The 2023 Wake Forest Demon Deacons football team represented Wake Forest University as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) during the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Demon Deacons were led by Dave Clawson in his tenth year as head coach. They played their home games at Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The Wake Forest Demon Deacons football team drew an average home attendance of 30,609 in 2023.
Offseason Players drafted into the NFL
Kobie TurnerDELos Angeles Rams389A. T. PerryWRNew Orleans Saints6195
Transfers Outgoing Jackson HensleyWREastern KentuckyChristian TurnerRBIndianaZavier SimpsonWRBall StateBrett GriffisQBJames MadisonJ.J. RobertsCBMarshallGavin HolmesCBTexasQuinton CooleyRBLibertyRondell BothroydDLOklahomaDez WilliamsWRStony BrookSam HartmanQBNotre DameBernard GoodenDLSouth Florida
Incoming Bryce GaniousDLVillanovaWalker MerrillWRTennesseeJacob RobertsILBNorth Carolina A&T
Schedule Wake Forest and the ACC announced the 2023 football schedule on January 30, 2023. The 2023 season will be the conference's first season since 2004, that its scheduling format just includes one division. The new format sets Wake Forest with three set conference opponents, while playing the remaining ten teams twice (home and away) in a four–year cycle. The Demon Deacons three set conference opponents for the next four years is; Duke, Georgia Tech, and Virginia Tech.
Game summaries
Elon
Statistics ELONWAKE First downs 13 22 Total yards 251 427 Rushing yards 104 98 Passing yards 149 327 Turnovers 2 1 Time of possession 31:50 28:10 Team Category Player StatisticsElon Passing Justin Allen 18/29, 130 yards, 2 INT Rushing Jalen Hampton 15 carries, 89 yards, 1 TD Receiving Jordan Bonner 7 catches, 58 yardsWake Forest Passing Mitch Griffis 19/30, 329, 3 TD, 1 INT Rushing Demond Claiborne 13 carries, 70 yards, 1 TD Receiving Jahmal Banks 6 catches, 108 yards, 1 TD
Vanderbilt
Statistics VANWAKE First downs 21 29 Total yards 423 484 Rushing yards 109 288 Passing yards 314 196 Turnovers 3 1 Time of possession 25:43 34:17 Team Category Player StatisticsVanderbilt Passing AJ Swann 26/39, 314 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT Rushing Patrick Smith 10 carries, 77 yards Receiving London Humphreys 4 receptions, 109 yards, TDWake Forest Passing Mitch Griffis 17/26, 196 yards, 2 TD Rushing Demond Claiborne 26 carries, 165 yards Receiving Ke'Shawn Williams 5 receptions, 92 yards, TD
at Old Dominion
Georgia Tech
at Clemson
Statistics WAKECLEM First downs 18 19 Total yards 239 338 Rushing yards 102 207 Passing yards 137 131 Turnovers 1 2 Time of possession 28:39 31:21 Team Category Player StatisticsWake Forest Passing Mitch Griffis 15/25, 137 yards Rushing Demond Claiborne 19 rushes, 60 yards, 1 TD Receiving Jahmal Banks 8 receptions, 55 yardsClemson Passing Cade Klubnik 18/28, 131 yards Rushing Will Shipley 19 rushes, 97 yards, 1 TD Receiving Beaux Collins 5 receptions, 50 yards
at Virginia Tech
Statistics WF VT First downs 20 21 Total yards 262 462 Rush yards 35 141 Passing yards 227 321 Turnovers 3 1 Time of possession 27:08 32:52 Team Category Player StatisticsWake Forest Passing Michael Kern 14/22, 166 yards Rushing Justice Ellison 11 carries, 35 yards Receiving Taylor Morin 7 receptions, 86 yardsVirginia Tech Passing Kyron Drones 20/29, 321 yards, 2 TD Rushing Kyron Drones 15 carries, 59 yards Receiving Jaylin Lane 3 receptions, 102 yards, 2 TD
Pittsburgh
No. 4 Florida State
at Duke
NC State
Statistics NCSUWAKE First downs 19 8 Total yards 379 163 Rushing yards 268 7 Passing yards 111 156 Turnovers 1 2 Time of possession 40:16 19:44
Team Category Player StatisticsNC State Passing Brennan Armstrong 12–17, 113 yards, 1 TD Rushing Brennan Armstrong 15 rushes, 96 yards, 1 TD Receiving Dacari Collins 2 receptions, 40 yardsWake Forest Passing Michael Kern 14–26, 137 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT Rushing Demond Claiborne 8 rushes, 12 yards Receiving Horatio Fields 3 receptions, 31 yards
at No. 19 Notre Dame
Statistics WAKE ND First downs 14 25 Total yards 232 450 Rushes/yards 36–134 30–137 Passing yards 98 313 Passing: Comp–Att–Int 12–21–0 24–34–0 Time of possession 31:27 28:33 Team Category Player StatisticsWake Forest Passing Michael Kern 11/20, 81 yards Rushing Ellison Justice 15 carries, 63 yards Receiving Jahmal Banks 5 receptions, 35 yardsNotre Dame Passing Sam Hartman 21/29, 277 yards, 4 TD Rushing Audric Estimé 22 carries, 115 yards, TD Receiving Rico Flores Jr. 8 receptions, 102 yards
at Syracuse
Players drafted into the NFL
4 124 Malik Mustapha S San Francisco 49ers 5 174 Caelen Carson CB Dallas Cowboys 7 230 Michael Jurgens C Minnesota Vikings
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References