Jake Dickert Revealed Plenty About Wake Forest's Direction at ACC Kickoff
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On July 17, selected Wake Forest football players and head coach Jake Dickert took the podium to answer questions at the ACC Kickoff event in Charlotte. They answered questions about the upcoming season and what fans should expect this year.
Coming off a strong first season as head coach, Jake Dickert explained how he hopes to build on last year's success and improve on that progress. He spoke with great confidence regarding this season despite the roster shake-ups coming from the transfer portal.
With the new season being right around the corner, Dickert also emphasized the importance of having a good mindset, as it is easy to get caught up in Year 1's success.
Don't Dwell on Past Success
While last season's bowl game win was a great accomplishment for Wake Forest, Dickert explained that the Deacons cannot get caught up in the success of last season. He even went as far as to say Year 2 of coaching a team is always harder than Year 1 since trying to establish a culture and mindset can get fogged with the results of last season.
Dickert mentioned the importance of handling success, saying it is even more important than handling failure. He cited the stretch last season when the Deacons beat SMU on a game-winning field goal, but then got throttled the next week by Florida State, 42-7. In Year 2, Dickert wants his players to stay humble in their approach, regardless of the previous week's result.
"Hunger to me is the decision to step back into the dark each and every day and earn the right to believe in yourself again. The spotlight found last year's team, and this year's team needs to be humble enough to turn the lights out and get back in the dark. So that's exactly what we did," Dickert said.
Power of Development
Dickert's main theme during the Wake Forest press conference was the idea of building in the dark. Some people are interested in instant results, but the Deacons pride themselves on growing and getting better day after day. In addition, the importance of toughness and facing adversity was echoed by Dickert in all of his responses to questions.
Hunger is also a big part of development. Dickert explained that the Deacons cannot replicate the hunger that last year's team had, but this year's team has a hunger to do better and to do it as a team. Early on, it seems that this team's connectivity and willingness to win and lose together will be a big strength to start the season.
The Deacons know who they are and how they can win, which will help them in the early parts of the season. They need to be ready early and often against their ACC-heavy schedule, and Dickert is as confident as anyone in their ability to perform this season.
He ended his opening statements by saying, "Lastly, to all Demon Deacons, this is the time. Since 2016, we are one of only six ACC programs with 70 or more wins. There has never been a better time to invest in Wake Forest football, and I can't wait to see everybody out in Allegacy Financial Stadium on September 3rd when we take on Akron."
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Alex is a junior at Wake Forest University. He is studying decision analytics and computer science, and he’s interested in everything relating to sports. He was born and raised in East Greenwich, a small town in the smallest state, Rhode Island. His specialty is basketball, enjoying both playing and writing about the sport. The majority of his articles when he was a staff writer for The Old Gold and Black were basketball articles. When not writing or studying for his difficult coursework, Alex likes to spend time with friends and family and exercising.
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