Wake Forest Football: Deacons look to maintain success in 2018
By Shane Lunnen
Defense
The biggest key for the Deacons to improve on defense will be the secondary. Last season, they ranked dead last in the ACC in pass defense and allowed an average of 380 yards through the air over the last half of the season. Getting shelled through the air cannot happen again. Four of the five starters from last year’s unit are back so the coaches are hoping the mistakes will be corrected. The Deacons are missing their best safety, Jessie Bates, who left early for the NFL.
Along the defensive front, star defensive end Duke Ejiofor is gone so Wake’s strength lies at the defensive tackle position. Fifth-year seniors Willie Yarbary and Zeek Rodney anchor the unit, needing to constantly keep the pressure on the opposing quarterback to help out the secondary. Defensive coordinator Jay Sawvel deploys a 4-2-5 base defense and has lost his top linebackers in Grant Dawson and Jaboree Williams, the second and third leading tacklers respectively. Sawvel has plenty of talent at the linebacker position, just not a lot of experience.
Wake Forest does not have a flashy defense and will probably not rank high in many statistical categories. However, if there is better play in the secondary and the front four can get a lot of sacks and quarterback hurries, the defense has a good chance to be serviceable and allow the offense to go to work.