logo
Wake Forest Football Preview 2025: Demon Deacons Season Prediction, Win Total Projection, Top Players

Wake Forest Football Preview 2025: Demon Deacons Season Prediction, Win Total Projection, Top Players

Miami Herald15-06-2025
Wake Forest Demon Deacons Key to the Season
Stop someone from completing forward passes.The Wake Forest pass defense was among the worst in the nation, and only Mississippi State allowed more completed passes. The Bulldogs allowed teams to hit 70.4% of their throws, and the Demon Deacons allowed 70.3%.Wake Forest went 3-1 when teams completed 66% or fewer, and was 1-7 when allowing more.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons Key Player
Melvin Siani, OT Soph.The skill parts are good - one of the two quarterback options will step up. None of it matters if the offensive front doesn't keep defenses out of the backfield. Out of all the new parts from the portal, the 6-6, 302-pound Siani from Temple needs to rise up into a starting role at one of the jobs. If he's terrific, the tackles will be a plus, because …
Wake Forest Demon Deacons Top Transfer, Biggest Transfer Loss
Top Transfer In: Fa'alili Fa'amoe, OT Sr.One of the best offensive tackles in the portal, the 6-5, 317-pound senior could've gone anywhere. The former Washington State star followed his coach, Jake Dickert, to Winston-Salem and should lock into one of the tackle gigs.Top Transfer Out: Luke Petitbon, C Sr.Again with the offensive line, it wasn't good last year, but some decent parts moved on. The 6-2, 295-pound Petitbon is a veteran center who quarterbacked the front, and now he's handling the gig at Florida State.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons Key Game
Georgia Tech, Sept. 27Wake Forest won the 2006 ACC Championship 9-6 over Georgia Tech. Since then, the two teams have only played four times, and the Yellow Jackets won all four.Wake Forest doesn't leave home in September, and then come the road games. At worst, the Demon Deacons will be 2-2. If they beat NC State, this is a shot at the first 4-0 start since 2021.- 2025 Wake Forest Schedule Breakdown
Wake Forest Demon Deacons Top 10 Players
1. Nick Andersen, S Sr.2. Dylan Hazen, LB Sr.3. Demond Claiborne, RB Sr.4. Fa'alili Fa'amoe, OT Sr.5. Gabe Kirschke, EDGE Jr.6. Davaughn Patterson, S Soph.7. Quincy Bryant, LB Sr.8. Carlos Hernandez, WR Jr.9. Robby Ashford, QB Sr.10. Matthew Dennis, PK Sr.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons 2024 Fun Stats
- 4th Quarter Scoring: Opponents 117, Wake Forest 56 - Sacks: Opponents 42 for 227 yards, Wake Forest 20 for 124 yards - 4th Down Conversions: Opponents 10-of-14 (71%), Wake Forest 16-of-25 (64%)
Wake Forest Demon Deacons 2025 Season Prediction, Win Total, What Will Happen
The Demon Deacons have a decent enough schedule to get back to a bowl game.They don't deal with Clemson, and don't have to face Miami or Louisville. The tough dates against Georgia Tech, NC State, and SMU are at home, and overall, they only leave North Carolina four times.There's plenty of work to do, and there's a long trip to Oregon State right in the middle of the season, but Jake Dickert, thanks to his time at Wazzu, certainly knows how to deal with the Beavers.
There are three wins - Delaware, Kennesaw State, and Western Carolina - to form a nice base, and while it won't be easy, they should be alive for a bowl game deep into November.Set The Wake Forest Win Total At … 5Likely Wins: Delaware, Kennesaw State, Western Carolina50/50 Games: at Duke, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, NC State, at Oregon State, SMU, at Virginia, at Virginia TechLikely Losses: at Florida State 2025 Wake Forest PreviewWake Forest Offense BreakdownWake Forest Defense Breakdown
© 2025 The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

SMU coach calls ESPN rankings system 'rigged' after latest Football Power Index update
SMU coach calls ESPN rankings system 'rigged' after latest Football Power Index update

