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Wake Forest graduate Tom Elrod begins his sixth season as an assistant coach with the Demon Deacons. After five years of overseeing the fullbacks and tight ends, Elrod will mentor the quarterbacks in 2008.
The only Wake Forest graduate on the coaching staff, Elrod first came to Winston-Salem in the fall of 1993 as a quarterback, graduated in 1997 and served as a graduate assistant from 1999-2001.
After a year as the offensive line coach at Wofford, Elrod returned to his alma mater in February 2003.
For the last six years, Elrod has been responsible for the Deacon punt team but will hand-off that duty to Steve Russ in 2008. Wake Forest has had just one punt blocked (vs. Florida State - Oct. 11, 2007) since 2004, a span of 223 total punts.
In 2007, Elrod's tight ends and fullbacks played a vital role in Wake Forest's 9-4 season and victory over Connecticut in the Meineke Car Care Bowl. Tight end John Tereshinski, a free agent signee with the San Diego Chargers following the season, finished his career with 60 receptions, the fifth-most ever by a Deacon tight end. Elrod's fullbacks opened holes along the offensive line that allowed tailback Josh Adams to rush for 953 yards and earn ACC Freshman of the Year honors.
In 2006, Elrod's punt unit helped the Deacons win the field position battle almost every week. Wake Forest ranked second in the ACC in net punting and ninth nationally.
That season also saw the continued reliability of tight ends Zac Selmon and Tereshinski and fullback Rich Belton and the development of freshman Mike Rinfrette.
Those four players combined for 41 receptions and 437 receiving yards. Belton was the team's top short-yardage threat. He rushed for three touchdowns and carried for 18 first downs.
In 2005, Elrod was instrumental in the development of two young position groups. The young quartet of Belton, a freshman; Damon McWhite, a junior; and sophomores Selmon and Tereshinski combined for 29 percent of the team's receiving touchdowns and 23 percent of the team's receptions.
On the ground, the Deacon offense led the ACC in rushing, averaging 197 yards per game.
Elrod's punt coverage unit led the nation in punting average (47.0) and net punting (41.4).
When McWhite went down with a season-ending knee injury in 2004, Elrod helped successfully convert former offensive lineman Dan Callahan to the position.
In his first season as an assistant coach at Wake Forest in 2003, Elrod's punt coverage unit ranked second in the ACC with a net average of 38.3. Fullback Nick Burney ranked fourth on the team with four rushing touchdowns.
In 2002, Elrod helped guide the Wofford Terriers to a 9-3 record and second-place finish in the Southern Conference. Wofford ranked second nationally in Division I-AA in rushing (342.2 yards per game), and four offensive linemen earned all-conference honors under Elrod's tutelage.
Prior to his stint at Wofford, Elrod spent three seasons as a graduate assistant for the Deacons (1999-2001) while earning his MBA from the Babcock Graduate School of Management. His primary area of concentration as a graduate assistant was with the offense, particularly the fullbacks and tight ends. He also worked with the defensive scout team as it prepared the starting offensive unit for upcoming opponents.
Elrod was a part of Wake Forest's 1999 Aloha Bowl championship team and played a valuable role in the transition of the coaching staff prior to the 2001 season.
A Dean's List student in communications during his undergraduate days, Elrod spent two years as a business analyst with NationsBank in Charlotte before accepting a graduate assistant position at Wake Forest in 1999.
Elrod, a native of Winter Park, Fla., joined the Deacon football team as a walk-on quarterback in the 1993 season. He earned a spot on the roster and eventually earned a varsity letter in the 1996 season.
Elrod is married to the former Maureen Sheehy. They have a son, Thomas, who was born in May 2007.
