Notre Dame opponent preview: What does Wake Forest look like without Sam Hartman?
Throughout the month of June, Blue & Gold will take an early look at each of Notre Dame’s 2023 opponents. Up next is the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.
Overview
2022 record: 8-5, 3-5 Atlantic Coast Conference
Wins: Virginia Military Institute by 34, at Vanderbilt by 20, Liberty by 1, at Florida State by 10, Army by 35, Boston College by 28, Syracuse by 10, Missouri by 10 (Gasparilla Bowl)
Losses: Clemson by 6 (2OT), at Louisville by 27, at NC State by 9, North Carolina by 2, at Duke by 3
Head coach: Dave Clawson (10th year, 59-53 record)
Returning contributors
Mitch Griffis, after sitting for three years with the Demon Deacons, will start at quarterback. He’s set up well to succeed, with four of his top five receivers coming back. Donovan Greene, Jahmal Banks, Taylor Morin and Ke’Shawn Williams each had over 500 receiving yards last season, despite the presence of a clear No. 1 target.
Morin and Banks both scored nine touchdowns, while everyone but Banks has at least two years of significant experience. It’s a deep, skillset-diverse, battle-tested group. Also supporting Griffis are two highly-graded offensive linemen, Michael Jurgens and DeVonte Gordon, and leading rusher Justice Ellison.
Three key tacklers in the secondary, nickel cornerback Evan Slocum (45 tackles) and safeties A.J. Williams (48) and Malik Mustapha (58 and 3.5 sacks), are back. Linebacker Chase Jones will lead that position group this year and he brings back 74 tackles. Defensive end Jasheen Davis led the team with seven sacks. Cornerback Caelen Carson looks to hold down the pass defense, which lost two key players to the portal.
Key losses
Sam Hartman leaves Wake Forest career as one of the most decorated passers in ACC history. He finished No. 1 in touchdowns and No. 2 in yards, leading the Demon Deacons to their first ACC championship game since 2006 along the way. He meant everything to the program, and he’ll have Winston-Salem’s full support at Notre Dame.
Wake Forest also lost three key defenders — edge rusher Rondell Bothroyd and cornerbacks Gavin Holmes and J.J. Roberts — to the transfer portal. Bothroyd and Holmes will face each other for Oklahoma and Texas, respectively. Its No. 2 and No. 3 running backs, Christian Turner (Indiana) and Quinton Cooley (Liberty), are gone too.
Only two Demon Deacons were drafted. Run-stuffing defensive tackle Kobie Turner went in the fifth round to the rams, while No. 1 receiver A.T. Perry and his 1,096 yards went to the Saints in the sixth. Trying to make rosters as undrafted free agents are tight end Blake Whiteheart, center Sean Maginn, right guard Loic Ngassam Nya and inside linebacker Ryan Smenda Jr.
Smenda’s loss really hurts. He was the heart and soul of the defense, coming in at No. 17 in the country with 117 tackles.
Key additions
Buried on Tennessee’s depth chart, junior receiver Walker Merrill will compete for reps and add even more depth to Wake Forest’s receiver room. The former four-star caught 8 passes as a sophomore, three of which resulted in touchdowns.
Middle linebacker Jacob Roberts should start right away for the Demon Deacons after transferring from North Carolina A&T. He was productive last season, with 65 tackles, two passes defended and two interceptions. Versatile defensive lineman Bryce Ganious will contribute after two seasons at Villanova, as will former Wesleyan defensive tackle Nick Helbig.
Strengths
The receiver room is definitely one. Perry is gone, which hurts, but Hartman did a great job getting the other four involved. Clawson’s offense should have room for Merrill to make an impact, too.
And, yes, the slow mesh. If you’re Wake Forest, it’s the system that helped propel the Demon Deacons to national relevance. If you’re not, it’s infuriating and should not work as well as it does. Regardless, Hartman ran it perfectly and it scored 36.1 points per game in 2022.
Weaknesses
Wake Forest’s pass defense ranked near the bottom of the ACC last season and its No. 1 corner left for Texas. The Demon Deacons did not run the ball well, only averaging 3.1 yards per carry, and they have to replace three starting offensive linemen.
Matchup to watch
Wake Forest receiver Taylor Morin vs. Notre Dame cornerbacks Thomas Harper and Clarence Lewis. Morin was awfully impressive when he faced Missouri, particularly in the red zone. He did not catch nine touchdowns by accident. Harper and Lewis, Notre Dame’s nickel corners, have an important job on Nov. 18.
Haiku
First game post-Clemson
Mascot looks like the bad guy
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