This page serves as NC Football News’ recruiting hub for Wake Forest football, tracking commitments, recruiting news, signing day updates and transfer portal movement involving the Demon Deacons.
Throughout the year, we’ll update this page with the latest additions to Wake Forest’s recruiting classes, incoming and outgoing transfers, player profiles and links to our recruiting coverage.
Bookmark this page and check back regularly as the future of Wake Forest football continues to take shape.
🔄 Last Updated: June 14, 2026
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2027 Football Commits
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Wake Forest 2027 Football Commits
Wake Forest 2027 Football CommitsTotal Commits: 19
247Sports Ranking: 40th (6/14/2026)
North Carolina Commits: 4
Offense: 9
Defense: 10
| WAKE FOREST 2027 | POS | HT | WT | HOMETOWN | HIGH SCHOOL | COMMITTED TO | STATUS | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Randolph “RJ” Ross | WR | 6-2 | 170 | Garner, NC | South Garner HS | Wake Forest | Verbal 6/14/2026 | 48 catches, 836 yards, 9 TDs as a junior in 2025 |
| Jacquari Parks | CB | 5-11.5 | 160 | Jacksonville, FL | Ed White HS | Wake Forest | Verbal 6/13/2026 | |
| Brenham Cherne | DL | 6-2 | 270 | Melissa, TX | Melissa HS | Wake Forest | Verbal 6/12/2026 | |
| Sammy Dantonka | EDGE | 6-2 | 225 | Springfield, PA | Cardinal O’Hara | Wake Forest | Verbal 6/12/2026 | One of PA’s top edge rushers picked Deacs over WVU, Cincy |
| Carter Hawkins | WR | 6-0 | 177 | St. Stephen, SC | Timberland HS | Wake Forest | Verbal 6/8/2026 | 25 catches in eight games last season for 426 yards, 8 TDs |
| Zy Tassin | SAF | 6-2 | 190 | Crestview, FL | Crestview HS | Wake Forest | Verbal 6/8/2026 | Productive on both sides of the ball, starting at safety and QB |
| Carl Jones Jr. | CB | 6-0 | 155 | Tampa, FL | Tampa Catholic | Wake Forest | Verbal 6/6/2026 | |
| Peyton Schuster | OT | 6-6 | 275 | Waterford, WI | Waterford HS | Wake Forest | Verbal 6/6/2026 | Decommitted from Wyoming in May, pledged to WF a month later |
| Brady Moranski | OT | 6-4 | 275 | Germantown, WI | Germantown HS | Wake Forest | Verbal 6/3/2026 | A top-15 player in Wisconsin, per 247Sports |
| Aaron Smith | WR | 6-1 | 175 | Virginia Beach, VA | Floyd Kellam HS | Wake Forest | Verbal 5/31/2026 | Hauled in 69 catches for 1,267 yards and 8 TDs in 2025 |
| Keland Shelton Jr. | LB | 6-3 | 205 | Charlotte, NC | Chambers HS | Wake Forest | Verbal 5/31/2026 | Big pickup for Wake Forest, outdueling SEC, Big Ten powers for his commitment |
| Elijah Wright | EDGE | 6-2 | 245 | Fulshear, TX | Katy Jordan HS | Wake Forest | Verbal 4/20/2026 | Recorded 14 TFLs, 5 sacks and 44 tackles as a junior |
| Darryn Williams | LB | 6-0 | 210 | Gainesville, GA | Gainesville HS | Wake Forest | Verbal 4/17/2026 | 5 pick-sixes, 103 tackles, 11 TFLs, 6 INTs, all-state honorable mention in 2025 |
| Rilee Drew | CB | 5-10 | 168 | Loganville, GA | Grayson HS | Wake Forest | Verbal 4/17/2026 | More than 30 FBS offers, summer visits set up for Wake, Kansas, Kansas State |
| Logan Steele | S/ATH | 5-10 | 170 | Coal Township, PA | Shamokin Area HS | Wake Forest | Verbal 4/8/2026 | Multi-faceted standout: 10 TD passes, 21 rushing TDs, picked off 9 passes in 2025 |