Fox News

time2 days ago

  • Fox News

SMU coach calls ESPN rankings system 'rigged' after latest Football Power Index update

SMU head football coach Rhett Lashlee is doubling down on his belief that ESPN favorites certain conferences with their rankings. ESPN released its first Football Power Index rankings in June. The Mustangs came out as No. 20 among college football teams entering the 2025 season, though ACC teams like Miami (No. 9) and Clemson (No. 11) were higher on the list. The Football Power Index is a "measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of a team's performance going forward for the rest of the season." Now, ESPN updated those rankings on Friday, and the Mustangs, coming off a surprise College Football Playoff trip after going 11-3 last season, only moved up one spot to No. 19. Miami and Clemson, though, took a tumble to No. 17 and No. 16 respectively. This led Lashlee to call ESPN's ranking system a farce. "Because the whole thing is rigged," he wrote on X. Lashlee was also vocal during last season, where he questioned his belief that the ACC and the Big 12 were disrespected compared to the Big Ten and the SEC, calling the latter "top-heavy." "There's other leagues that claim depth," Lashlee said, per the New York Post. "The SEC has had the same six schools win the championship since 1964. Same six. Not a single one has been different since 1964. That's top-heavy to me. That's not depth." Lashlee clearly doesn't just believe in his Mustangs to have more success heading into 2025, but he wants some more respect for the schools he'll be going up against. Clemson, led by veteran head coach Dabo Swinney, was the school that beat SMU during the 2024 ACC Championship, 34-31, though Lashlee's group was the favorite in the tilt at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. Lashlee's quest to lead his Mustangs to more success in 2025 begins with their first game against East Texas A&M on Aug. 30.

Breaking down some good players on college football teams that likely are to be bad
Breaking down some good players on college football teams that likely are to be bad

NBC Sports

time5 days ago

  • NBC Sports

Breaking down some good players on college football teams that likely are to be bad

Isaac Smith knows what drew him to Mississippi State and why he has remained there. 'There's no distractions in Starkville,' the junior safety told reporters during Southeastern Conference media days. 'Small town. Real pretty community. The people are awesome. I fell in love with it and I'm still in love with it and will forever always be in love with it.' Smith's 127 tackles last season led the Southeastern Conference and tied him for seventh place among all Football Bowl Subdivision players, production that hasn't translated to team success. Mississippi State has gone 7-17 overall and 1-15 in SEC competition during Smith's two seasons. That makes Smith a natural candidate to head our list of good players on teams that figure to struggle this season, even though he believes Mississippi State has what it takes to turn things around. He considers Mississippi State a blue-collar program that values hard work. 'I love the fact that's Mississippi State's been all about that, just working hard and going to prove something that maybe people don't think you can do,' Smith said. Mississippi State's chances of being more competitive this season depend on whether Smith can help upgrade a defense that allowed 34.1 points per game last season. Texas Tech, Oklahoma State and Purdue were the only Power Four teams to give up more points per game. 'We lacked execution the whole season really – missed tackles, missed assignments,' Smith said. 'Quite frankly, that's why we lost a lot of games. I think we were last at about everything.' Smith believes that defense will be better this year. In Smith, that unit has an ideal leader 'To me, there's no greater spokesperson for our locker room or our defense than Isaac Smith,' Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby said. 'When you think about the game of football, loving football, that is Isaac. This guy loves to play the game. He's incredibly physical. He's been a great leader for us. Proud of him and who he's been, excited about the year that he has the ability to go have.' Wake Forest RB Demond Claiborne Claiborne rushed for 1,049 yards and 11 touchdowns last year for a Wake Forest team that finished 4-8 for a second straight season. He rushed for at least 113 yards against North Carolina A&T, NC State, Stanford and Cal. Claiborne also had 23 catches for 254 yards and two more scores. The ACC preseason media poll forecasts Wake Forest to finish 16th out of 17 teams, ahead of only Stanford. New Mexico RB Scottre Humphrey After helping Montana State reach the Football Championship Subdivision title game last year, Humphrey makes the move to the FBS ranks while trying to help New Mexico produce its first winning season since 2016. Humphrey rushed for 1,386 yards last year, which include 140 yards and the winning touchdown in Montana State's 35-31 victory over New Mexico. The Lobos' 5-7 record last year was their best since a 9-4 finish in 2016. Purdue RB Devin Mockobee The small-town, home-stater started at Purdue as a walk-on but earned a scholarship by helping Purdue win the 2022 Big Ten West Division crown. Purdue has struggled since – going 4-8 in 2023 and 1-11 in 2024 – but Mockobee has remained productive. His 2,466 yards rushing rank him seventh on Purdue's all-time list. He's aiming to become the fourth 3,000-yard rusher in school history. A big season could enable him to threaten Mike Alstott's school record of 3,635 career yards rushing Southern Mississippi CB Josh Moten Moten transferred to Southern Miss after intercepting five passes for Marshall last season to tie for fourth place among all Bowl Subdivision players. Southern Miss went 1-11 last year and has won more than three games just once over the past five seasons. He intercepted a pass in four of his final five games last season. Northwestern OT Caleb Tiernan Northwestern went 4-8 in 2024 for its third losing season in the last four years, but the Wildcats have a quality left tackle in Tiernan. He has started 30 games over the last three seasons. Pro Football Focus gave him an 88.9 pass block grade last season, ranking him sixth among all tackles. He allowed just one sack over Northwestern's final six games last year. Cal LB Cade Uluave After being named the Pac-12's freshman defensive player of the year by the league's coaches in 2023, Uluave collected 71 tackles while playing nine games for the Golden Bears last season. He made at least eight stops in six different games, including a 15-tackle performance against Miami. Cal went 5-7 last year for its fifth straight losing season, and it's picked to finish 15th in the ACC this year.

