Huge news out of Waco, Texas.
The Baylor football program has been in the news as of late for all of the wrong reasons, but today a report came out that is very relevant to Wake Forest fans. 247 Sports is reporting that Baylor has hired former Wake Forest head coach Jim Grobe as interim head coach. He will replace Art Briles, who was dismissed as head coach last week.
BREAKING: Baylor to announce Jim Grobe as interim head coach https://t.co/nzipif01eq via @247Sports
— William Wilkerson (@WVWilkerson247) May 30, 2016
Jim Grobe was the head coach at Wake Forest for 13 seasons, and is most known for leading the Demon Deacons to the ACC Championship in 2006. During that season he was the unanimous ACC Coach of the Year and was also recognized as the National Coach of the Year when he was given the Bobby Dodd Award. In total in went 77-82, including 42 wins in ACC play. His 77 victories tied a school record for career victories at Wake Forest. He went to a total of 5 bowl games during his 13 seasons, including three consecutive appearances from 2006 through 2008.
This hire will certainly be interesting, as Grobe's most successful teams were built around strong defense and special teams play, while Baylor rose to prominence due to elite offensive play. Grobe also has the history of being a strong disciplinarian, so the hire makes perfect sense given the allegations at Baylor. I would also expect him to attempt to fill out his staff with former Wake Forest coordinators and assistants.
After Grobe resigned from Wake Forest he was honest when he said that he intended to be a head coach again, and this is will be an excellent opportunity for him. He gets to take over a team that won 10 games last season in a power conference. He'll presumably have an opportunity to win the job, and will probably be judged as much for his off-field performance as his on-field performance.
Baylor has hired a man who has unquestioned high character, so I certainly commend them on this hire, and look forward to watching a lot of Baylor football this fall.
