Grobe Regrets Not Taking Husker Job

[Mavric]

When asked if he regrets not taking the Nebraska job, Grobe doesn't hesitate. "I do now, I didn't at the time," he said. "I honestly took great pride in Wake Forest. I had some really good friends there. I trusted some people there. I thought Wake was a little different than other schools. I really, at the time, felt we were going to get a bigger commitment in terms of facilities and support for the program that never really materialized. We loved all 13 years we were in Winston-Salem, but I'm not real happy with the way things ended."

To be fair, Grobe unequivocally accepts blame for Wake Forest going from three straight bowls between 2006-08 to 5-7 and 3-9 records in his final two years. Grobe blames himself for making recruiting mistakes by getting too caught up in signing more talented players who had off-the-field behavioral issues.

Wake Forest is unlike most schools. It has the smallest enrollment of any member of the five major conferences and far fewer football resources than most. When Wake Forest played in the Orange Bowl, Grobe was redshirting as many players as possible so the Demon Deacons could offset talent deficiencies by playing with men against more talented boys.

"We kind of got away from that dynamic and started recruiting a little bit better player who probably doesn't have a good enough love for the game," Grobe said. "Quite frankly, I ended up spending a lot of time last year with five knotheads who were always missing class, missing study hall, missing tutoring, late to meetings, late to practices, and ultimately I just wouldn't play them. They were very talented kids who could have helped us win games. There's no question I could have done a better job."

 

CBS Sports

[skersfan]

I really liked Grobe and Pat Hill. I think either of them would have done great things at Nebraska. I know Tom really wanted him here. Pat Hill never got the opportunity, but would have turned it down to. Does anyone know what he is doing now. Two very good men. Sad to see them both out of head coaching.

[SouthAfricanHusker]

Grobe was average at a school in a recruiting location with a poor conference to play. Throughout his career he never caught fire anywhere. He may have avoided some if the rookie mistakes Bo has made but overall we would be worse if we picked him.

[Redux]

Yeah I gotta agree. I don't think we would be any better off at this point with Grobe. Good coach but I doubt he would have gotten us much further so far. Maybe he would have sealed away a conference title though, who knows.

[Danimal]

WF really doesn't belong in a major football con. They should be in the Big East/AAC. Grobe should've used his window of opportunity and bolted. Ya maybe he didn't stick to his "shirt and develop" formula enough but the ACC was down when he was winning and they weren't going to stay that way forever.

[caveman99]

Grobe was average at a school in a recruiting location with a poor conference to play. Throughout his career he never caught fire anywhere. He may have avoided some if the rookie mistakes Bo has made but overall we would be worse if we picked him.

Actually recruiting at Wake for football is tough. They have a tougher academic standard to qualify and Wake is a really small school with a total enrollment of just 7,400, so they don't have the athletic resources and facilities other schools have. They have never made the financial commitment to upgrade their facilities and struggle to get revenues to do so, focus is definitely on academics. They also are right there with UNC in their geographic back yard. Obviously Duke, which has similar challenges, has turned it around recently but frankly they are at the level Grobe had awake at a few years ago by going to 3 straight bowl games. Not sure Duke can expect much more. Their recruiting is still a big tier down from their larger ACC brethren.

[SouthAfricanHusker]

 

Grobe was average at a school in a recruiting location with a poor conference to play. Throughout his career he never caught fire anywhere. He may have avoided some if the rookie mistakes Bo has made but overall we would be worse if we picked him.

Actually recruiting at Wake for football is tough. They have a tougher academic standard to qualify and Wake is a really small school with a total enrollment of just 7,400, so they don't have the athletic resources and facilities other schools have. They have never made the financial commitment to upgrade their facilities and struggle to get revenues to do so, focus is definitely on academics. They also are right there with UNC in their geographic back yard. Obviously Duke, which has similar challenges, has turned it around recently but frankly they are at the level Grobe had awake at a few years ago by going to 3 straight bowl games. Not sure Duke can expect much more. Their recruiting is still a big tier down from their larger ACC brethren.

I don't see much of a difference in academics to WF and Duke Stanford Northwestern Gtech etc. The amount of talent in the Carolinas is nearly equal to the entire old B1G footprint.

 

A good coach and recruiter should have no troubles recruiting elite athletes to WF and Grobe did.

[TheSker]

I know Tom really wanted him here.

Obviously not as much as he wanted Pelini here.

[skersfan]

From someone who claims to be so much in the know. Grobe was Tom's choice, Pelini was not. Pelini was a boosters choice. Grobe turned the job down, said no. Tom wanted to retain Watson, Grobe said no, had to have his own staff. The main reason Bo ended up here. If Grobe would have agreed, Pelini would never have seen the door, but he was the only one, that could have kept Bo out. The only serious candidate that the booster would accept. Money brought us Bo, not Tom.

[TheSker]

Pelini was a boosters choice.

Pelini was much more than "a boosters choice". But I understand you will continue to let it be known you disagree with the Pelini hire. Just sayin' we're 7 years past that.

[Hunter94]

 

Pelini was a boosters choice.

Pelini was much more than "a boosters choice". But I understand you will continue to let it be known you disagree with the Pelini hire. Just sayin' we're 7 years past that.

 

the Pelini hire will remain suspect until he improves to better than 9-4.........mediocrity has arrived.

[TheSker]

 

 

Pelini was a boosters choice.

Pelini was much more than "a boosters choice". But I understand you will continue to let it be known you disagree with the Pelini hire. Just sayin' we're 7 years past that.

 

the Pelini hire will remain suspect until he improves to better than 9-4.........mediocrity has arrived.

 

Pelini is the only coach since TOs retirement to never win less than 9......so apparently you missed the "arrival of mediocrity" some 15 years ago.......or 2002 best case scenario.

[skersfan]

If your story was correct, why was Grobe offered the job? One reason and one reason only, he was Tom's first choice. Pelini had the job in October, or it was being stated he did. Then all of a sudden, Tom is flying to Winston Salen to talk with Grobe, and Grobe turns him down. Try and keep the facts straight. Trust me you do not know quite as much as you think you do.

 

Who my choice for coach has little bearing on this. Bo would never have gotten the job as far as I was concerned.

 

But I have said he has done a great job in most things, given credit where it is due. Do I want him fired, no. Am I happy with his progress, no. Would we find some one that is hands down better, doubtful. Stop the blow out losses, embarrassments and he can stay forever. State so many times. He does things right. But he needs to do some things better.

[TheSker]

Do I want him fired, no. Am I happy with his progress, no. Would we find some one that is hands down better, doubtful.

Agreed. If there was someone hands down better available......with the "resources" Nebraska has.....we would have found them between 2002 and now. Rather than look forward with optimism, you tend to consistently let your displeasure be known. It is the internet......so have at it I suppose. Part of what Eichorst talked about recently was his awareness of a vocal minority.

[zoogs]

Gonna have to go with skersfan here. I don't know if Grobe was preferred or not, but he was one of the candidates, and I believe the issue was Grobe wanted to bring his entire own staff. And maybe you don't remember, but there was plenty of talk about the booster-driven nature of the Pelini hire. Plus, I don't think this article is making stuff out of thin air when they talk about Grobe "regretting not taking the Nebraska job."

 

The big money donors have a lot of sway. At least a couple of them really wanted Bo and there's still powerful backing in his corner.