Now that his first Spring camp as head coach of the Demon Deacons is over, Jake Dickert will look at the tape from Saturday’s scrimmage and, in short order, get a reset for Wake Forest. How big or how small those changes are is what remains to be seen.
The month-long Spring session ended Saturday with a scrimmage at Allegacy Stadium featuring some creative, if not hard to follow, scoring. The defense was given pre-assigned points for forcing a punt or a missed field goal. They got points for any takeaway/turnover they forced, and for any turnover on downs. The offense got points by, well, scoring.
Resetting Wake Forest
Taking Inventory
The bottom line was, while virtually no program does a full speed/full impact scrimmage for four quarters anymore, there was a lot on the line Saturday for some. There are players still trying to push their way to the top of the position room. Others are looking at where they are in the pecking order for their position group and will determine in the coming days if their future is still at Wake Forest or if they think there are better options elsewhere.
Dickert was mostly pleased with what he saw on the field Saturday. But he also made it clear that he does not believe the roster, in its current iteration, is the final product they will have when they go into the Summer. “Who can bring the right value to our team,” Dickert said Saturday in explaining what he would be looking for in portal players over the remaining week of the window.
He said he knows tight ends will be on the shopping list. “Who can add special teams. Who can add starting depth? And who can come in and compete? That’s ultimately what college football is about.” Since none of the additions would be in school before Summer, it lends a sense of urgency to filling certain position needs.
Quarterback Room Is Set, Just Not The Pecking Order
One position that remains a work in progress is quarterback. Transfers Robby Ashford and Deshawn Purdie both played at levels that were emblematic of their Spring camp. They showed flashes of being able to run the offense at a high pace, mixed in with moments of inconsistency.
With only unofficial stats to work from, the eye test says Purdie had the better day between the two. He engineered a couple of scoring drives utilizing receivers Sterling Berkhalter and Sawyer Racanelli. Ty Chandler and Tate Carney each finished off drives with short touchdown runs. Dickert called the exhibition Purdie’s best day, “In a long time.”
With Jeremy Hecklinski having entered the transfer portal, it is clearly a two-player race for the quarterback position, by design. “We had to get it down to two,” Dickert said after the scrimmage. “We needed more reps. And I think with both Deshawn and Robby, you can see a very distinct and different skill set.” Dickert said what comes next during the Summer is formulating an offensive scheme that fits the skill sets of his top two quarterbacks. He did not rule out going into the season using both quarterbacks in a game.
True freshman quarterback Steele Pizzella also put together a scoring drive that ended with a 10-yard sprint out to his left for the touchdown. Dickert commenting on the early enrollee said, “He’s really, smart, sharp, and has taken to the offense.” He added, “You’ve got to be a dual threat if you want to play in our offense. I think we’ll recruit to that, and I think Steele’s gotten off to a really good start.”
Energy
The running game for the scrimmage was focused on depth. Unofficially, Demond Claiborne had two carries. He was held out because there were no questions about who the starter is. Drew Pickett, Carney, and Clark did the work in the backfield and got high marks from both Dickert and Claiborne.
The theme that came out not only from Dickert but from players in the post-game press conferences was “Energy.” It was talked about not just in terms of what happened Saturday, but overall during the Spring. “You can see the hard work that our men have put in over the last five weeks,” Dickert noted. “I’m thankful for them accepting the change and understanding what the new Wake Forest is going to be like. I think you got a small taste of that today.”
Claiborne echoed the theme. When asked what the players talk about the most in their time together, the running back’s answer was succinct. “The energy,” he said. “From the first team meeting when he came in, we were all fired up and ready to go. Coach Dickert is super positive, and he wants us to win.” He called Dickert, “Very energetic.”
Defensive back Nick Anderson said the new vibe is being brought about by accountability. “That word that’s coming around, energy. That’s because everyone is trying to be their best every single da,y and so you have to step up to the plate and be your best every single day.”
The Fall camp schedule has not yet been set, but will likely start around August 4th.
Photo from Tony Siracusa
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