What's Brewing in Winston-Salem? Notes From Wake Forest Spring Practice
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The Wake Forest Demon Deacons are continuing to build this spring towards the 2026 season. The pads have come on, and practices are starting to get more physical and efficient. With a lot of new faces coming into the season, players are starting to find their roles.
Six practices down, it is still hard to draw any true conclusions. The spring is really a time of building and improvement, but it is nice to see certain players, returners, and newcomers show some pop. Let's go through some of the highlights.
Defensive Reinforcements
Even though the Deacs were able to return a lot of production on the defensive end of the ball, they still needed to fill some holes. Karon Prunty and Ladarius Webb were both major surprises in the secondary, but now with them gone, others need to step up.
Deuce Blades II seems like one of those guys who is poised to take on that cornerback role. The redshirt senior transferred from FIU, and he has been consistently taking solid reps in spring ball. Having a solid defensive option on the outside to lock down key receiving threats is key to the success of any football team, and Blades looks to be moving into that role.
Transfer linebackers have also shown sparks due to some current injuries. The junior transfer from Dayton, Vincent Firenze, has been a good surprise all throughout spring ball as he showcases his ability to move and tackle well. Cal transfer, Buom Jock, has been getting lots of reps as well. He has great positional size at linebacker, standing at 6' 5" and weighing 235.
Earned daily 😤 pic.twitter.com/wQ6wiSnxqr
— Wake Forest Football (@WakeFB) March 31, 2026
Second-Year Leaps
The Deacs knew some guys remaining in the program would have to take leaps this offseason. It looks like that has happened in some key areas.
Coming off a big performance in the Duke's Mayo Bowl, redshirt freshman Jack Foley looks confident in spring ball, taking on a larger role as an outside receiving threat. Standing at 6-4 and showing his deep-ball capabilities, he will be a weapon for whoever is behind center for the Deacs.
Another redshirt freshman receiver, Bryce Kania, is making plays in practice. Coach Dickert described him as a guy who will likely be playing multiple roles for this football team. Between being a receiving target and fitting in on special teams, don't be surprised when you see his name come up this fall.
On the offensive line, returning sophomore Clinton Richard will provide stability in the interior for the new-look unit. After a practice, he talked about his expanded role as a leader, going from his freshman to sophomore year, and practice performances indicate he is really taking on that role effectively.
Block out the noise 🔇 pic.twitter.com/tFcn3GobkJ
— Wake Forest Football (@WakeFB) March 30, 2026
What's Next?
Wake Forest continues to work through their 15 spring practices. Some scrimmage elements will be added, which should give us an even better idea of how things look. All this builds to the Spring Fan Fest on Saturday, April 18th, where fans will get the opportunity to come out to Allegacy Stadium and see the Deacs in action.
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.