Why is Wake Forest called the Demon Deacons? Here's the true story of how Wake Forest adopted the nickname Demon Deacons. The stories behind the mascots at Alabama, Arizona and Virginia Tech are all compelling, too. All because of an unheated locker room and the lack of warmups caused Youngstown State's basketball team to wave their arms like penguins. While Yale's living, breathing bulldog mascot Handsome Dan wasn't the first real-life bulldog the school had, Handsome Dan I started a lineage that now stretches to Handsome Dan XVIII.Īs unlikely as it sounds, Youngstown State is nicknamed the Penguins because of a remark an opposing basketball coach reportedly made five years before there was a student poll to decide the school's mascot. (83 tackles) will also be a key part of the LB core.įor more Syracuse coverage, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and listen to our has previously taken college sports fans down the rabbit hole behind how some of the country's most beloved college mascots came to be. Wake Forest is hoping that Tyler Williams can stay healthy, and that one of its biggest transfer portal wins, FCS All American defensive tackle Kobie Turner, is as good as advertised.Īt linebacker, the Deacons will need to replace Luke Masterson and are hoping that Chase Jones (47 tackles) can take a step forward. Ryan Smenda Jr. One of his first tasks has been revamping a defensive line that lost Miles Fox and Sulaiman Kamara. That led to Clawson making some changes in his defensive coaching staff, bringing back Brad Lambert from Purdue to be the defensive coordinator, while adding two other defensive assistants. The Demon Deacons gave up 30.3 points per game, 94th in the FBS. Wake Forest’s offense was enough to overcome its relatively leaky defense. » Related: Previewing Syracuse’s matchup with Pitt Tackle Je’Vionte Nash is now a seventh year senior and All-ACC Third Team guard Sean Maginn is one of the key returning pieces of a line that has a combined for 90 career starts. They’ll be protected by one of the most experienced offensive lines in all of college football. But Clawson has always used a running-back-by-committee approach, and he’ll likely turn to Christian Turner and Justice Ellison to shoulder the bulk of the running load. The Deacons did lose their top rusher from 2021 after Christian Beal-Smith transferred to South Carolina. He finished off the season with 10 catches for 127 yards and a score against Rutgers, which was more yardage than his entire freshman year (62). The fourth-year receiver exploded on the scene last year, finishing with 71 catches for 1,293 yards and 15 touchdowns after mostly toiling in obscurity his first two seasons in Winston-Salem.
And he returns his favorite weapon in A.T. They return many of the key players from last year’s team, and should once again challenge for the Atlantic Division title.įifth year senior Sam Hartman had a standout year in 2021 and was named Second Team All-ACC after throwing for 4,228 yards and 39 touchdowns, both in the top 10 in the FBS. Wake Forest did it by having one of the most explosive offenses in the country averaging 41.0 ppg (tied for 22nd in the nation), blending a passing game that threw for 307.4 ypg (12th) and rushed for 160.5 ypg (70th).Īnd there’s no reason to think that Wake Forest can’t do it again in 2022. The Deacons finished in the top 15 after going 11-3, winning the Atlantic Division and the Gator Bowl. After the Demon Deacons had four straight seasons of seven or eight wins (scratch the 2020 pandemic shortened season where they went 4-4 and lost in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl), Wake Forest finally broke out in 2021.
Wake Forest head coach Dave Clawson has finally taken Wake Forest to the next tier.