How Jake Dickert is Doing Something No One Believed was Possible at Wake Forest
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16th out of 17. That is where Wake Forest was picked to finish in the ACC Media Poll at the start of the season. The placement was not surprising considering the Deacs were coming off of back-to-back 4-8 seasons, and a program that had consistently been bowl eligible looked dead in the water thanks to the new NIL era. Not to mention, with a whole new staff and a very new-look roster, it looked like a rebuild year for the Deacs.
In comes Jake Dickert after spending time at a very challenging program at Washington State and getting them to bowl eligibility. He had good coaching cliches and could give a motivational speech to anyone, but he could not possibly compete with the Dabo Swinneys and Bill Belichicks of the world, right? Well, sitting here in late November, Jake Dickert and the Demon Deacons have outperformed both by a wide margin, have an 8-3 record, and are receiving AP poll votes. Not bad, right?
When Coach Dickert is asked about his achievements, he immediately gives credit to the team, saying it is a "player's game." This is very true, and the entire team for Wake has performed tremendously this season, but we also must give credit to the head coach. With the win over Delaware, Jake Dickert became the winningest first-year coach in Wake Forest program history. He has instilled a winning brand at a place that desperately needed the message.
Built in the Dark
The new mantra of Wake Forest football this season under coach Dickert was "Built in the Dark." Even though Wake may not have been getting the respect or attention they deserved, they continued to build something truly special this offseason. The difficulty of having several returners alongside a group full of transfers is real, but this team was built the right way, and it is very obvious the guys love playing for each other. There truly is a real team camaraderie.
Look at the difference between the two rival programs: North Carolina and Wake Forest. UNC had a big-name coach and all the money and resources you could want. Meanwhile, Wake Forest had significantly fewer resources, being a smaller school. UNC was getting all the media hype and attention while Wake was getting none. Yet, Wake won their matchup with the rival Tar Heels convincingly and will be going bowling. This shows the true impact of the culture instilled at Wake Forest. They brought guys in, convinced them to buy into the culture, and are playing as a cohesive unit.
Wake Forest marches on this week as they prepare to close out their regular season with the rival Duke Blue Devils. From there, they will be on to a bowl game. I just wanted to take the time to acknowledge the incredible achievement that took place this Saturday. Jake Dickert becoming the winningest first-year head coach in program history is something no one thought would be possible, but his belief in the program and his team transcended any preseason predictions and has led to something truly special happening at Wake Forest.
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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.