Wake Forest Standout Wide Receiver Enters Transfer Portal
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On Sunday afternoon, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons got some unfortunate news as wide receiver Chris Barnes plans to enter the transfer portal. The redshirt freshman caught 39 passes for 547 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
Barnes started his college career at Washington State, where he received very little time on the field. In three games with the Cougars, the wide receiver caught just two passes for 19 yards. He then transferred to Wake Forest, where he could better showcase his abilities.
It's an understatement to say that head coach Jake Dickert and his staff will miss the young star. Barnes showed off some elite speed in offensive coordinator Rob Ezell's offense and was a major deep-ball threat in 1-on-1 coverage.
Navigating the Transfer Portal Era
By now, it's common knowledge that it doesn't matter how you ended your season. Every program experiences some exodus of athletes after the final regular season game. There may be even more transfer portal entries after Wake Forest's Duke's Mayo Bowl matchup against Mississippi State.
The Demon Deacons are no exception to the woes of the transfer portal. That much is evident by Barnes' recent entry. If the wide receiver returned to the program for another season, he likely would have been the No. 1 target for whoever ends up leading the offense in 2026.
Dickert signing his contract extension is massive for recruiting at both the high school level and in the transfer portal. With the Deacons reaching an 8-4 record in the head coach's first season, standout athletes around the country are likely looking at Wake Forest as a potential destination.
Freshman That Could Make an Immediate Impact
After National Signing Day, the Demon Deacons came away with their best recruiting class in program history. Dickert and his staff now have their largest incoming class in Wake Forest program history, with 30 total commitments. Among them were 29 three-star athletes and one four-star.
While the Deacons may be losing a standout wide receiver, there's reason to believe that Wake Forest's incoming class could contain the program's next No. 1 wide receiver. It's also evident that Dickert and his staff emphasized speed in their high school recruiting.
Elijah Otieno, Devin Goldston, and Kobe Adeleke all have backgrounds in track and field, meaning that there could be some serious speed in Ezell's offense next season. Goldston, in particular, could become a receiving threat on the outside, standing at 6-foot-3 and weighing 180 pounds. He was also rated the No. 45 overall player in North Carolina by 247Sports.
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Carson, a 2025 TCU graduate, is a sports journalist who covers college athletics for several On SI sites. While most of his experience is with TCU On SI, he also writes with Wake Forest On SI and Houston On SI. He also has a passion for the college baseball scene, most notably being a fan of TCU Baseball. In 2023, Carson was in Omaha and reported on the Men’s College World Series, where TCU finished 4th in the nation. His past work not only consists of major sports like football, basketball, and baseball, but with others like track and field and cross country as well.