By Mark Pszonak
With action in the transfer portal slowing down, it is time to take a closer look at how each P4 school did during this cycle. Up now are the Wake Forest Demon Deacons
The skinny: After seven consecutive bowl seasons, 2023 was a huge disappointment for Wake Forest and head coach Dave Clawson. Finishing 4-8, and 1-7 in the ACC, the Demon Deacons’ offense never hit their stride and as a result the defense tended to tire as games progressed. However, Wake Forest isn’t a program to aggressively attack the portal to remedy any roster issues. The Demon Deacons did add a few pieces, including a quarterback who they hope will jumpstart their offense.
Total # entries into portal: 17
Total # of scholarship players who entered portal: 14
Number of scholarship players who withdrew: 0
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Key losses: WR Jahmal Banks (Nebraska), WR Wesley Grimes (NC State), DB DaShawn Jones (Alabama), WR Ke’Shawn Williams (Indiana), RB Justice Ellison (Indiana)
Key additions: QB Hank Bachmeier (Louisiana Tech), LB Branson Combs (Wake Forest), CB Capone Blue (Kent State)
Final thoughts: QB Hank Bachmeier, who was previously a starter at Boise State and Louisiana Tech, will likely be in charge of the offense in Winston-Salem. What won’t help Bachmeier or the offense is that Wake Forest lost three key wide receivers to the portal (Jahmal Banks, Wesley Grimes, Ke’Shawn Williams). Look for returnees WR Taylor Morin, WR Donavon Greene and TE Cameron Hite to be relied on heavily. The defense did add two valuable pieces, LB Branson Combs and CB Capone Blue, who are both likely to be immediate starters. Overall, the Demon Deacons concluded the 2023 season with plenty of questions, which mostly haven’t been resolved as we near the 2024 season.
