Wake Forest Demon Deacons
ACC
0-0 (0-0 conf)
SP+ #52
Ratings
2025 final
- SP+
- 5.7 (#52)
- SP+ Offense
- 26.6
- SP+ Defense
- 20.9
- SRS
- 4.2
- FPI
- 2.1
- Elo
- 1531
- Talent
- 627
- Recruiting
- 218 (#39)
2026 Outlook
Projected wins
5.8p10 4.0 — p90 8.0
| Round | Prob | |
|---|---|---|
| Win conference | 0.2% | |
| Make CFP | 0.1% | |
| Quarterfinal | 0.0% | |
| Semifinal | 0.0% | |
| Natl. final | 0.0% | |
| Natl. champ | 0.0% |
Schedule
proj record 5.8–6.2
Schedule
52nd
toughest of 136
Offenses faced
61st
toughest of 136
Defenses faced
50th
toughest of 136
Strength of schedule — how tough this team's opponents are, ranked 1 (hardest) to 136 (easiest) · by 2025 SP+ · 1 FCS game.
| Wk | Opponent | SP+ | Score | Proj | Win% | Res |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | vsAkron | -13.9 | 34-19 | +15.0 | 82% | — |
| 2 | @Purdue | -6.1 | 30-23 | +6.7 | 66% | — |
| 3 | vsMiami | +20.7 | 20-35 | -15.4 | 18% | — |
| 4 | @Louisville | +12.4 | 22-33 | -10.8 | 26% | — |
| 5 | vsStanford | -11.8 | 28-22 | +6.3 | 65% | — |
| 6 | @NC State | +4.8 | 23-30 | -7.0 | 34% | — |
| 7 | @California | -3.2 | 27-26 | +0.8 | 52% | — |
| 9 | vsVirginia | +11.1 | 27-30 | -3.0 | 43% | — |
| 10 | vsMerrimack | FCS | 45-3* | +42.1 | 100% | — |
| 11 | @SMU | +13.4 | 18-33 | -14.8 | 18% | — |
| 12 | @Georgia Tech | +9.3 | 24-34 | -9.7 | 28% | — |
| 13 | vsDuke | +6.6 | 24-23 | +0.5 | 52% | — |
* FBS-vs-FCS estimate from the SP+ gap — no per-game model for FCS opponents.
Quarterbacks · 3
2026 · 72
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | 1st | Robby Ashford | SR | 6'2" | 220 | ★★★★ |
| QB | 2nd | Gio Lopez← North Carolina | SO | 6'0" | 203 | ★★★ |
| QB | — | Steele Pizzella | FR | 5'11" | 180 | ★★★ |
Running Backs · 6
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RB | 1st | Ty Clark III | SO | 6'0" | 207 | — |
| RB | 2nd | KD Daniels← Florida | FR | 6'0" | 203 | ★★★ |
| RB | 3rd | Jamar Searcy | FR | 5'8" | 180 | ★★★ |
| RB | 4th | JaMario Clements | SR | 5'11" | 205 | — |
| RB | 5th | Tate Carney | JR | 6'0" | 207 | ★★★ |
| RB | — | Sawyer Seidl← North Dakota | — | — | — | ★★★ |
Wide Receivers · 9
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WR | 1st | Carlos Hernandez | JR | 6'0" | 192 | — |
| WR | 2nd | Wondame Davis Jr.← UTEP | FR | 6'1" | 180 | ★★★ |
| WR | 3rd | Drayden Dickmann← Rice | SO | 5'11" | 181 | ★★★ |
| WR | 4th | Sawyer Racanelli | SR | 6'3" | 208 | — |
| WR | 5th | Kam Shanks← Arkansas | SO | 5'8" | 170 | ★★★ |
| WR | 6th | Antonio Meeks← Louisville | SR | 6'1" | 195 | ★★★ |
| WR | 7th | Chase Tyler← Duke | FR | 6'2" | 200 | ★★★ |
| WR | 8th | Karate Brenson | SR | 6'2" | 215 | — |
| WR | 9th | Ny Carr← Miami | SO | 6'0" | 175 | ★★★ |
Tight Ends · 6
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TE | 1st | Eni Falayi | SR | 6'4" | 240 | ★★★ |
| TE | 2nd | Kamrean Johnson | JR | 6'5" | 230 | — |
| TE | 3rd | Landon Morris← California | SR | 6'5" | 240 | ★★★ |
| TE | 4th | Matthew Lusardi | JR | 6'1" | 247 | — |
| TE | 5th | Dominic Deluca | FR | 6'6" | 250 | — |
| TE | 6th | Mason Andrade | JR | 5'11" | 222 | — |
Offensive Line · 3
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OT | — | Ryan Berger← Oregon State | SO | 6'4" | 318 | ★★★ |
| OT | — | Ethan Calloway← LSU | FR | 6'7" | 305 | ★★★ |
