What college football coaches are saying about WakeyLeaks

— -- The college football coaching community is buzzing about WakeyLeaks.

Wake Forest's game plan breach, stemming from a highly unlikely source -- former assistant coach and radio analyst Tommy Elrod -- has caused coaches from around the sport to take notice. It raises questions about how information is handled, secured and received, and also who can be trusted with access to programs.

Seven veteran FBS head coaches weighed in on the Wake Forest situation, how they handle their own information and outside information, and what could change going forward.

College football coaches are required to prepare for anything before, during and after games. This includes protecting sensitive strategic information from getting out.

"I've been at schools where you see certain [opponent] playbooks that end up online," a Power 5 coach said. "There's a lot of old stories from back in the day during rivalry weeks, people would have spies filming the practice from garages nearby the practice fields. You used to hear those stories all the time."

The Wake Forest story is unique. For starters, the leak came from within the program and was provided directly to opponents. There is precedent in college football. Before the 1991 Tennessee-Florida game, former Tennessee assistant Jack Sells faxed diagrams of Tennessee plays to his friend, Florida defensive coordinator Ron Zook, in a scandal that became known as Faxgate.

What makes Wake Forest different is that the source was a radio analyst who had such strong ties to the program.

"I couldn't come close to imagining our radio guys doing something like that," a Power 5 coach said. "Most of these guys who do that kind of work, they're like fans."

But the coach added: "Those kinds of folks can get on the inside. They're very close to us. They're always around here doing interviews, so it's feasible. I can see how it would happen because they have tremendous access. But to have to worry about somebody that is supposedly on your side, that is really hard to stomach."

A Power 5 coach described broadcasters as the "last place you'd expect" a breach to originate. But a different coach said that in learning about Elrod's background, he sees the reasons for the behavior. Another 5 coach said he feels for Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson, who didn't hire Elrod to the broadcast team -- athletic director Ron Wellman did -- after not retaining him with the football staff.

"That guy was a player, a GA and then coached for 10 years," a coach said. "That guy probably thought he was part of Wake Forest football and he never should have been let go. This clouded his judgment. It probably started slow. One year it was one play, next year it's the trick plays."

The Wake Forest situation likely will increase suspicions among an already cautious group of coaches.

"I probably have to be more careful," another Power 5 coach said. "I'm not naturally a paranoid person. That kind of stuff makes you paranoid, though."

Coaches have become increasingly careful about handling strategic documentation before games. One Power 5 coach likes having the football office on a higher floor, forcing anyone wishing to gain access to first pass through a lobby. Several coaches said they make sure to take any papers from locker rooms at away games before departing. A Power 5 coach said that because teams often share the same charter planes, scouting reports have been found in seat cushions.

"I've heard of having a pregame workout and leaving some stuff in the locker room and the other team goes through it and the janitor gives it to the new coach," a Power 5 coach said. "We've heard all sorts of stories about written material laying around and somebody picks it up, but that's kind of your own fault, right?"

Most of the information left behind is general reminders or pregame tests players receive from their position coaches. But a Power 5 coach noted, "If there's information that helps you win one play, that's one too many."

A Power 5 coach said he knows coaching colleagues who shred game plans and other sensitive documents. Another coach said his program has been paperless ever since programs were allowed to buy players iPads or other tablets. All video is "encrypted and coded and [password-protected]," although there's the potential for hacking.

"You've just got to trust your people," a coach said. "We don't give it to anyone on the outside."

But if "anyone on the outside" means anyone not on the football staff, it's difficult to keep all proprietary information under wraps. A Power 5 coach said even the NFL scouts who attend his practices could, in theory, pass along helpful tidbits to opponents. Another coach said he always knows where pro scouts went to school, and, on occasion, will have support staffers follow them around at practices.

WakeyLeaks also raises an important ethical question for coaches receiving information from moles. Coaches often talk to their colleagues about a common opponent, gleaning personnel breakdowns and general tendencies. It's happening a lot right now as teams prepare for unfamiliar opponents in bowl games.

The difference with Elrod is that he provided Wake Forest's opponents with specific strategic information that, even in a small capacity, could directly impact upcoming games.

"Who accepts information like that?" a Power 5 coach said. "If somebody came to me and said, 'Hey, I've got this secret stuff from whoever we're playing,' I don't think I'd take it."

Another coach added that accepting such information is even more egregious because teams already receive opponents' film well in advance of games.

"The [ACC] is going to have to do something," a Power 5 coach said. "It might get ugly."

Elrod might be the wildest example of college football espionage, and will serve as a cautionary tale for coaches around the country. Several Power 5 coaches were surprised the leak didn't surface sooner.

But coaches don't think WakeyLeaks will be the last in their sport.

"It's almost unconscionable that this has happened," a Power 5 coach said. "Am I surprised? Yes. But am I shocked? No. It's a crazy world.

"Now you know why coaches are so freaking paranoid."