In a change of heart, Wake Forest Coach Jim Grobe has reportedly decided to stay put, turning away a job offer from the University of Arkansas, according to the Wake Forest Sports information director.
"Jim Grobe is our head coach,and we look forward to having him as our head coach for years to come," Wake Forest sports information director Steve Shutt said Thursday morning. "He's done a wonderful job, and we would hate to lose him."
Grobe, 55, had accepted an offer to become Arkansas' coach on Wednesday night according to multiple sources, but then had a change of heart about leaving the Demon Deacons.
Grobe interviewed with incoming Arkansas Athletic Director Jeff Long on Tuesday after Clemson Coach Tommy Bowden decided to stay with the Tigers after meeting with Long.
Arkansas, as well as other schools, had targeted Grobe as a coaching choice because of the remarkable turnaround he has led at Wake Forest, including a 19-7 record the past two years and an Atlantic Coast Conference Championship and Orange Bowl appearance in 2006.
"The bottom line is, it's our players. I just love this football team," Grobe said Thursday while the Demon Deacons practiced for the Meineke Bowl.
The Grobe-to-Arkansas speculation started late Wednesday, after a private university fundraising arm approved a salary supplement for the Wake Forest coach. There was no official word from Arkansas, however, on whether Grobe would replace Nutt, who quit Nov. 26 and was hired almost immediately by Mississippi.
"When all this stuff started running through the press, it kind of tugged at my heart a little bit," Grobe said.
Grobe said Arkansas did not formally offer the job, and he met with Wake Forest athletic director Ron Wellman at the coach's house Wednesday night and into Thursday morning, leaving at about 12:45 a.m.
"We were talking about the future of Wake Forest football and how important he is to that future, and what a great job he has done thus far," Wellman said. "We've still got a lot to accomplish at Wake Forest and he's the man to lead that charge."
Incoming Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long said in a statement that no formal offer or agreement has been reached with a possible replacement for Nutt.
"I understand and appreciate the strong interest in the search by our supporters and fans," Long said. "Our parameters for the search remain the same, finding the best head football coach for the University of Arkansas. We will continue to work expeditiously to that end and I'm confident that we will achieve our goal."
Grobe said he is not receiving a raise or a contract extension to stay at Wake Forest.
Read tomorrow's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.
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