All Smoke or Legit: Wake Forest vs. Kennesaw State Preview
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Since the end of their 2024 campaign, Wake Forest Football has been on a rollercoaster ride leading up to this week's season opener. Speculation has been sky high, with many preparing for the worst, while others feel a sense of hope in the new Dickert era.
The new-look Wake Forest Demon Deacons, led by transfer quarterback Robby Ashford, will do battle at home against the Kennesaw State Owls on Friday, Aug. 29, at 7:00 p.m. Here is what you can expect.
Old-Timer vs. Young Buck
Wake Forest has been playing organized football since 1908, while Kennesaw State debuted its new program just 10 years ago. This season also marks the Owl's second season as an FBS school. The Demon Deacons have the history—albeit it has not always been kind to them—while Kennesaw State is still in its infancy in this realm.
Kennesaw State struggled mightily last year, as they are already onto their third head coach after one season. However, they shocked the college football world when they welcomed the previously unbeaten, Conference USA powerhouse Liberty Flames to town and earned their first FBS win the hard way, 27–24. They won just one more contest last year, against FIU.
Wake Forest has little to brag about over the past two seasons, but they are an established player in the ACC and have a brighter outlook under the direction of head coach Jake Dickert.
What to Expect: Enough Talking, Play Ball
Through the ups and downs, speculation, and unknowns of the offseason, everything will soon be put to rest.
Wake Forest is playing a lesser opponent; there is no sugar coating it. This is the perfect game for the Deacs to work out the inevitable kinks in their product, while also sharpening their talents in preparation for the tougher schedule to come. However—large emphasis on the however—this is also the perfect game for a Demon Deacon squad that is still trying to figure out their identity to get caught by surprise and upended by a college football newbie.
Quarterback Revival
On Friday night, newly announced starting quarterback Robby Ashford will get another opportunity to make his mark in college football. So far, in his first two stops at Auburn and South Carolina, the 22-year-old failed to make a considerable impact, having only completed 51.8% of his career passing attempts. This year, under a new system that caters to mobile quarterbacks like Ashford, new hope has been breathed into his career.
Ashford started just 11 games in his career before coming to Deactown. If things go as planned for the redshirt senior, he should surpass that total this season, while leading a re-envisioned Wake offense to its best performance since the Sam Hartman days of 2022. But, before they can reach that level, Ashford needs to put together a complete game at the helm for Wake Forest.
Anomaly in the Backfield
Staying on offense, Demond Claiborne must be mentioned, as he is the heartbeat of this team. It is guaranteed that he will be the central focus of the offense, which continues to poke at a slightly joking, yet potentially serious question: Can Demond Claiborne actually touch the ball anywhere close to 40 times a game? The reasonable answer is no, but that doesn't mean the Demon Deacons can't try.
Defensive Worries
Flipping sides, the Wake Forest defense was a massive liability last season, and many will be eagerly anticipating what new defensive coordinator Scottie Hazelton can cook up this year. Again, a game against Kennesaw State should be a prime opportunity for a sharpening exercise, but it could very well expose several gaping holes.
Ready or Not, College Football is Here
Whether it is the almost entirely new wide receiver room, all new coaches, questions about quarterback consistency, or the worries of being the smallest Power 4 school finally taking its toll amid this new NIL landscape, there is a lot to keep an eye out for in 2025.
Wake Forest's first matchup will serve as a pulse check and diagnostic test for what this team is capable of. If they pass, the hope continues as they build up to their first keystone battle in week three against NC State. If not, the walls may come tumbling down before they are even built.
Coach Dickert has kept a positive mental attitude, and perhaps his golden retriever mindset and personality will be instrumental in kick-starting the Deacs' rebuild (reload). It all remains to be seen, but the new season will be ushered in, and questions will begin to be answered this week.
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Blake is a Sophomore at Wake Forest University in North Carolina. When not living on campus, he resides in West Virginia, where he was born and raised. He is studying communication and is invested in all things related to sports media. In his Freshman year, he completed an internship with the National Sports Media Association, and also worked as a sports editor at Wake Forest's student-run newspaper, the Old Gold & Black. Currently, Blake does play-by-play broadcasting for Wake Forest Club Ice Hockey and holds a job at Learfield, working as a studio host. In a perfect world, he would spend his free time road tripping and attending concerts all across the United States.
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