By Rowan Fisher-ShottonShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberWake Forest formally locked in Jake Dickert on Tuesday, announcing that the head coach has signed a long-term contract after steering the Demon Deacons back to eight wins in 2025.
The move, revealed by Vice President & Director of Athletics John Currie, comes after a season in which Wake Forest’s defense reemerged as one of the ACC’s strongest units and the program notched two wins over College Football Playoff Top-25 opponents.
Dickert was hired in December 2024 after rising through the college football ranks, serving as a defensive coordinator and position coach at Minnesota State, South Dakota State, and Wyoming, before becoming head coach at Washington State from 2022 to 2024.
Dickert inherited a Demon Deacons program that had slipped in recent seasons and quickly reshaped it into a physical, defense‑oriented ACC contender.
Wake Forest closed the regular season at 8‑4 (4‑4 ACC), its highest win total since 2022.
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Statistically, the Deacs’ defense provided the clearest justification for the extension.
Wake Forest finished the year 6th in the ACC and 38th nationally in scoring defense, ranking top-five in the league in both total and passing defense; the unit held both No. 12 Virginia and North Carolina without offensive touchdowns in those matchups.
Those results, plus 12 All-ACC selections announced by the program, were cited by university leadership as evidence that Dickert’s approach is producing measurable on-field progress.
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In comments included with the release, Dickert framed the contract as a vote of confidence and said the commitment gives his staff the "stability, resources, and support necessary to continue elevating Wake Forest football."
President Susan R. Wente and Currie praised Dickert’s leadership, calling his first season at Wake Forest "immediate and transformational" and noting that eight wins were the most by any first-year coach in program history.
Amid an unusually busy coaching carousel, Wake Forest is betting on stability and signaling to recruits that its culture remains intact — and that an eight‑win season is only the beginning.
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