2023 Wake Forest
4–8 (1–7 Atlantic Coast Conference), coached by Dave Clawson. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat Elon 37–17Aug 31
By 20 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingBeat Pittsburgh 21–17Oct 21
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 31 | vs Elon | W 37–17 | 82% |
| Sep 9 | vs Vanderbilt | W 36–20 | 72% |
| Sep 16 | at Old Dominion | W 27–24 | 66% |
| Sep 23 | vs Georgia Tech | L 16–30 | 79% |
| Oct 7 | at Clemson | L 12–17 | 31% |
| Oct 14 | at Virginia Tech | L 13–30 | 58% |
| Oct 21 | vs Pittsburgh | W 21–17 | 55% |
| Oct 28 | vs 4Florida State | L 16–41 | 31% |
| Nov 2 | at Duke | L 21–24 | 32% |
| Nov 11 | vs NC State | L 6–26 | 44% |
| Nov 18 | at 20Notre Dame | L 7–45 | 17% |
| Nov 25 | at Syracuse | L 31–35 | 41% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Lost to Syracuse 35–31; unranked in the final AP poll; 14th in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
In program history: The 49th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 119 on file).
- Record
- 4–8
- Conference
- 1–7 14th in Atlantic Coast Conference
- AP final
- Unranked
- Points
- 243–326
- Coach
- Dave Clawson
- Elo
- 1444 −122 this season
- SP+ rating
- -7.9 No. 96 of 133; offense No. 101, defense No. 68, special teams No. 99
- SRS
- −4.1 No. 85 of 133 in FBS
- Returning
- 41% of last season’s EPA, No. 89 of 131
- Recruiting class
- No. 53 roster talent No. 70 in FBS
- Offensive coordinator
- Warren Ruggiero
- Defensive coordinator
- Brad Lambert
- Offense
- Slow mesh
- Defense
- Multiple 4–2–5
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | -0.01 | 40% | 1.10 | 112th of 133 |
| Defense | 0.16 | 42% | 1.34 | 90th of 133 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.04 off 0.16 def | 41% off 42% def | — | 98th off 103rd def |
How these are measured
Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played.
Drives and havoc
| Points per trip inside the 40 | Average start | Havoc | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 3.0 | own 31 | 23% allowed |
| Defense | 4.1 | own 29 | 15% caused |
CORE rating -4.4, 82nd of 133 (offense -1.1, defense 3.4).
A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.
Leaders
| Passing yards | Mitch Griffis QB | 1,539 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Mitch Griffis QB | 9 TD |
| Rushing yards | Demond Claiborne RB | 586 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Demond Claiborne RB | 5 TD |
| Receiving yards | Jahmal Banks WR | 653 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Jahmal Banks WR | 4 TD |
| Tackles | Dylan Hazen LB | 86 tkl |
| Sacks | Jasheen Davis DL | 7.5 sacks |
| Interceptions | Dashawn Jones DB | 3 INT |
Top recruits in the 2023 class
| Micah Mays Jr. WR | ★★★★ | No. 376 |
| Antonio Robinson CB | ★★★ | No. 521 |
| Kerrington Lee DE | ★★★ | No. 634 |
| Jaquez Keyes RB | ★★★ | No. 734 |
| Devin McRae OL | ★★★ | No. 771 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2023 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | 1 | 3.0 | 0.858 |
| Running backs | 3 | 3.0 | 0.862 |
| Receivers | 2 | 3.5 | 0.881 |
| Offensive line | 3 | 3.0 | 0.847 |
| Defensive line | 5 | 3.0 | 0.861 |
| Linebackers | 1 | 3.0 | 0.848 |
| Defensive backs | 4 | 3.0 | 0.868 |
| Athletes and specialists | 1 | 3.0 | 0.814 |
| Whole class | 20 | 3.0 | 0.859 |
High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.
Drafted in 2024
The 2024 draft| Rd 4 | Malik Mustapha S | San Francisco 49ers |
| Rd 5 | Caelen Carson CB | Dallas Cowboys |
| Rd 7 | Michael Jurgens C | Minnesota Vikings |
Roster 124
The 2023 roster124 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2023 line; 59 have a stat line. See the roster
Transfers in 3
The 2023 portal Walker Merrill WR | ★★★ | from  Tennessee |
 Jacob Roberts ILB | ★★★ | from  North Carolina A&T |
 Bryce Ganious DL | ★★★ | from  Villanova |
Transfers out 11
 Sam Hartman QB | ★★★★ | to  Notre Dame |
 Gavin Holmes CB | ★★★★ | to  Texas |
| Rondell Bothroyd DL | ★★★★ | to  Oklahoma |
| Christian Turner RB | ★★★ | to  Indiana |
| Bernard Gooden DL | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Brett Griffis QB | ★★★ | to  James Madison |
| Dez Williams WR | ★★★ | to  Stony Brook |
| J.J. Roberts CB | ★★★ | to  Marshall |
| Jackson Hensley WR | ★★★ | to  Eastern Kentucky |
| Quinton Cooley RB | ★★★ | to  Liberty |
| Zavier Simpson WR | ★★ | no new school on file |
2023 Atlantic Coast Conference standings
Conference page| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida State | 8–0 | 13–1 | 6 |
 Louisville | 7–1 | 10–4 | 19 |
| NC State | 6–2 | 9–4 | 21 |
| Georgia Tech | 5–3 | 7–6 | |
| Virginia Tech | 5–3 | 7–6 | |
| Clemson | 4–4 | 9–4 | 20 |
 North Carolina | 4–4 | 8–5 | |
| Duke | 4–4 | 8–5 | |
 Miami | 3–5 | 7–6 | |
 Boston College | 3–5 | 7–6 | |
| Syracuse | 2–6 | 6–7 | |
| Pittsburgh | 2–6 | 3–9 | |
 Virginia | 2–6 | 3–9 | |
| Wake Forest | 1–7 | 4–8 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.