The 2024-25 college football coaching carousel appeared to stop spinning last week, but a new Power Four job opened on Monday, Dec. 16 when Dave Clawson resigned as head coach at Wake Forest. He departs after 11 seasons with a 67-69 record and seven bowl appearances. Clawson's time, which included an 11-win season in 2021, was largely considered a success for a Wake Forest football program that historically has lacked much gridiron prowess. Back-to-back 4-8 seasons, however, in 2023 and 2024 put a damper on his tenure.
Now, the Wake Forest football coaching search moves forward as athletic director John Currie will search for a coach who can build on Clawson's work. The Wake Forest football coaching hot board will likely include intriguing Group of Five head coaches, top Power Four coordinators and others. If you love the Demon Deacons, or just want to know who will call the shots for Wake Forest football in the future, be sure to see what the proven team of insiders are saying at Demon Deacons Digest, the 247Sports affiliate that covers Wake Forest.
The Demon Deacons Digest insiders are providing on-the-ground updates on every development surrounding Clawson's departure and the future of the Wake Forest football program, including insights from Les Johns and Cameron Lemon Debro, who have deep-rooted ties inside and around the Wake Forest community, as well as national experts such as Grant Hughes. Get all the inside scoop on the football program, plus VIP intel on Wake Forest football, basketball, recruiting and more. Plus get access to The Deacon Sports Club message board where you can connect with other Wake Forest fans and insiders.
And right now, Demon Deacon Digest is offering 50% off annual subscriptions*, so now is the time to sign up. The team at Demon Deacon Digest already has a list out of several potential candidates and there are some surprising names on the list. Head to Demon Deacon Digets now to see them all.
Top Wake Forest football coach candidates
One name Hughes has identified as a potential target is Neal Brown. The 44-year-old Kentucky native was once viewed as one of the top up-and-coming offensive minds in the sport after coordinating Air Raid offenses at Troy, Kentucky and Texas Tech. He then took the head coaching job at Troy in 2015 and had a strong four-year run, going 35-16 with three bowl wins in that span.
He took the head coaching job at West Virginia in 2019, but was never able to fully get the Mountaineers over the hump in the Big 12. He went 37-35 overall in six years before the Mountaineers fired him on Dec. 1 of this year after a 6-6 campaign, just one season after going 9-4, winning a bowl game and finishing in the Top 25.
"The offensive-minded coach led the Mountaineers to a top-five rushing offense in 2023, but couldn't overcome poor quarterback play this fall," Hughes said. See more candidates at Demon Deacon Digest.
How to get insider Wake Forest coaching search updates
The rest of the list includes several other intriguing names, including "one of the hottest young coaches in college football." You can only see who they are at Demon Deacon Digest.
Who are the top candidates in the Wake Forest football coaching search, and which up-and-coming star could be in the mix? Go to Demon Deacon Digest to see its Wake Forest coaching hot board and more, all from a team of Demon Deacons insiders, and find out.
And reminder, Demon Deacon Digest is offering 50% off an annual VIP membership as a coaching search special, so subscribe now before it's too late.
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