Wake Forest Offense's Midterm Grades: Who's Passing With Flying Colors
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After Wake Forest hired Head Coach Jake Dickert last December, many fans knew that they'd see a new-look offense with new offensive coordinator Rob Ezell at the helm. The unfamiliarity of the team, though, led to speculation on how the offense would perform.
Through the first half of the season, the Demon Deacons' offense proved explosive and electric, launching the ball through the air and ground for big gains. Between familiar names and fresh faces, the Demon Deacons have had success offensively throughout the majority of the season, including last week's 39-14 rout of Oregon State.
Wake Forest Football - The Offensive Grades
In terms of "breakout" seasons, there's no one quite like Barnes, who has been a pleasant surprise after transferring from Washington State this offseason. Barnes gained national recognition for his most recent performance against Oregon State, where he had a career game-high in touchdowns (3). The sophomore's 410 receiving yards and receiving touchdowns (3) lead the Demon Deacons in both categories this season.
Barnes hasn't limited his effectiveness to the wideout spot, either. He's been as explosive on special teams as the lead kick returner, including the touchdown off the opening kickoff against NC State. Barnes currently leads the FBS in yards per return (39.0), while leading the ACC in total return yardage (234).
If Barnes continues these performances, he is on pace to have the best season receiving-yardage-wise since A.T. Perry in 2022 (1,096)- leading to an A+ midterm grade.
Claiborne came into the season with the highest of expectations, and so far, has lived up to them- for the most part.
After being knocked out of the opening night matchup against Kennesaw State with a rib injury, Claiborne returned to the starting lineup the next week in impressive fashion- earning a career-high in both rushing yards (193) and rushing touchdowns (3) on the night. In the ensuing matchup, though, Claiborne was only held to 35 yards against NC State, one of the rare struggles that Claiborne had this season.
Such began a rollercoaster season for Claiborne, who has had over 100 yards rushing in three of six games so far. The injury bug has bitten him twice this season, also knocking him out of the Virginia Tech win. Without Claiborne, the Wake Forest rushing attack struggles, with backups Ty Clark (3.1 yds/att.) and JaMario Clements (2.6 yds/att.) struggling to get going.
Claiborne's peaks have been extremely high, and for that, he gets an A grade. If Claiborne can remain healthy, he has a chance to gain national recognition for his work out of the backfield.
After beating out fellow transfer quarterback Deshawn Purdie in a preseason position battle, Ashford has taken the helm of the Wake Forest offense and has done a satisfactory job throughout his five games in charge.
On the ground, Ashford has used his legs in the red zone often, finding the paydirt four times. In fact, he's on pace for the best rushing season for a Wake Forest quarterback since Jamie Newman in 2019 (574 yards, 6 TDs).
At times, though, the offense has looked unimpressive with Ashford at the helm, including when the offense was held scoreless and to only 44 total yards in the second half against NC State. There have been stretches of drives where lapses occur often, and for these errors, Ashford deserves a B-.
With a sneaky, underrated season so far, the Utah Tech transfer finds himself on pace to put his name in good company in terms of the best receiving seasons by a tight end in Wake Forest history. Regarding Falayi's receiving yards, he's on pace to have the most yards since Cam Serigne in 2017 (556), with 183 yards through six games.
Additionally, Falayi has only committed two penalties on the season so far, with false starts in consecutive games (Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech). Falayi has taken over a tight end room that also includes Harry Lodge and Kamrean Johnson, with the former suffering from an injury spell that has kept him out since the Virginia Tech game.
On opening night against Kennesaw State, not a whole lot went right for the Demon Deacons' offensive line. After letting up four sacks to the Owls, Wake Forest also lost starting offensive guard Clinton Richard to a broken foot in the game, which has sidelined him for the rest of the season so far.
However, excluding that opening night against Kennesaw State, the Demon Deacon offensive line has only let up a total of three sacks in five games. George Steih has replaced Richard beautifully, slotting in at left guard for the Western Carolina game and never looking back.
In terms of penalties, the offensive line has been mostly clean, with 11 penalties that can be attributed to offensive linemen over six games. They've kept it clean in one game so far, against Western Carolina.
The offensive line has also allowed the backfield to flourish. Against Western Carolina, Claiborne only needed ten carries for 193 yards, with Wake Forest's run blocking suffocating the Catamounts' defense. Claiborne is seventh in FBS for yards per carry- a testament to how successful the Demon Deacons' run-blocking can be.
Deshawn Purdie gets the most unique grade on the list- an "I" for "Incomplete."
It's hard to give anything but praise for Purdie, who took advantage of the opportunity handed to him against Oregon State by throwing for four touchdowns and 270 yards. It was a fantastic outing for a player who came into the season behind in a quarterback battle with Ashford.
With Ashford sidelined, the Charlotte transfer showcased his cannon of an arm in the Beaver State, often connecting with speedy wideouts like Barnes and Micah Mays Jr. The four touchdowns were a career game-high for the sophomore, and allowed the Demon Deacons a different look on offense- using Purdie as more of a pocket passer, instead of showcasing Ashford's mobility.
Yet, to give a proper grade to Purdie, there must be a substantial amount of work shown, and one game starting is unfortunately not enough to warrant an outright "A+" grade- or any grade of that matter. While his current grade might be "incomplete," Purdie's performance against Oregon State has put pressure on Ashford to continue performing well, as there's a very talented quarterback in his stead.
DROPPED OUT
The good news for the Demon Deacons is that not many offensive stars- if any- have "dropped out" of this season. By "dropped out," we can consider that to be season-ending injuries, preventing the player from featuring in the rest of the 2025 campaign.
Before the season began, two offensive linemen (Rodrick Tialavea and Jacob Dennison) left the team for personal reasons. The offensive line has taken two other hits on the injury front, with the aforementioned Richard breaking his foot on opening night against Kennesaw State, rendering him out for an indefinite period of time. Backup offensive lineman Uber Ajongo (knee) has also been sidelined for the season.
Without a doubt, Dickert and Co. have been able to sustain an increasingly successful offense that has progressed as the season has gone on. The Demon Deacons look to continue that momentum against SMU at Alllegacy Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 25th, at 12:00 P.M.
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-b2b3204fafefe7b6e203a1c43238f099.jpeg "Sean Kennedy")
Sean is a recent graduate of Wake Forest University, where he served as lead sports editor of the school’s student-run publication, the Old Gold & Black. Outside of covering Wake Forest’s sports programs, he served as president of the school’s Sports Analytics Club. A native of Long Island, New York, he enjoys watching all forms of racing in his spare time.
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