Demond Claiborne: Summer Scouting report on the exciting Wake Forest running back
Demond Claiborne: Summer Scouting report on the exciting Wake Forest running back

USA Today

time5 days ago

  • USA Today

Demond Claiborne: Summer Scouting report on the exciting Wake Forest running back

Claiborne Has NFL Traits, but Needs To Get Stronger To Take the Next Step Claiborne is one of the most athletically gifted running backs in the 2026 class, with excellent acceleration and twitch. Listed at 5'10', 210 pounds, he has the tools to be an NFL rotational back, but he'll need to get stronger to rise up draft boards. He's an above-average ball carrier who thrives in a wide zone scheme. His vision and patience were better here, and he consistently found the right entry point. What stuck out most was his one-cut-and-go ability. Claiborne has elite burst to explode through the line of scrimmage when he sticks his foot in the ground, and he's highly elusive in space. He's not as good a downhill runner as you'd expect. Wake Forest's weird, delayed gap running scheme forces Claiborne to wait an extra beat at the mesh point before moving forward, which negates his twitch and acceleration. He's effective, but not overly consistent with more traditional gap scheme plays. He can avoid early backfield traffic with good foot speed, but lacks patience running inside. Oftentimes, he won't let his blocks develop, and he's easier to bring down when he has less room to operate. When he does get into space, on both zone and gap runs, he's very dangerous. He's quicker than fast, so Claiborne is more of a make-you-miss ball carrier than a true home run threat. He has above-average speed, but his calling card is being a shifty runner who makes multiple guys miss on a 20-yard TD, rather than running away for a 70-yard score. Claiborne is an average receiver with adequate route-running ability. Given his short-area quickness, it's easy to expect better here, but he has the tools to develop. He's willing in protection, but lacks stoutness and a strong initial punch. Overall, Claiborne is an exciting ball carrier with multiple NFL-ready traits. If he lands in a zone-heavy offense, the sky is the limit, but he's a change-of-pace back until he gets stronger. Check out my full Demond Claiborne preseason report and grade onmy Substack.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store