Wake Forest Demon Deacons 2018 Football Preview
Opening Statement: Dave Clawson shocked the nation last season with a Wake Forest team that far exceeded expectations. The Demon Deacons won 8 games last fall, including a 55-52 shootout win over Texas A&M in the Belk Bowl. With 17 starters returning this season, it would appear that the pieces are in place for yet another bowl run, but one of those pieces will not be John Wolford, who has moved on. If Wake Forest can find a solid QB that can move the football, not make mistakes, and not lose games, Wake Forest is in for another solid run.
Breakdown Offense: With Wolford gone, the job likely gets handed over to junior Kendall Hinton. Hinton appeared in 5 games last season, passing for 399 yards and 4 TDs to zero INTs. He completed 57.4% of his passes. The hope is that he can develop into a solid game manager that can keep the 17th ranked offensive team in the nation rolling. Hinton adds an element of running the football, as he averaged 4.13 yards per carry. He started against Clemson last fall, passing for 203 yards and rushing for another 92 in a 28-14 loss to the Tigers.
It looks like another season with a 3 way committee at RB. Matt Colburn II, Cade Carney, and Christian Beal should form it up. Colburn rushed for 902 yards with 7 scores, and averaged 5.45 yards per carry. Carney rushed for 232 yards, and Beal will be a RS freshman. Arkeem Byrd, who carried 77 times as a freshman, has moved to the secondary.
The receiving corps returns intact with Scotty Washington, Greg Dortch, and Alex Bachman. Dortch led the team with 53 receptions as a freshman for 722 yards and 9 scores. Washington posted a line of 45-711-3, and Bachman posted 21-365-3. Tabari Hines caught 53 balls last season, but has moved on. Steven Claude and Davis Johnson both return as backups, but have very little productive experience. That should open the door for prized recruit Sage Surratt, a 6-3, 210 lbs. target, to emerge for playing time.
Jack Freudenthal is the starting TE, replacing the departed Cam Serigne. He caught just 3 passes last season, but should see a big role this fall in replacing Serigne, who caught 44 passes last fall. Again, there is no experience behind Freudenthal.
The line returns intact as well, which is great news. Justin Herron (LT), Phil Haynes (LG), Ryan Anderson (C), Patrick Osterhage (RG), and Jake Benzinger (RT) all return, and should form up one of the best lines in the ACC. Ja'Vionte' Nash and Taleni Suhren provide depth at the Tackle spots, and Tyler Watson and Sean Maginn provide inside depth at OG. Nathan Gilliam is the backup at C.
Breakdown Defense: The defensive line is all set inside, as both DTs return in Willie Yarbary and Zeek Rodney. This duo is rock solid, as they combined for 16 TFLs and 5 sacks last fall. Elontae Bateman and Sulaiman Kamara are the backups, so depth will not be an issue here.
The Demon Deacons will need to find two new starters at DE. Carlos Basham and Chris Calhoun are the leaders there heading into fall camp. Calhoun is a senior who has had some success on rotation, but Basham is a sophomore with little experience coming in. Depth may be at issue at the DE spot.
Only one starter returns at LB in Demetrius Kemp. He totaled 63 tackles, but was not very active behind the line, with just 1.5 TFLs. Justin Strnad and Nate Mays are the leaders to start in the open spots. Strnad totaled a solid 51 tackles last fall, while Mays totaled just 3 tackles in 9 games played as a sophomore. Ja'Cquez Williams is the only backup with any experience coming back. He totaled 21 tackles as a reserve last fall.
The secondary returns with 3 starters, but this unit was torched last fall to a tune of 271.5 yards per game, and ranked just 118th nationally against the pass. Amari Henderson and Essang Bassey are back at CB. Bassey totaled 16 PBUs last fall, while Henderson added 12. Bassey tied with Strnad with 3 INTs last fall, while Henderson added 2. Cameron Glenn returns to start at FS. He totaled 7 PBUs, 2 QB hurries, and one forced fumble to go with a team leading 98 tackles. He should be an NFL draft candidate in 2019. Chuck Wade, Jr. is the leader for the open SS spot as a senior. He totaled just 7 tackles in 13 games last fall. Ja'Sir Taylor and Malik Grate are the backups at CB, but depth is dicey at the Safety spots.
Breakdown Special Teams: The Demon Deacons lose Mike Weaver at PK after he hit 21/25 FG attempts last fall. Freshman Zach Murphy is slated to be his replacement, but those are big shoes to fill.
Dom Maggio is the Punter once again as a sophomore, and averaged a rock solid 44.06 yards per punt as a freshman last fall.
Dortch and Wade are the KR duo for Wake Forest, and Dortch was the leader with an average of 22.06 yards per return on 397 yards. Wade had a larger average (24) but fewer yards (360). Dortch is also the man on PR duty, and averaged 8.1 yards per return.
Final Analysis: Wake Forest needs to fix their defense, because if they had a reliable defense in 2017, they may have won 10 games or more. As is, they ranked 112th nationally in total defense, and that is what could hold them back in 2018, despite having some real talent on that side of the football. They have some very nice pieces coming back on offense, and if Hinton can keep things rolling at QB, Wake could be in for a solid season. I don't see them pushing for a division title, but they may have a say in who does make that run. Another bowl should be expected.
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