Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Last year: 8-5 (4-4 ACC), lost to Michigan State, 27-21, in Pinstripe Bowl Best win: vs. North Carolina, 24-18 Worst loss: at Syracuse, 39-30 in OT
Coach: Dave Clawson (seventh year, 36-40, 126-119 career)
Starters returning: 12 (3 offense, 8 defense, 1 specialist)
Offensive player to watch: QB Sam Hartman. With breakout star QB Jamie Newman heading to Georgia as a graduate transfer, Hartman retakes the starting spot under center, one he held down as a true freshman in 2018 before breaking his leg late in the season. That year, Newman started the final four games. In those nine contests in 2018, Hartman completed 55.3 percent of his passes for 1,984 yards, 16 touchdowns and eight interceptions, adding 275 yards and a pair of scores on the ground. Last season, Hartman completed 56.7 percent of his passes (on 97 attempts) for 830 yards, four scores, and a pair of interceptions as Newman's backup. He rushed for 89 yards and a TD. In particular, he had two good games when Newman was out with an injury against Florida State and Syracuse, in which he threw for more than 300 yards, though he did have two picks against the Orange, which contributed to the loss. Even though Newman left, Wake is lucky in that it gets to turn to an experienced option who has proven he can be successful. I’m sure Clawson hopes, as the man once again, Hartman can build on 2018 and ’19 and be even better. However, it could be tough with the loss of almost every offensive starter.
Defensive player to watch: DE Carlos Basham Jr. A fifth-year senior, Basham was already one of the best linemen in the ACC last season, making the all-conference first team after recording 57 tackles, 18 for losses (second in ACC), 11 sacks (second in ACC), three breakups, and three forced fumbles. He's listed as a preseason second-team All-American by a number of publications.
Special teams player to watch: K Nick Sciba. Sciba, a junior, is one of the nation's finest kickers. Last season, he made 24 of his 25 field goals (however, it is worth noting he had no attempts of 50 or more yards and also did not convert one as a freshman). Over a stretch spanning his first two seasons, he made 34 consecutive field goals, an ACC and NCAA record. He's also made all 97 of his career extra points, a Wake record. He was named first-team all-ACC in 2019 and is on several preseason All-America teams for 2020, plus the Lou Groza Award watch list.
Schedule: vs. Clemson, at N.C. State, vs. Notre Dame in Charlotte, bye, open, vs. Virginia, vs. Virginia Tech, at Syracuse, bye, at North Carolina, at Duke, vs. Miami, at Louisville.
Win-loss prediction: 3-7 or 4-6. I respect Clawson a lot for building strong programs at Fordham, Richmond, Bowling Green, and now Wake. The team was very close to winning nine, almost 10 games in 2019. But he's got a problem this year. It is tough to see how the Demon Deacons won't take a step back. Despite the success Clawson has had in Winston-Salem, it's fair to say he has mostly cleaned up outside the ACC. Last year, for instance, Wake started 5-0 with victories over Elon, Utah State, and Rice, but the Deacons finished 3-5, perhaps foreshadowing what is to come this season. Clawson is only 16-32 in the conference (14-18 if you take only the past four seasons; Wake finished with an overall winning record in each), and there are no weaker teams to beat up on outside the league this season (Old Dominion was set to be that team, but it canceled football), and the Deacons have to play Notre Dame as well. Newman is gone, and it's great Hartman is back, but I don't think he will perform at Newman's level. Star wideout Sage Surratt (66 catches, 11 TDs) opted out of the season, but he's not the only 1,000-yard receiver gone. Kendall Hinton's 73 receptions and four scores are gone as well. Starting RB Cade Carney and three starting offensive linemen have graduated. There is plenty of experience back on defense (though both starting cornerbacks need to be replaced, as does star LB Justin Strnad), but it can't win games by itself. If these Deacons finish this season with a winning record without the aid of some easier matchups, Clawson should get ACC coach of the year consideration.
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