Turning the Page: NC State Faces Rebuilt Wake Forest
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NC State displayed its tough and gritty culture in its 35-31 win over Virginia. Now it’s time to turn the page and quickly move on to the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (2-0, 0-0 ACC) on Sept. 11, the second Thursday night game for the Wolfpack in the 2025 season.
The Demon Deacons come off a 42-10 victory over the Western Carolina Catamounts and a week one win over Kennesaw State, 10-9.
🏆 Players of the Game 🏆 pic.twitter.com/d31RsKTL3Y
— Wake Forest Football (@WakeFB) September 7, 2025
Head coach Jake Dickert starts off his first year coaching the Demon Deacons with two hard-fought wins. The former Washington State head coach quickly implemented changes to the program, with Wake Forest having the seventh-highest number of transfers in the nation, at 35.
Offense
Undoubtedly, the most talented player for the team is senior running back Demond Claiborne. Claiborne only ran the ball three times in week one, but against Western Carolina, he reminded the nation why he’s explosive. In 10 carries, he ran for 193 yards and three touchdowns; Claiborne was No. 6 in the ACC in total rushing yards last season.
New head coach, new culture. It’s evident with the 35 new faces in the program. A majority of the new faces are along the offensive line, with three new starters for the unit. Redshirt sophomore Melvin Siani, redshirt senior Devin Kylany and redshirt senior Fa’alili Fa’amoe
The unit has only allowed 10 total pressures; Fa’amoe is responsible for five of them, according to Pro Football Focus.
With LaNorris Sellers becoming “the guy” at South Carolina, new Demon Deacons quarterback Robby Ashford decided to enter the transfer portal. He ended up with Dickert at Wake Forest, and against Western Carolina, he threw for over 200 yards and a touchdown.
Redshirt freshman Chris Barnes followed his head coach to Wake Forest; Barnes was with Washington State last year, and now is with the Demon Deacons. He emerged as the leading receiver against Western Carolina with six receptions for 149 yards.
Defense
The defense is led by first-year defensive coordinator Scottie Hazelton; it’s not his first rodeo in the role, with previous stops at Michigan State and Kansas State.
Demond went off 🏎️💨 pic.twitter.com/f1DA3Z1Jjz
— Wake Forest Football (@WakeFB) September 7, 2025
Leading tackler from last year, redshirt sophomore safety Nick Anderson returns for the 2025 season; he totaled 122 tackles in 2024.
One of those 35 new faces made a big impact in week two. Redshirt senior Langston Hardy got to the quarterback 2.5 times in the blowout win. It’ll be harder to reach the quarterback against the Wolfpack with the mobility of sophomore quarterback CJ Bailey, but Hardy looks to build off of the performance.
The Demon Deacons are coming off a 4-8 season, and the hope is that Dickert can bring back life into what has seemed like a dead program for years now. In two games, he’s already halfway to the win total from a season ago; the hope is to make it 75 percent of the way there after Thursday night.
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Daniel Rios graduated from the esteemed Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University. His deep passion for sports has taken him to positions at ESPN and Cronkite News. Currently, he serves as the Assistant Beat Writer for the North Carolina State Wolfpack On SI.
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