| OT | — | Tolu Olajide← New Hampshire | — | — | — | ★★★ |
Defensive Line · 14
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DL | 1st | Langston Hardy | JR | 6'4" | 250 | ★★★ |
| DL | 2nd | Nuer Gatkuoth | JR | 6'3" | 237 | — |
| DL | 3rd | Jayden Loving | SR | 6'2" | 317 | — |
| DL | 4th | Gabe Kirschke | JR | 6'5" | 249 | — |
| DL | 5th | Dallas Afalava | JR | 6'1" | 291 | — |
| DL | 6th | Zach Lohavichan | SR | 6'3" | 285 | — |
| DL | 7th | Tyler Walton | SO | 6'5" | 265 | ★★★ |
| DL | 8th | BJ Williams | SR | 6'4" | 273 | ★★★ |
| DL | 9th | Brandon Smiley | JR | 6'2" | 306 | — |
| DL | 10th | Kadear Dembele | FR | 6'3" | 285 | ★★★ |
| DL | 11th | Kerrington Lee | SO | 6'4" | 252 | — |
| DL | — | Sydir Mitchell← LSU | SO | 6'6" | 355 | ★★★ |
| DL | — | Matt Herron← Weber State | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| EDGE | — | D.J. Johnson← New Hampshire | — | — | — | ★★★ |
Linebackers · 9
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LB | 1st | Dylan Hazen | SR | 6'1" | 239 | — |
| LB | 2nd | Aiden Hall | JR | 6'0" | 231 | ★★★ |
| LB | 3rd | Quincy Bryant | SR | 6'0" | 228 | — |
| LB | 4th | Frank Cusano | FR | 6'2" | 222 | ★★★ |
| LB | 5th | Tylan McNichols← UAB | SO | 6'0" | 220 | ★★★ |
| LB | 6th | Alec Marenco | SR | 6'2" | 234 | ★★★ |
| LB | 7th | Darius Jones | FR | 6'1" | 224 | — |
| LB | 8th | Whittman Whaley | FR | 6'2" | 222 | — |
| LB | 9th | Buom Jock← California | JR | 6'5" | 235 | ★★★ |
Defensive Backs · 19
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CB | 1st | Bernard Causey III← Georgia State | FR | 5'11" | 165 | ★★★ |
| CB | — | Brian Blades ll← Florida International | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| DB | 1st | Nick Andersen | SR | 5'11" | 197 | — |
| DB | 2nd | Davaughn Patterson | SO | 6'0" | 217 | — |
| DB | 3rd | Braylon Johnson | JR | 6'1" | 185 | ★★★★ |
| DB | 4th | Lardarius Webb Jr. | SR | 5'9" | 168 | — |
| DB | 5th | Travon West | SO | 6'0" | 185 | — |
| DB | 6th | Myles Turpin | FR | 5'11" | 202 | ★★★ |
| DB | 7th | Zamari Stevenson | JR | 5'10" | 180 | ★★★ |
| DB | 8th | Koredell Bartley | FR | 5'11" | 173 | — |
| DB | 9th | Devin Cook | FR | 5'11" | 170 | ★★★ |
| DB | 10th | William Tackie Jr. | SO | 5'11" | 203 | — |
| DB | 11th | Zeek Jackson | SO | 5'6" | 158 | — |
| DB | 12th | Ashaad Williams | SR | 6'2" | 178 | — |
| DB | 13th | Rushaun Tongue | SO | 6'1" | 193 | ★★★ |
| DB | 14th | Jerron Blackwell | FR | 6'2" | 190 | ★★★ |
| DB | 15th | Freddie Gillens | FR | 6'0" | 171 | ★★★ |
| S | 1st | Josh Patterson← Iowa State | FR | 5'11" | 195 | ★★★ |
| S | — | Vincent Firenze← Dayton | — | — | — | ★★★ |
Special Teams · 3
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | 1st | Cal Joseph | FR | 6'0" | 173 | — |
| PK | 1st | Connor Calvert | FR | 6'3" | 203 | — |
| PK | — | Matthew Dennis | SR | 5'11" | 207 | ★★★ |
Projected Season
2026 · win prob / game
Exp. Wins
5.8
Exp. Losses
6.2
Toss-ups
3
bars: model win probabilityfav / toss-up / dog
2025 · pct vs FBS
SP+ Off
26.649
Off PPA
+0.1648
Pass PPA
+0.2660
Rush PPA
+0.1047
Success
38%15
Explosive
1.4899
PlayerMedian (50th)percentile vs league
Advanced
2025 · opponent-adjusted PPA / play
| Split | Offense | Defense |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | +0.16 | +0.04 |
| Passing | +0.26 | +0.10 |
