What Stood Out on Wake Forest’s First Depth Chart
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The Demon Deacons have released their first official depth chart as opening kickoff is now just over two days away. As with a year ago, some positions are still up in the air. However, roles seem more defined as the season nears.
Wake Forest's first depth chart of the season is posted. pic.twitter.com/TBtv6n9KCe
— Deacons Illustrated (@Wake_On3) August 28, 2026
Defined Offensive Line
Throughout the offseason, the offensive line has been a question mark. We have seen lots of different combinations throughout fall and spring ball. The competition has mainly centered on the tackle position, where Wake needs to replace a graduating senior and a transfer.
New Hampshire transfer Tolu Olajide locked up the left tackle spot, and redshirt freshman Aidan Martin beat out some competition to claim the right tackle spot. The interior of the line consists of Weber State transfer and team captain Will Way, along with sophomore Clinton Richard and Oregon State transfer Ryan Berger. This means the line will consist of four new starters, so developing chemistry will be a key thing to watch at the beginning of the season.
Options in the Slot
There is no defined starting slot receiver for this group. On the depth chart, Kam Shanks, Drayden Dickmann, and Elijah Otieno are all listed interchangeably. The transfer from Arkansas, Shanks, had a terrific spring camp, and Rice transfer Drayden Dickmann came in the summer and impressed during fall camp. Otieno brings a ton of speed and seems comparable to Chris Barnes from last year's team in a lot of ways. It will be interesting to see how the share of reps is divided between these guys and who rises to the top as the season goes along.
Solidified Secondary
One position group that also had to be figured out was the secondary. After losing Nick Andersen and starting corners Karon Prunty and Ladarius Webb Jr, there were a lot of open spots to fill. FIU transfer Duece Blades II came in and pretty much locked up a starting corner spot after his solid spring ball showing.
Returning from last year, Braylon Johnson will step into a starting role after playing mostly free safety a year ago and making 41 total tackles. Ashaad Williams will step into the second cornerback starting spot after missing most of last season with an injury. He was only able to play in four games, but allowed just a 45.5 completion percentage in those limited snaps. He looks to take the next step and stay healthy this season. Also notably, freshman Somad Eaddy slots in as a lead backup on the depth chart, jumping over redshirt sophomore Sascha Garcia. The #17-ranked player from the state of South Carolina had a good camp and looks to get some playing time in his first season with the Deacs.
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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.