Can defensive struggles be thing of the past?
The defense is where Wake Forest struggled most last year giving up 33 points per game and finished 116th in the country in total defense. They gave up 30 or more points eight times last season including 40 or more four times and 56 to Notre Dame and 63 to Clemson.
Although Dave Clawson fired defensive coordinator Jay Sawvel after four games last season, scheme might not have been the issue.
Wake was good against bad teams and FCS teams (Rice and Towson), decent against decent teams (Tulane and Louisville) and awful against the better teams in the conference (Syracuse, Florida State and Clemson) with two outliers (Duke and NC State). That’s a personnel issue.
Maybe this season there will be a bit of addition by subtraction. They lose three of their four starters on the defensive line, but that will give an opportunity for highly-touted recruit Shamar McCollum an opportunity at defensive end.
They lose one of their linebackers in their 4-2-5 scheme, but maybe one of their young linebackers will step up.
The Demon Deacons lose three safeties from last seasons’ squad and hope one of their young recruits like Jeremiah Gray can be a factor.