| Rushing | +0.10 | +0.01 |
| 1st Down | -0.02 | -0.06 |
| 2nd Down | +0.13 | -0.08 |
| 3rd Down | +0.59 | +0.44 |
Scoring Trend
2025 · pts/game
PPG For
26.8
PPG Against
21.5
Differential
+5.3
— Points for— Points against
dots: W / L2025
- Overall
- 8-4
- Home
- 5-2
- Away
- 3-2
- Conference
- 4-4
- Non-Conference
- 4-0
- One-Score (≤8)
- 4-1
- Avg Margin
- +5.3
Situational Splits
2025 · record · pts
| Split | Record | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venue | |||
| Home | 5-2 | 28.3 | 17.3 |
| Away | 3-2 | 24.8 | 27.4 |
| Neutral | 1-0 | 43.0 | 29.0 |
| Competition | |||
| vs Ranked (SP+ 25) | 1-0 | 13.0 | 12.0 |
| Conference | 4-4 | 22.4 | 26.4 |
| Non-conference | 5-0 | 37.2 | 15.2 |
Season History · last 12
2 AP top-10 · 8 postseason
| Season | Record | Conf | SP+ | AP | Post |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 8-4 | 4-4 | #52 | — | 1-0 |
| 2024 | 4-8 | 2-6 | #93 | — | — |
| 2023 | 4-8 | 1-7 | #96 | — | — |
| 2022 | 7-5 | 3-5 | #43 | #10 | 1-0 |
| 2021 | 10-3 | 7-3 | #39 | #10 | 1-0 |
| 2020 | 4-4 | 3-4 | #66 | — | 0-1 |
| 2019 | 8-4 | 4-4 | #55 | — | 0-1 |
| 2018 | 6-6 | 3-5 | #57 | — | 1-0 |
| 2017 | 7-5 | 4-4 | #31 | — | 1-0 |
| 2016 | 6-6 | 3-5 | #67 | — | 1-0 |
| 2015 | 3-9 | 1-7 | #88 | — | — |
| 2014 | 3-9 | 1-7 | #96 | — | — |
Recent Form · last 5
4-1 SU · 3-1 ATS · O3/U1
Betting Profile
2025 · 12 w/ line
| Straight up | 9-4 |
| ATS | 8-467% |
| Over / Under | 7-5 O-U |
| — ATS splits — | |
| As favorite | 4-1 |
| As underdog | 4-3 |
| Home | 5-2 |
| Away | 3-2 |
vs closing line · splits show cover–no cover
Recruiting Classes
avg #58 · 5 blue-chip
■ 5★■ 4★■ 3★160 rated signees
| Class | Natl | Pts | 5★ | 4★ | 3★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | #39 | 218 | 0 | 1 | 20 |
| 2025 | #63 | 189 | 0 | 0 | 18 |
| 2024 | #52 | 196 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| 2023 | #53 | 193 | 0 | 1 | 13 |
| 2022 | #71 | 164 | 0 | 2 | 8 |
| 2021 | #66 | 166 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| 2020 | #60 | 174 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| 2019 | #57 | 182 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| 2018 | #64 | 176 | 0 | 0 | 22 |
| 2017 | #68 | 162 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
247Sports composite · class rank vs all FBS
Roster Talent
2026
Portal in 24net +1Out 23
Portal avg stars (in / out)3.0 / 3.2
Notable Portal Moves
| ▲ | Wondame Davis Jr. | WR | 3★ | ← UTEP |
| ▲ | Landon Morris | TE | 3★ | ← California |
| ▲ | Brian Blades ll | CB | 3★ | ← Florida International |
| ▲ | Gio Lopez | QB | 3★ | ← North Carolina |
| ▼ | Mateen Ibirogba | DL | 4★ | → Texas Tech |
| ▼ | Melvin Siani | OT | 4★ | → Texas |
| ▼ | Sterling Berkhalter | WR | 4★ | → Texas |
| ▼ | Chris Barnes | WR | 4★ | → Oklahoma State |
returning PPA · portal · talent composite · 2026
Injury Report · 0
No injuries reported.
Team News
2 items
- In rare mid-summer move, Wake Forest assistant leaves for Furman jobCollege football's coaching carousel never sleeps. After losing an assistant to the Rice Owls, Furman is hiring an ACC coach from Wake Forest.WAKE13d
- Arkansas Gains Commitment from Highly Touted Safety Over Wake Forest and GeorgiaArkansas keep things rolling on the recruiting trail gaining commitment No.24 in 2027 classWAKE19d