What Stood Out in Wake Forest Football's First Spring Scrimmage?
In this story:
With pads on for the past couple of practices, the energy ramped up today as Wake Forest incorporated some scrimmage elements into their Thursday practice. Watching any practice is useful, but this scrimmage was a great opportunity to see how the squad has been progressing. Let's look at some highlights.
Deeper Running Back Room?
Coming off a year of star running back Demond Claiborne taking the lion's share of the carries, it would be reasonable to believe that the running back group may see a slight regression. However, despite not having a star like Claiborne, this room has shown its depth and versatility throughout spring ball.
Wake fans know what Ty Clark III brings to the table. He saw routine carries a season ago behind Claiborne, accumulating 323 total yards on the ground with 4.3 yards per carry. He will obviously play a major role in this team's backfield as well. However, in practices and the scrimmage today, newcomers have shown they can also make plays in the running back department.
Freshman Deuce Lawrence has shown he can stand out in his reps. He had some good carries in the scrimmage and should be a quicker and more elusive option next to Clark. When talking about speed, it's impossible not to mention North Dakota transfer Sawyer Seidl. This guy has a major burst and will be a major weapon in space.
Florida transfer KD Daniels is a bigger back, like Clark, and has also gotten some good reps. Returning redshirt freshman Jamar Searcy got some reps in as well and looked solid. Overall, this group is very versatile in the combination of speed, strength, and quickness. There are still lots of roles to be defined, and there will certainly be guys fighting for carries in the running back department, which is a good problem to have.
Getting better and making plays 🧃 pic.twitter.com/fOdZkhrfyN
— Wake Forest Football (@WakeFB) April 2, 2026
Offensive Line Finding its Footing
A major area of concern coming into spring ball was Wake's offensive line for the sole reason that they had to replace so much production. The line was strong last season, and really hit its stride in the middle to late part of the year, but they are only returning one starter.
The interior of the offensive line has looked pretty good so far. Returning guard Clinton Richard, along with transfer center Will Way, look like they have solid starting spots. The scrimmage showed their ability to create a push in the middle of the defense to give the offense room to operate.
Tackle has been a little trickier to evaluate thus far. Some pockets have been quick to cave in on the sides, while others have looked clearer. Although the quarterback also has been getting the ball out quickly, it is hard to truly evaluate. New Hampshire transfer Tolu Olajide, along with LSU transfer Ethan Calloway, and redshirt freshman Elliot Demaine are all players to watch in the tackle department.
Continuing to progress and find our identity 🎩
— Wake Forest Football (@WakeFB) April 2, 2026
🔗: https://t.co/I08tB8TiNn pic.twitter.com/rIvF0kvipA
Looking ahead, the Demon Deacons will continue to build as they get closer to their Spring Fan Fest on Saturday, April 18th, which will give fans their first chance to get a look at this year's squad.
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.