Dave Clawson, who took Wake Forest football to new heights over the past 11 seasons — including two forays into the Top 10 — has resigned as head coach, the university announced Thursday.
Clawson, 57, plans to remain with the university as a special advisor to the athletics department. He steps away from the Demon Deacons with a 67-69 overall record, 32-55 against ACC foes. Wake Forest, one of the toughest places in the state and conference to win consistently, went to the 2021 ACC title game on his watch and finished 5-2 in bowl games.
The 2021 team jumped into the Top-10 in the national rankings, a first for the program. The 2022 Deacs also ascended to lofty Top-10 status.
The past two seasons, though, saw the program take significant steps back. All-star quarterback Sam Hartman transferred to Notre Dame before the 2023 campaign, and the Deacs went 4-8. Wake Forest was unable to better that record this past season. Clawson reportedly mulled the decision to step away for a few weeks, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
“Coaching at Wake Forest has been the honor of my career,” Clawson said in a release. “This is a special place with extraordinary people, and I am deeply grateful for the relationships I’ve built over the last 11 years. Together, we achieved things that many thought impossible, and I step down knowing I gave everything I had for this program and University. I want to thank our players, coaches and staff for their unwavering support and dedication since my arrival to help build a sustainable winning program.
“With that, I am so grateful for our student body, fans and so many special Wake Foresters who invested their time, efforts and money into helping us win. While this chapter is ending, my pride in what we’ve built here will never fade. After completing my 25th season as a head coach and 36th-straight in college football, the timing is right for me and my family to step away into this new role within Wake Forest University.”
What’s Next For Wake Forest Football?
The Demon Deacons become the fifth FBS program in our state to work through a head-coaching change this fall. The other four teams, East Carolina, Charlotte, Appalachian State and North Carolina, have already filled their vacancies. UNC became the most recent, hiring Bill Belichick on Dec. 11.
Clawson’s announcement comes late in the cycle in many ways. Early National Signing Day has already come and gone, with the Deacs adding 20 new players to the ranks. The transfer portal opened across all levels of football last week, and scores of departing have already announced their destination schools. The portal will close Dec. 28, but it remains open for 30 full days whenever a specific school makes a coaching change.
Wake Forest is currently the only Power Four job open, with UNC and West Virginia filling recent vacancies.
Former West Virginia coach Neal Brown had been mentioned in the Charlotte and App State openings. He had success at Troy before taking the WVU job. Brad White, currently defensive coordinator at Kentucky, would be a logical consideration. White played linebacker for Wake Forest in the early 2000s.
Sporting News listed Shannon Dawson (Miami offensive coordinator), Glenn Schumann (Georgia defensive coordinator) and Brian Hartline (Ohio State offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach) as three assistant coaches ready to ascend to head coaching duties. Would they fit at Wake, a high academic school competing in a Power Four league?
Schumann, 34, reportedly was in the mix at UNC and is considered one of the hottest young defensive assistants in college football. Hartline, 38, interviewed at West Virginia. Dawson has ACC experience, with Miami ranked first in the league in scoring offense under his direction.
Would Bob Chesney, who went 8-4 in his first season at James Madison, want to move again so quickly to get into a power conference? Chesney was 44-21 at Holy Cross before taking over at JMU. Would Shawn Clark, recently released as App State head coach, be willing to come down the mountain if called to coach the other side of that simmering WNC rivalry?
Troy Calhoun, the head coach at Air Force, was an assistant under Jim Grobe at Wake Forest in 2001-02. He’s been at Air Force since 2007 and has developed a solid service academy program (135-89).
Other current head coaches who have been mentioned for other P4 openings this cycle and could factor into the Wake include search Tyson Helton (48-31 at Western Kentucky), Jamey Chadwell (21-4 at Liberty, 39-22 at Coastal Carolina), Jake Dickert (23-20 at Washington State, 8-4 this season) and Jason Candle (72-40 at Toledo, 7-5 this season).
It will be worth watching which Wake players hit the portal who might otherwise have stayed in Winston-Salem. Star running back Demond Claiborne declared publicly on Saturday, before Clawson’s announcement, that he intended to return for 2025. He finished with 1,049 rushing yards and 11 TDs this past season.
It would seem reasonable to think, with Clawson stepping aside this late in the process, the school may already have a plan in place to anoint a replacement quickly.
Dave Clawson brought Wake Forest football back to relevance
Wake Forest had suffered through five straight losing seasons under Jim Grobe before Clawson took over heading into the 2014 season. After back-to-back 3-9 marks in ‘14 and ‘15, the Deacs began elevating.
Clawson had things humming in Winston-Salem from 2019-23. Wake Forest posted a 23-7 home record during that stretch, the team’s “slow-mesh” offense proving confounding to opposing defenses.
The Deacs have had 62 All-ACC players since ‘19 – tied for fifth-most in the league.
Clawson earned ACC coach of the year in 2021. Wake Forest finished 11-3 that season, including a 6-0 mark at home and 7-1 in league play. The only ACC loss during the regular season came to Clemson 48-27 in Death Valley. The 2021 Deacs lost to Pitt in the ACC championship but went on to beat Rutgers 38-10 in the Gator Bowl. The other defeat was a wide open 58-55 setback against UNC in what was dubbed a non-conference game.
Only one other Wake Forest team has finished with 11 wins before, Grobe’s 2006 team which also went 11-3 before winning the ACC title and advancing to the Orange Bowl.
The 2023 team had the program’s highest-ever team GPA and led the ACC with 29 All-ACC academic honorees.
Clawson’s other coaching stops included Bowling Green (32-31 from 2009-13), Richmond (29-20 from 2004-07) and Fordham (29-29 from 1999-2003). His career record stands at 157-149.
Wake Forest has not announced an interim coach.
“Our student-athletes are always our top priority during such a transition,” athletic director John Currie said. “Along with President Susan R. Wente and our entire Athletics & University leadership team, I am committed to ensuring our current football players receive support, guidance and care during this time. With that, a national search is underway to find our next head coach.”
More high praise for Dave Clawson from Wake Forest administration
Wake Forest president Susan R. Wente: “Dave Clawson has embodied Wake Forest’s motto of Pro Humanitate, fostering success on the field, in the classroom, and in the community. His leadership has elevated our football program to new heights while setting an enduring example of excellence and integrity. We are deeply grateful for his service and leadership over the past decade and wish him and his family well in this transition.”
John Currie, Wake Forest Vice President and Director of Athletics: “Dave Clawson has been the epitome of integrity, innovation, and excellence in college football. He elevated Wake Forest football to unprecedented heights, not only through success on the field but also by fostering the development of young men as leaders in life. Quite simply, Dave Clawson’s leadership, competitive drive and strategic instincts have made football at Wake Forest important, and a flagship program for our entire community and University at a scale that might have been unimaginable to most when he arrived 11 years ago.”
