An Idealistic Preview of Wake Forest Football for the 2025 Season
In this story:
With the college football season nearing, the obligatory act of throwing darts in the dark and making predictions presents itself once more. The recently-published preview of Wake Forest's season was nuanced and fair, as one with tempered and realistic expectations would create. However, this preview and perspective is forged through an idealistic lens, because everyone needs a dose of unadulterated hope every once in a while.
"Built in the Dark" Will Quickly Catch Fire
Since Jake Dickert took over as head coach of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons on December 18, 2024, he has not looked back. Whether it is the new "Built in the Dark" mantra or 35 incoming transfers, Coach Dickert has been working, and it is not going to be in vain.
Coach Dickert's new system is going to revitalize the offense, creating a dynamic flood of ways to attack his opponents. He brought in former South Alabama offensive coordinator Rob Ezell to call the shots in 2025. While Clawson's slow mesh became quite iconic within the school and even nationally, it was time to say goodbye. Just like it was time to embrace the changing landscape of college football.
With any new system, there is a transition phase when creating identity and finding success. With Dickert at the helm, we already have a decent idea of what it will look like.
From Mesh to Modern
Last season, the offense became quite anemic at times. Occasionally, Bachmeier found an open Donavan Greene down the sideline for a big splash or Horatio Fields would put on the Superman cape against NC State, but it wasn't reliable. Of course, Demond Claiborne was the most reliable player on the field, as he racked up over 1,000 yards and 11 touchdowns.
This year, Wake Forest's offense is going to let bygones be bygones, while they usher in a new system, led by a dual-threat quarterback and Demond Claiborne.
Quarterback Worries No More
The quarterback battle is still very much underway, but with current trends, the former Auburn Tiger and South Carolina Gamecock Robby Ashford appears ahead of the pack. If he starts week one against Kennesaw State, it's a perfect match for Offensive Coordinator Ezell's spread offense.
While Ashford never found his footing in his three years in college football, he definitely has been in good football situations, with South Carolina and Auburn being some of the most respected programs in the land.
With Ashford’s dynamic potential, Claiborne’s explosive reliability, and a coach who knows the spread, the formula for success is set. In this scheme, Ashford isn’t solely tasked with pushing the ball deep downfield—a frequent knock from critics. However, with his ability to run and get receivers and Claiborne involved in short-yardage and RPO-style plays, the offensive outlook appears completely different.
Demon(d) Claiborne to the Rescue
We've talked about his potential to explode onto the scene this year, and that possibility is very real. If Claiborne is unleashed like expected, then 1,600 yards and double-digit touchdowns aren't laughable, but likely. Actually, Claiborne was recently added to the Doak Walker Award watch list, so this isn't just chatter within the Winston-Salem bubble, it's national.
We saw how Ashton Jeanty transformed the Boise State Broncos last year. This year, with the right support, we may see some similar magic—this time on the east coast.
Strength (or Lack Thereof) of Schedule Help
If you are still not sold on the prospect of Wake Forest football having its best season in three years, you can at least savor the fact that the Demon Deacons are widely regarded as having the easiest strength of schedule (SOS) this season.
Good teams win. If you don't have one, you'd better hope your schedule is riddled with FCS schools. However, when push comes to shove, having an easy (the easiest) schedule will sometimes tip the balance in your favor.
Wake Forest will have to put itself in positions to be competitive, and Jake Dickert's system could be the iron supplement to cure their anemia. If the fast turnaround that so many in Deactown are hoping for doesn't come, it won't be because of the schedule. Below is the slate of opponents this season:
Date | Opponent |
|---|---|
Aug. 29 (FRI) | Kennesaw State |
Sep. 6 | Western Carolina |
Sep. 11 (THUR) | |
Sep. 20 | |
Sep. 27 | BYE |
Oct. 4 | |
Oct. 11 | |
Oct. 18 | BYE |
Oct. 25 | |
Nov. 1 | |
Nov. 8 | at Virginia |
Nov. 15 | UNC |
Nov. 22 | Delaware |
Nov. 29 | at Duke |
2024: Indiana and Syracuse; 2025: Wake Forest
It is fun to find teams that break the mold and exceed expectations. Almost every year there is a new one that comes out of the woodworks. Last year it was Indiana and Syracuse. These teams have something in common with Wake Forest this year—they all had new head coaches and considerable transfer portal movement in the offseason.
Wake Forest (2025) | Syracuse (2024) | Indiana (2024) | |
|---|---|---|---|
Transfer Commits | 35 | 19 | 31 |
Transfers (Out) | 27 | 28 | 39 |
Transfers (+/-) | +8 | -9 | -8 |
Indiana had its most historic and successful season in program history in 2024. The Hoosiers won 10+ games for the first time EVER and claimed a spot in the new 12-team College Football Playoff. Despite all the success, critics still lamented at the ease of their schedule. However, the players and coaches take on the schedule set before them, and they won 11 games, so they will not be complaining.
Syracuse allowed Kyle McCord to shine as they hit the 10-win mark for the first time since 2018. Despite some raised eyebrows regarding Fran Brown's approach to coaching, all was forgotten when the Orange knocked Miami out of ACC Championship contention. Syracuse also won the Holiday Bowl, taking down the Washington State Cougars who were without their head coach—he was busy unpacking his bags in Winston-Salem.
Here is a list of all the Power Four schools that rolled out new head coaches last season and how they did compared to the year prior:
2023 Record | New Coach (Team) | 2024 Record |
|---|---|---|
5–7 | Jeff Lebby (Mississippi State) | 2–10 |
10–3 | Brent Brennan (Arizona) | 4–8 |
4–8 | Willie Fritz (Houston) | 4–8 |
4–8 | Jonathan Smith (Michigan State) | 5–7 |
8–5 | Trent Bray (Oregon State) | 5–7 |
8–5 | DeShaun Foster (UCLA) | 5–7 |
14–1 | Jedd Fisch (Washington) | 6–7 |
7–6 | Bill O'Brien (Boston College) | 7–6 |
15–0 | Sherrone Moore (Michigan) | 8–5 |
7–6 | Mike Elko (Texas A&M) | 8–5 |
12–2 | Kalen DeBoer (Alabama) | 9–4 |
8–5 | Manny Diaz (Duke) | 9–4 |
6–7 | Fran Brown (Syracuse) | 10–3 |
3–9 | Curt Cignetti (Indiana) | 11–2 |
Final Thoughts and Recap
I am not saying that Wake Forest is going to go 11-2, Jake Dickert is going to win AP Coach of the Year, and that the Demon Deacons are going to clinch a College Football Playoff appearance. That is not idealistic, it's delusional. However, I am saying that it is completely in the cards that there is a surprise finisher in North Carolina other than Duke or UNC. It’s reasonable to think Wake Forest could snag 8 or 9 wins and sidestep the rebuilding phase.
So maybe Wake Forest won’t crash the playoff party just yet. But if Jake Dickert’s vision takes hold, don’t be surprised if the Demon Deacons go from rebuilding to bowling—and maybe even stealing a headline or two along the way.
From start to finish, this is the path laid out for how, in an ideal world, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons are going to shock the world:
1. "Built in the Dark" will be a smash hit and curb the rebuild blues.
2. Robby Ashford finally finds his place in Wake's spread offense.
3. Demond Claiborne runs wild in an offense that caters to his prowess.
4. Wake Forest capitalizes on having the easiest Power Four schedule.
5. Jake Dickert and the Demon Deacons channel their inner Hoosiers and make a bowl game.
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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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