| Aiden Hartnett | OL | 6-3 | 295 | Plantation, FL | American Heritage HS | Wake Forest | Verbal 4/3/2026 | Picked Deacs over offers from Maryland, USF, UMass and others |
| Emmett Queen | QB | 6-3 | 215 | Fort Mitchell, KY | Beechwood HS | Wake Forest | Verbal 3/23/2026 | Threw for 2,710 yards, 45 TDs, 2 INTs as a junior |
| Steele Fletcher | WR | 5-7 | 160 | Charlotte, NC | Providence Day School | Wake Forest | Verbal 2/12/2026 | 2025 state champion has great speed, explosive kick-return skills |
| Charlie Reece | OT | 6-5 | 255 | Winston-Salem, NC | Oak Grove HS | Wake Forest | Verbal 2/5/2026 | Picked WF over winter 2026 offers from Liberty, Elon |
| DECOMMITED: | ||||||||
| Gary Chatman Jr. | QB | 6-1 | 190 | Snellville, GA | Brookwood HS | Decommitted WF | 5/5/2026 | Committed to Auburn on 5/9/2026 |
June 12, 2026 – Recruiting Snapshot
- Fast start under Dickert: Coming off a nine-win season in Jake Dickert’s first year, Wake Forest has already secured 15 commitments and built one of the largest classes in the ACC. Athletes wanted: Several commitments have excelled in multiple phases of the game, including safety-quarterback Zy Tassin, two-way standout Logan Steele and versatile linebacker Darryn Williams, reflecting the staff’s emphasis on athleticism and playmaking ability.
- Building around the passing game: Wake Forest has landed four wide receivers and a quarterback, led by Emmett Queen (45 touchdown passes in 2025) and Aaron Smith (1,267 receiving yards).
- Trenches remain a priority: Four offensive linemen are already committed, including Wisconsin prospects Brady Moranski and Peyton Schuster, giving the Deacons a strong foundation up front.
- Winning the home-state battles: North Carolina commitments Charlie Reece, Steele Fletcher and Keland Shelton Jr. give Wake an early in-state core, highlighted by Shelton’s pledge over several SEC and Big Ten programs.
- National reach: The class currently includes commitments from nine states, with Wake Forest successfully recruiting from traditional talent areas such as Florida, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Texas.
- June momentum: Five commitments have joined the class since June 1, including recent additions Sammy Dantonka, Carter Hawkins and Zy Tassin as official visit season ramps up.
Wake Forest 2026 Football Commits
| WAKE COMMIT | POS | HOMETOWN | SCHOOL | COMMITTED | VERBAL | SIGNED |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walker Bryson | S | Rabun Gap, GA | Rabun Gap-Nacoochee | Wake Forest | 11/30/2025 | 12/3/2025 |
| Richard Dyce | LB | Douglasville, GA | Douglas County HS | Wake Forest | 11/26/2025 | 12/3/2025 |
| Michael Ahoua | ATH | Avon, CT | Avon Old Farms | Wake Forest | 11/25/2025 | 12/3/2025 |
| Cooper Long | DL | Salisbury, CT | Salisbury School | Wake Forest | 11/24/2025 | 12/3/2025 |
| Lucas Smalls-Allen | DL | Roswell, GA | Blessed Trinity Catholic | Wake Forest | 11/24/2025 | 12/3/2025 |
| Kyndall McCaleb | RB | Painesville, OH | Riverside HS | Wake Forest | 11/19/2025 | 12/3/2025 |
| Langston Hogg | OL | Cartersville, GA | Cartersville HS | Wake Forest | 11/18/2025 | 12/3/2025 |
| Micah Bright | S | Cornelius, NC | Hough HS | Wake Forest | 11/18/2025 | 12/3/2025 |
| Sefa Sackey | EDGE | Cincinnati, OH | Deer Park HS | Wake Forest | 11/14/2025 | 12/3/2025 |
| Cade Holles | EDGE | Englewood, CO | Cherry Creek HS | Wake Forest | 11/13/2025 | 12/3/2025 |
