In a somewhat unusual move for Jim Grobe, the Deacs took the redshirts off of three freshmen this week:

Whether junior safety Alex Frye ever plays again for Wake Forest will apparently depend on the performances this week of three freshmen who have yet to start their careers.

The Deacons practiced Monday with full pads but without Frye, a redshirt junior from Fayetteville who started the first four games at free safety. Coach Jim Grobe said yesterday that Frye will remain sidelined while the staff takes a good long look this week at safeties Daniel Mack and Duran Lowe and cornerback Dominique Tate.

All three are first-year freshmen who were expected to be redshirted this season to preserve their season of eligibility.

"We went into the season hoping some guys that were older guys and hadn't played much would be the guys," Grobe said. "It just hasn't happened that way.

Elsewhere, Wake is without defensive end Kyle Wilber, who broke his fibula against Stanford.  Wilber's injury left the team with only one DE who'd ever started a college game.