How Has Wake Forest Football Been Able to Rebuild its Offensive Line?
In this story:
The Wake Forest Demon Deacons certainly had a strong 2025 season under first-year head coach Jake Dickert. With success also comes hardship, though, as the Deacs are tasked with replacing many starters for the 2026 season.
Specifically, the offensive line is a major area of turnover for the Wake Forest team. Now, when the dust has finally settled, they are returning just one starter up front due to expiring eligibility and the transfer portal. Yesterday, Wake Forest tackle Melvin Siani, who was signed with the Deacs for the 2026 season, breached his contract, entered the transfer portal, and quickly signed with Texas.
Continuity is a huge part of what makes up a good offensive line, and it is unfortunate Wake will not have this advantage going into next season. Just look at this past season - the offensive line struggled through the first couple of games before really finding its form and playing solid football in the middle and back half of the season.
Let's take a look at some of the guys who will make up next year's offensive line. From returners to transfers, there will definitely be some new faces in the trenches.
Transfers In
From my count, Wake Forest is bringing in five transfers on the offensive line. First is Ryan Berger, who is a tackle from Oregon State with three years of eligibility remaining. He is 6-4, 318 pounds, and started in seven games this past year for the Beavers. He was recognized as the top offensive lineman in the Pac-12 (comprised of just Oregon State and Washington State) this past season.
Next up is Will Way, who transferred in from Weber State and has two years of eligibility remaining. He is an interior offensive lineman, listed at 6-3, 290 pounds. The Deacs also got Bucknell center John Onegian, who has played 35 games at center over his past three years at Bucknell. He was named to the 2nd Team Patriot League this past season and has one year of eligibility remaining. He's listed at 6-2, 304 pounds.
Next, the Deacs landed two more tackles. One is Tolu Oladije from New Hampshire. He is a graduate student who was recognized as 1st Team CAA All-Conference this past year. He stands at 6-5, 300 pounds, and has one year of eligibility remaining.
Lastly, Wake landed a commitment from LSU transfer offensive lineman Ethan Calloway. He is very physically imposing at the tackle position, standing 6-7 and weighing 305 pounds. He is a little raw as a redshirt freshman, having played one game at LSU this past season, but he does have three years of eligibility remaining to really develop as a Deac.
Notable Returners
The most notable returner from last year is Clinton Richard. He was a little banged up for stretches, but put together a nice freshman season, coming off a redshirt last year. He finished with a team-high run-block grade per Pro Football Focus. Another returner to keep an eye on is redshirt sophomore George Steih, who filled in for Richard while he was injured. He was a key part of the interior offensive line.
Recommended Articles
Justin is a student at Wake Forest University. He is from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and aspiring finance major interested everything sports. In his freshman year, Justin completed an internship with the Wake Forest Ticketing Department where he gained some valuable insight into the sales and operations aspects of collegiate athletics. Before working with Wake Forest On SI, Justin was a contributing writer for Wake Forest’s student publication The Old Gold and Black. Currently, Justin serves as a student manager on the Wake Forest Men’s Tennis team. In his free time Justin enjoys spending time with his family and friends on the golf course and traveling.