Jake Dickert on Wake Forest’s New QB, ACC Depth & Building a Winner | Sports Illustrated

Brian Fisher here for Sports Illustrated at ACC Media Day is joined by Wake Forest head coach Jake Dicker.

Jake, every time we get here, you know, you know, the season's right around the corner, right?

Yeah, it feels that this is the greatest game on the planet, you know, and it just means with the ACC Football Media Day, it's right around the corner and preparations have long begun since January.

So we're excited about getting out there in year 2.

Well, what is the difference going into camp number 2 versus that first year?

I think it's just familiarity, you know, just with our players and, and more importantly, them being really familiar with our process, you know, but as we continue to build a program and try to take the next step.

You know, we still have 50 new players that are going to go to the fall camp for the first time with us.

So, excited about the depth of our team, uh, the athleticism of our team, and, and really excited about the leadership that our guys have really shown throughout the course of the 1st 8 months.

Between year 1 and 2 portal windows last time versus 1 portal window this time going through swimming brawl, do you have a better sense of your team?

Well, I would say just, you know, to have 56 returners that we're very convicted and known and been through the wars with, I think that gives you a lot of power as a coach, you know, but also to give those guys some ownership.

Like this is their team.

We are a player-driven culture.

Uh , we're very clear on our standards and our direction and where we need to be.

Uh, but excited for the potential.

But at the end of the day in our league, you know, you got to be able to bring it every week.

So, uh, we're preparing for that type of mentality and that type of battle.

Was there anything that surprised you about playing in the ACC from last year?

Well, I would say this, you.

It's the always compete conference to me.

Every week, you gotta bring it, you gotta be on top of your game.

You can go from the highs of beating SMU in Virginia like we did to the lows of, you know, not having success a couple of times last season.

So, those are tremendous learns for me as a head coach, uh, for our coaching staff, and look forward to that.

Challenge because I don't think there's a conference out there that's as deep as the ACC, right?

And we've got to go out there and prove it again, you know, and we're excited for that challenge.

I think Commissioner Phillips might need to steal that steal that line in terms of the marketing.

You brought a couple of guys with you, including your quarterback Gio Lopez.

What are you expecting out of him, especially after seeing him last season?

I'm really proud of Geo, you know, because he's not out there to prove everybody wrong.

He's convicted in himself and proven himself and our team right.

And to pair him back up with his OC Robbie Zell that he had tremendous amount of synergy with and success with at South Alabama, in an offense he has a tremendous amount of background and history and experience with, it's gonna allow us to to take that step towards our ideal of how we want to play.

Our coaches did a tremendous job with Robbie Ashford last year, but we were running the ball.

Geo allows us to take the ball down the field, and what I'm most proud about Geo is that he came to our team.

He didn't hesitate.

He stepped out in front, and he's been a tremendous leader for our whole program.

A lot of people would say that was a package deal.

Is that just Of modern college football when you bring in an OC and a quarterback that he knows so well.

Well, it would have been better if we could have done it right out of the gate.

We've done, I've done that in the past at Washington State, and I'm just glad it worked out, you know.

We're very comfortable with our quarterback room, and when Gio Lopez became available, it was a no-brainer to make the move and to bring him in and And he's earned the right, uh, to be our starting quarterback, and I'm excited to see his development this season.

Do you feel a little bit better about your depth on, on both sides of the ball at this point?

I think absolutely.

I think that was always the plan.

We have a tremendous blend of experienced players that have done it before, as well as a bunch of young guys that have been sitting in the wings and, and now they're ready to garner that experience.

So, um, full camp is going to be tough.

We got to test this team.

Uh, so we know who we are better to open the season this year than we did last year, and, and that'll be the challenge.

Defensive guy, how about, how about your defense?

Who, who do you expect stepping up on that side of the ball?

Yeah, I'm really proud of, you know, our coaching staff and our support staff and what they were able to do last year and how humble they have been to recreating the strengths of this team, um, to retain almost a starter at every position, to reload at the corner position.

Um, I, I think our side of the ball on defense is as good as you'll see in this league.

And we got to continue to stay humble on that side of the ball and make sure that we're progressing the way that we feel like we're capable of doing.

Is there somebody that we're not talking about right now, but you know, come this fall, we definitely will be on your team.

I think there's a lot of those guys, and I think that's the best part, which makes me smile and confident in those players and You know, that's from an Elliott Demain upfront, um, to a Jack Foley on the edge at wide receiver, to a Vinny Ferenzi at linebacker, to getting Rushon Tongue back, which I believe is an all-conference performer in this league.

It's a lot of excitement, right?

So our job as coaches is just to maintain a certain level of process and, and let the chips fall where they may.

You're not only one of the smallest schools itself in, in terms of the ACC, but, but in, in all of FBS, how, how, how do you kind of overperform, uh, so consistently?

You have to know who you are better than anybody else in the country.

And Wake Forest University is a special place with amazing people, and we've tapped into this hunger for football, right?

And I think that is the biggest part that I'm learning, and that's what winning has created.

It has created a support system, a buzz around our campus and in our alumni, and a support base that's ready to activate.

And we need to continue to raise the level of everything that we do.

But we now have a little bit of proof of concept.

We have to leverage that, and we got to fill our stadium each and every week, and that's the next challenge, and, and I'm excited to take on that challenge.

I've always been at, you know, different, unique places as it's gone throughout the country in my journey from D3 on up, and Wake Forest definitely is in that category and Just still humbled and honored that Wake Forest chose me to lead this program and, and want to make them proud each and every day.

Do you have to pinch yourself at times and say you're, you're an FBS coach, uh, coming from your background?

When I started, the goal was if I could only get to scholarship football.

If I had coached D2, like what a win, um.

And my family has been on an amazing journey, and we don't take things lightly.

We're very appreciative of our administration and the alignment that I have with John Curry, our athletic director.

We're excited to welcome a new president and Dr.

Peter Rodriguez, and the stars are aligning for us to go continue to elevate our football program and Those are the type of places that I want to be at and to have an expectation, let's go.

That's what we fought for and, and that's what we're gonna gonna continue fighting for.

Exciting times there with the Deeks.

Uh, thank you so much for joining us, Jake Dicker, the head coach at Wake Forest, joining us here at ACC Media Day.