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.
