Category: Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Wake Forest starting quarterback Mitch Griffis out against Pittsburgh

Griffis, the Demon Deacons’ starter so far this year, won’t dress against the Panthers, nor will backup Michael Kern.

Wake Forest quarterback Mitch Griffis won’t play today against Pittsburgh, according to a report from ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

Griffis, who has started each of the Demon Deacons’ previous six games, has completed 59.1% of his passes this year for 1,211 yards, nine touchdowns, and six interceptions. His QBR of 35.7 was 117th in the country and last among starters in the conference entering Saturday.

The report came after multiple Wake Forest beat reporters noticed Griffis wasn’t visible during the team’s pregame warmups.

Griffis’ backup, Michael Kern, also won’t be available for the Demon Deacons.

The Demon Deacons will turn to redshirt sophomore Santino Marucci against Pittsburgh.

Wake Forest star wide receiver Donavon Greene out 3-5 months

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons will have to replace another key piece from last season as WR Donavon Greene will be out for an extended period of time.

On Monday, Wake Forest announced that star wide receiver Donavon Greene will miss the next three to five months with a knee injury.

His injury is the latest hit to a Demon Deacons offense that already suffered significant losses this offseason. On top of replacing Greene, the Demon Deacons are tasked with trying to replace quarterback Sam Hartman, who transferred to Notre Dame, as well as leading wide receiver from a year ago, A.T. Perry. They’ll enter the season returning just four of 11 starters on the offensive side of the ball.

The loss of Greene is a significant loss for the Demon Deacons. The junior wide receiver is coming off a season with 37 receptions for 642 yards and six touchdowns and was expected to be the program’s top receiver this fall. He was voted a preseason first-team All-ACC selection by Athlon and a preseason third-team All-ACC selection by Phil Steele. For his career, the Mount Airy, North Carolina native has totaled 79 receptions for 1,473 yards and 10 touchdowns across 25 games.

With Greene no longer in the fold for the Wake Forest offense, there will be more pressure on junior Jahmal Banks, redshirt junior Taylor Morin, and junior Walker Merrill, who transferred into the program this past January from Tennessee. Of those options, Banks will be the most likely option to step into Greene’s role as the Demon Deacons’ primary receiving option. Last season, Banks had a breakout season, recording 42 receptions for 636 yards and nine touchdowns.

Taylor Morin is also coming off a strong 2022 campaign in which he brought in 47 receptions for 575 yards and nine touchdowns. For Tennessee, Walker Merrill had a minor role but showed flashes with eight receptions for 116 yards, averaging 14.5 yards per reception while scoring three touchdowns.

The Demon Deacons don’t have much time to find answers to their offensive question marks, as they will start their 2023 season on Aug. 31 against the Elon Phoenix.

Wake Forest lands former Gonzaga guard Hunter Sallis

Wake Forest added a former five-star prospect from the transfer portal on Wednesday.

Wake Forest men’s basketball and head coach Steve Forbes picked up a major addition from the transfer portal on Wednesday. Gonzaga transfer guard Hunter Sallis announced his commitment to the Demon Deacons. The Omaha, Nebraska native chose Wake Forest over multiple programs including the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Sallis, a former five-star recruit committed to the Bulldogs over offers from Alabama, Kentucky, Michigan, UCLA, Auburn, Indiana, Kansas, North Carolina, and others. He leaves Gonzaga after two seasons. In his two years, he played in 69 games, averaging 4.4 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.0 assist a game.

In Forbes’s third year with the program, the Demon Deacons went 19-14 overall including 10-10 in conference play. It was a slight step back for the Demon Deacons after going 25-10 in 2021-2022, though the program has come a long way from their 6-16 record in his first season in Winston-Salem.

Sallis will look to form a strong backcourt duo with rising junior guard Cameron Hildreth who averaged 12.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists this past season. The Demon Deacons will, however, be losing senior guard Tyree Appleby who was the leading scorer this past season. Appleby in 33 games, averaged 18.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 6.4 assists a game.

Sallis is the second commitment the Demon Deacons have picked up from the transfer portal this offseason joining point guard Kevin Miller who joined the program after leaving Central Michigan. They’ve also seen a trio of players leave the program via the portal in power forward Davion Bradford, and guards Lucas Taylor and Robert McCray.

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