| Dylan Durbin | OT | Corpus Christi, TX | Veterans Memorial HS | Wake Forest | 11/6/2025 | 12/3/2025 |
| Larry Warren | CB | Seffner, FL | Armwood HS | Wake Forest | 10/1/2025 | 12/3/2025 |
| Fletcher Turk | OL | Dacula, GA | Hebron Christian | Wake Forest | 9/21/2025 | 12/3/2025 |
| Maximilian Tillfeldt Retsler | TE | Sweden | RIG Academy | Wake Forest | 9/2/2025 | 12/3/2025 |
| Kobe Adeleke-Hokes | WR | Suwanee, GA | Peachtree Ridge HS | Wake Forest | 7/6/2025 | 12/3/2025 |
| Alton “AJ” Marks | CB | Bradenton, FL | IMG Academy | Wake Forest | 7/5/2025 | 12/3/2025 |
| Isaac Nelson | SAF | Carmel, IN | Carmel HS | Wake Forest | 6/27/2025 | 12/3/2025 |
| Dominick Barry | TE | Greenwood, IN | Center Grove HS | Wake Forest | 6/23/2025 | 12/3/2025 |
| Devin Goldston | WR | Raleigh, NC | Leesville Road HS | Wake Forest | 6/23/2025 | 12/3/2025 |
| Dalton DeBoer | OL | Waukee, IA | Northwest HS | Wake Forest | 6/22/2025 | 12/3/2025 |
| Somad Eaddy | CB | Greer, SC | Riverside HS | Wake Forest | 6/22/2025 | 12/3/2025 |
| Elijah Otieno | WR | Forney, TX | North Forney HS | Wake Forest | 6/19/2025 | 12/3/2025 |
| Mahamadou Siby | CB | Trophy Club, TX | Bryon Nelson HS | Wake Forest | 6/16/2025 | 12/3/2025 |
| Monroe Partin | LB | Daphne, AL | Bayside Academy | Wake Forest | 6/16/2025 | 12/3/2025 |
| Christian Lawrence | RB | Thomasville, GA | Thomas County Central | Wake Forest | 6/15/2025 | 12/3/2025 |
| Christian Harris | DT | Cincinnati, OH | Archbishop Moeller HS | Wake Forest | 6/15/2025 | 12/3/2025 |
| Ryan Harrington | EDGE | Orchard Lake, MI | St. Mary’s | Wake Forest | 6/13/2025 | 12/3/2025 |
| Grant Lawless | QB | Denver, NC | East Lincoln HS | Wake Forest | 6/4/2025 | 12/3/2025 |
| Gannon Jones | QB | Raleigh, NC | Cardinal Gibbons | Wake Forest | 5/29/2025 | 12/3/2025 |
| Brady Shust | TE | Montvale, NJ | St. Joseph Regional | Wake Forest | 5/23/2025 | 12/3/2025 |
Wake Forest 2026 Incoming Transfers
| WAKE TRANSFER IN | POS | HOMETOWN | LAST SCHOOL | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bernard Causey III | CB | New Orleans, LA | Georgia State | |
| Brian Blades II | CB | Fort Lauderdale, FL | Florida International | |
| Matt Herron | DL | Salt Lake City, UT | Weber State | |
| Sydir Mitchell | DL | Oradell, NJ | LSU | |
| DJ Johnson | EDGE | Wilbraham, MA | New Hampshire | |
| Buom Jock | LB | Alexandria, VA | California | |
| Tylan McNichols | LB | Decatur, MS | UAB | |
| John Ohnegian | OL | Montvale, NJ | Bucknell | |
| Will Way | OL | Tucson, AZ | Weber State | |
| Ethan Calloway | OT | Mooresville, NC | LSU | |
| Ryan Berger | OT | Portland, OR | Oregon State | |
| Tolu Olajide | OT | Lawrenceville, NJ | New Hampshire | |
| Gio Lopez | QB | Madison, AL | North Carolina | |
| KD Daniels | RB | West Point, MS | Florida | |
| Sawyer Seidl | RB | Saint Paul, MN | North Dakota | |
| Joshua Patterson | SAF | Jacksonville, FL | Iowa State | |
| Vincent Firenze | SAF | Camillus, NY | Dayton | |
| Landon Morris | TE | Indianapolis, IN | California | |
| Antonio Meeks | WR | Snellville, GA | Louisville | |
| Chase Tyler | WR | Hiram, GA | Duke | |
| Drayden Dickmann | WR | Georgetown, TX | Rice | |
| Kam Shanks | WR | Prattville, AL | Arkansas | |
| Ny Carr | WR | Moultrie, GA | Miami | |
| Wondame Davis Jr. | WR | Ennis, TX | UTEP |
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