they're 17," ESPN recruiting analyst Tom Luginbill said. "It's getting to be a more rare philosophy in this day and age.
"But it's the same thing Boise State is doing. If this guy is a good player now, he'll be even better when he's a redshirt sophomore."
Luginbill said he considers Grobe "one of the top five coaches in the country" but says it's become tougher for the Deacons to stick with their recruiting philosophy. A lack of depth and the failure of some earlier recruits to develop forced Grobe to use true freshmen as he did with running back Orville Reynolds last season.
While Florida State, Virginia Tech and Clemson go for higher-rated players, Wake Forest is content to work lower on the national list while accounting for the particular academic demands in Winston-Salem. Unlike Boise State, Luginbill said, Wake Forest has to play tougher opponents each season than the Broncos face in the Mountain West Conference.
"What would Wake's record be in the WAC or what would Boise State's be in a BCS conference?" Luginbill asked. "They both go after players who may not be (top-line) right now but with growth and maturity could be three years down the road."
The Deacons appear to have another solid class lined up, balanced at all positions. They're expected to sign three defensive backs, three linemen on each side, three linebackers, two tight ends, two receivers and two quarterbacks, both of whom are left-handed as is starter Tanner Price.
With four starters graduating from the offensive line and two tight ends leaving, there are key holes to fill, but none that will likely be filled by incoming freshmen.
"The way (Wake Forest) does it, they don't care about (recruiting) rankings, nor should they," Luginbill said.
