Wake Forest Football: Coby Davis Out With Season-Ending Injury
Midway through the first quarter against Vanderbilt, Wake Forest was struggling to find a rhythm, and points. That is until defensive back Coby Davis intercepted Mike Wright for a pick-six, kickstarting the Deacs to a comfortable win. On Tuesday, Wake Forest Head Coach announced that the interception would be the sole big play of his season — Davis is out for the remainder of the year with a knee injury.
“It was a non-contact injury,” Clawson said. “It’s just really, really sad. He was playing so well. It was hard to enjoy the win in the locker room knowing that that was a potential outcome of his injury.”
Earlier this season, Clawson spoke about the importance of depth — a player is bound to go down, and having as many that are ready to play as possible is necessary. Filling his shoes on defense will not be easy.
Along with his pick-six on Saturday, Davis played a key role for the Wake Forest defense at the nickel position. Davis’ interception against Virginia last season was pivotal in getting the Deacons over the finish line.
What made the injury announcement even harder for Clawson was the impact Davis has had on the football program off the field as a leader and teammate.
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“He's first class,” Clawson said. “He’s an unbelievable teammate. We've had a lot of really good players here. Coby Davis is as good a person and teammate as we've had in our program, and I just feel sick for him.”
This was Davis’ sixth year playing with the Deacons, but his career has been wrought with injuries. After playing in 13 games as a true freshman, Davis tore his ACL in the 2019 opener at Tulane. In 2021, he played in four games before suffering a season-ending injury. Now, after another injury-shortened season, Davis has to decide whether to come back for a seventh year.
Another lingering injury in the secondary leaves questions for the Demon Deacons. Safety Nick Andersen, who earned a scholarship with three interceptions against Virginia Tech his freshman year, remains off the depth chart.
“He won't be back this week,” Clawson said. “I would hope [he’s back] somewhere around the bye week, plus or minus a week or two. Hopefully [Andersen returns] by BC, that would be my best guess right now. But, it all depends how his rehab goes.
With Davis gone for the season and Andersen set to miss extended time, there are spots to fill on the defense. Isaiah Wingfield is slated to start in Davis’ role at nickel, while Malik Mustapha, Chelen Garnes and Brandon Harris will maintain their spots at safety. One important name added to the mix — Jermal Martin Jr., a transfer from California University (PA).
“Jermal Martin will figure in there,” Clawson said. “We've played with a rover and with a nickel, which is more of a corner skill set. There's a bunch of guys that will work in there. I think some of it will depend on the opponent and the personnel group.
Fortunately for Wake Forest, the improvement from previous years on the defensive side of the ball will help mitigate the loss of those who can’t play. The Deacons’ defense is No. 16 in the nation for turnover margin, No. 36 in rushing defense, No. 46 in defensive passing efficiency and No. 6 in first downs allowed.
“We're two games into it,” Clawson said. “Against VMI, we started off shaky and then tightened down. What I like is that when we give up a play, there's not any panic. We're getting better at turning the page and playing the next play.”
Liberty will provide a new test for Wake Forest defensively. According to Clawson, it will likely be a mirror of what they see every day in practice.
“Their offense is the closest thing to ours that we've had to defend,” Clawson said. “A lot of the concepts that we run — the tempo, spread, the full field RPOs — they do a lot of those things there too. Their quarterback [Kaidon Salter] is a true dual threat guy. He’s very creative and explosive. He keeps plays alive. They’ve also got ACC skill at receiver. They’re really hard to defend.”
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With Clemson on the horizon, Clawson doesn’t want his players to look ahead too early. His age old phrase — every win is equal to one.
“We're playing a good football team,” Clawson said. “Liberty, they're undefeated and they’re used to winning. We need our students, fan base and Deacon Nation to pack Truist Field. This will be a very challenging game.”
Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. on Saturday at Truist Field
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