Wake Forest Football: Final Depth Chart Questions
With the season just around the corner, it’s pretty clear who most of the starters will be on this Wake Forest football team. Many key pieces have returned from last year's squad, especially on the offensive side of the ball. The full starting 11 on both offense and defense won’t be a known entity until the first depth chart is released on Monday, August 29: three days before the VMI game. A few starting jobs remain up in the air.
Let’s take a look:
Starting Left Tackle
The only loss to the offensive line was Zach Tom, now a #ProDeac with the Green Bay Packers. Je’Vionte Nash, a 6’3”, 305-pounder, is entering his seventh collegiate season. He missed all of last year due to injury, but started nine games at right tackle the season prior. Spencer Clapp, another redshirt senior, stands 6’6”, 296 lbs. Clapp saw action in 13 games last season, but mostly as a sixth lineman and on special teams. Nash is certainly the favorite to replace him, but Dave Clawson has made it clear that nothing is decided yet, with both players getting reps. The expectation is for Nash to be with the first team on the VMI depth chart, but Clapp is firmly in the mix here.
Third-String Running Back
Justice Ellison is the leader of the backfield, and Christian Turner will be heavily involved as well. The belief heading into fall camp was that sophomore Quinton Cooley, who saw some playing time in the latter half of 2021, would be the third back in line for action. However, true freshman Demond Claiborne has burst onto the scene in camp with explosive speed and sharp cuts. While seeing significant time with the second team, he’s displayed quite a nose for the endzone. The freshman might just usurp Cooley, and he could be hot on Turner’s tail, too.
Starting Safety
Four players for two spots is the situation here. Former walk-on Nick Andersen, notorious for his three interception game vs Virginia Tech back in 2020, should be a lock for one spot, but it’s unknown how his recovery has come along from injuries last season. Sophomore Malik Mustapha was an impactful player last season. He had 28 solo tackles and two interceptions in 13 games as a freshman. Vanderbilt transfer Brendon Harris, who played in all 12 games last year with the Commodores (Sep. 10 revenge game in Nashville), is an experienced player who is firmly in the mix here too. Sophomore Evan Slocum is the least experienced of the group, but held his own in the 11 games he appeared in last season. Considering the uncertainty around Anderson, it’s likely Mustapha and Harris are the starters vs VMI, but this is definitely a position group to monitor.
Fourth Wide Receiver
A.T. Perry, Donavon Greene and Taylor Morin are locked and loaded as first-teamers. The competition for the fourth spot in the pecking order is between two talented sophomores: Ke’Shawn Williams and Jahmal Banks. The shifty 5’10” Williams finished fourth on the team in receiving yards (404), receiving touchdowns (3) and yards per reception (14.96) in 2021. Banks, on the other hand, an athletic 6’4” target, didn’t see much playing time. Banks fits the mold more of Perry and Greene (and Sage Surratt and Jaquarii Roberson for that matter), while Williams is more tailored to the slot. Over the summer, Banks has challenged Williams left and right. It’s logical to assume that if Morin comes out, Williams goes in, and vice versa with Banks and the outside guys. It will be interesting to see if Williams clearly establishes himself as higher on the food chain.
