By Mark Pszonak
With the transfer portal reopening in a little more than a month, schools are starting to identify their needs. For anyone looking for a running back, I’d recommend checking out what may seem like an odd choice, Wake Forest.
One of the most successful transfers of this decade was Kenneth Walker III, who arrived at Michigan State in 2021 without much fanfare and rushed for 1,636 yards and 18 touchdowns in his one season with the Spartans.
There wasn’t much fanfare regarding his arrival because while Walker performed well at Wake Forest, his production was nowhere near what he accomplished at Michigan State. In two seasons he rushed for 1,158 yards and 17 touchdowns with the Demon Deacons, which are very solid numbers, but didn’t lead anyone to believe that he would be an All-American at Michigan State.
But Walker hasn’t been the only Wake Forest transfer running back to make his mark at a new program.
Next in line was Quinton Cooley, who is now playing in his second season at Liberty. Cooley’s play with the Flames may be an even bigger surprise than Walker’s, considering he only rushed for 402 yards and four touchdowns in three seasons with Wake Forest. In 20 games at Liberty, he has already rushed for 1,983 yards and 20 touchdowns.
And the most recent to find new success away from Wake Forest is Justice Ellison, who has quickly become one of undefeated Indiana’s top offensive players with 637 yards and nine touchdowns in eight games. Ellison had a productive four seasons in Winston-Salem, but his highest single-season production with Wake was 699 yards and seven touchdowns.
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There is no rhyme-or-reason for any of this, but it is a pattern that will grab opposing coach’s attention. And because of this there is a current Wake Forest running back that has the potential to become a hot commodity during this upcoming transfer window if he enters.
Now in his third season at Wake Forest, Demond Claiborne has established himself as one of the team’s top offensive weapons. He is currently enjoying his best collegiate season with 711 yards and eight touchdowns, while also grabbing 14 receptions for 157 yards and one touchdown.
A 5-foot-10, 200-pound junior from Virginia, Claiborne is in the process of completing a season that is comparable statistically to what Walker did during his final season at Wake Forest. While that doesn’t mean that he would make the same leap that Walker did if he were to transfer, you can be sure that schools will be assessing his willingness to find a new home.
The next transfer portal window will once again be hectic and very important for both players and schools. Trends won’t be ignored, and Wake Forest’s recent production of running backs will have colleges sniffing around Winston-Salem to see if Claiborne is the next Demon Deacon to make a bigger impact on a different team.
