Wake Forest has been on the market for a new head coach after Dave Clawson stepped down on Monday after 11 seasons.
Clawson’s decision came as a surprise for many in the college football world, but it seems like the Wake Forest administration was prepared for it, because it doesn’t look like they will be needing much time to fill the vacancy. According to Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports and 247Sports, the Demon Deacons are “closing in” on their next head coach.
Zenitz added that current Washington State head coach Jake Dickert “a name to keep an eye on.
“Others who have been on the radar for Wake include former West Virginia head coach Neal Brown,” Zenitz tweeted.
Dickert, 41, has been at Washington State since 2020 and has been the program’s head coach since 2021. He originally took over as the interim replacement for Nick Rolovich before being hired full-time.
Overall, Dickert is 23-20 with the Cougars, including an 8-4 mark and Holiday Bowl appearance this season.
Considering Dickert has never coached anywhere east of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, where he was a graduate assistant in 2007, he might seem like a curious fit at Wake Forest. However, the Demon Deacons have the conference stability and Power Four membership that Washington State lacks.
As for Brown, he was let go after six seasons at West Virginia, finishing 6-6 in his final campaign and 37-35 overall. Brown’s best year was 2023, when the led the Mountaineers to a 9-4 record, including a win in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.
Wake Forest went 4-8 in each of the last two seasons under Clawson, who finished 67-69 during his time in Winston-Salem. From 2016-22, Clawson directed the Demon Deacons to seven consecutive bowl appearances, including a Gator Bowl win in 2021, a year in which Wake Forest finished 11-3 and reached the ACC Championship Game.
Related: College Football Fans React To 11-Year Coach Abruptly Stepping Down