Wake Forest Demon Deacons: CFN College Football Preview 2021

College Football News Preview 2021: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Wake Forest football season with what you need to know.

College Football News Preview 2021: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Wake Forest football season with what you need to know.


Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
Top Players | Keys To The Season
What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
Wake Forest Football Schedule Analysis
– Wake Forest Demon Deacons Previews
2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015

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2020 Record: 4-5 overall, 3-4 in ACC
Head Coach: Dave Clawson, 8th year, 40-45 (130-124 overall)
2020 CFN Final Ranking: 40
2020 CFN Preview Ranking: 39
2019 CFN Final Ranking: 53

Wake Forest Demon Deacons College Football Preview 2021: Offense

Oh was this fun at times. The Wake Forest offense couldn’t move the chains and did absolutely nothing to control the clock, but when the O worked, it was fantastic.

It was second in the ACC in yards per completion, it dominated when it got into the red zone, and it was No. 1 in the conference in giveaways – even after falling apart in the bowl loss to Wisconsin.

A few good parts are gone, but all 11 starters from the Duke’s Mayo Bowl are expected to be back.

Sam Hartman turned into a star now that the quarterback job really was his. He needs to be more accurate, and he doesn’t add a whole lot to the rushing mix, but he knows how to run the attack. When he’s on – and he gets time to work – the Demon Deacons are unstoppable. Michael Kern and Mitch Griffis each got in a little work last year.

The receiving corps has a rising star in Jaquarri Roberson – a 6-1, 182-pounder who led the team with 62 catches and eight touchdowns – but he’s not alone.

6-2 second-year freshman Donavon Greene averaged over 20 yards per grab, shifty Taylor Morin scored there touchdowns, and 6-5, 212-pound sophomore AT Perry is a part of the mix. All of the main tight ends are back, too.

– All five starters return to an O line that had a very, very hard time in pass protection and struggled at keeping defenses out of the backfield. It’s not a bulky bunch, but it’s about versatility and getting a certain type of 6-3ish, 300ish pound blockers.

13-touchdown back Kenneth Walker took off for Michigan State, but Christian Beal-Smith is a nice junior who led the team with 732 yards and five scores and brings a bit of a burst.

He had three 100-yard games and can be a workhorse, but he needs help in the rotation with Walker gone. 5-10, 203-pound Justice Ellison was third on the team with 113 yards and a score.

– What You Need To Know: Defense
Top Players | Keys To The Season
What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
Wake Forest Football Schedule Analysis

NEXT: Wake Forest Demon Deacons College Football Preview 2021: Defense

CFN 1-130 Rankings: Where do Notre Dame, opponents fall?

Where does CFN rank Notre Dame and all their opponents ahead of the 2020 season? Find out here what the Irish are in store for this fall!

We’re in the time that we’re supposed to be counting down the days until college football kicks off.  Although we’re counting days, nobody has any clue what date we’ll actually see games since the pandemic doesn’t appear to be going away anytime soon.

However, Pete Fiutak over at College Football News did his annual project where he puts together team previews of all 130 teams in Division 1 and ranks the teams 1-130.

Where does Notre Dame rank?  And where do the teams Notre Dame’s scheduled to play fall in?

We’ll give them to you in different categories that we determined on our own:

Great: Top 5
Really Good:  Top 20
Pretty Solid:  21-40
OK:  41-55
Meh:  56-75
Bad: 76-90
Awful:  91-130

Let’s start with the lowest and work to the highest:

College Football News Preview 2020: Wake Forest Demon Deacons

College Football News Preview 2020: Previewing and looking ahead to the Wake Forest Demon Deacons season with what you need to know.

College Football News Preview 2020: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Wake Forest Demon Deacons season with what you need to know.


Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
Schedule Analysis
– Wake Forest Previews 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015

2019 Record: 8-5 overall, 4-4
Head Coach: Dave Clawson, 7th year, 36-40
2019 CFN Final Opinion Ranking: 41
2019 CFN Final Season Formula Ranking: 53
2019 CFN Preview Ranking: 57

Obviously, no one knows what’s going to happen to the 2020 college football season. We’ll take a general look at where each team stands – doing it without spring ball to go by – while crossing our fingers that we’ll all have some well-deserved fun this fall. Hoping you and yours are safe and healthy.

5. College Football News Preview 2020: Wake Forest Demon Deacons Offense 3 Things To Know

The Demon Deacon attack was a blast for most of the season, but it fizzled at odd times. Even so, the O led the ACC in third down conversions, was second in passing offense, and was 15th in the nation in total yards per game.

And now it’s going to have to do it all with QB Jamie Newman off being a Georgia Bulldog. That’s okay – sophomore Sam Hartman showed in 2018 that he can handle the work, and now he’s in his third year in the system. He has to be great, though, with only freshmen as the backups.


CFN in 60 Video: Wake Forest Demon Deacons Preview
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Just when it looked like Sage Surratt was going to make a push to be the nation’s best receiver, he went down with a shoulder injury. He’s back, but the rest of the top pass catchers have to be replaced. 6-2, 200-pound redshirt freshman Donavon Greene is the second-leading returning receiver with 13 catches, but the offense helps make the receivers shine. This is a very big group – lots of 6-2 targets – that should shine around Surratt.

The ground game wasn’t just along for the ride – it more than carried its weight. However, leading rusher Cade Carney is done, and Newman added 574 rushing yards, too. Sophomore Kenneth Walker is a nice 200-pound back who should average close to five yards per carry, and junior Christian Beal-Smith is a good option. Hartman can run, too.

The O line loses left tackle Justin Herron, but the entire interior is back. If Maryland transfer Terrance Davis can play a role early on, the coaching staff can play around with the configuration – it needs to settle the tackles.

NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Wake Forest Demon Deacons Defense 3 Things To Know

Wake Forest 2020 Preview: CFN in 60

Wake Forest Demon Deacon 2020 Preview: previewing, predicting, and looking ahead with what you need to know. 

Photo Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY

Wake Forest Demon Deacon 2020 Preview: previewing, predicting, and looking ahead with what you need to know. 

Photo Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY

Wake Forest 2020 Preview: CFN in 60

Wake Forest Demon Deacon 2020 Preview: previewing, predicting, and looking ahead with what you need to know. 

Photo Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY

Wake Forest Demon Deacon 2020 Preview: previewing, predicting, and looking ahead with what you need to know. 

Photo Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY