Wake Forest Football: Will experience lead to big things in 2021?

Wake Forest Football has one of the most experienced teams in the ACC, but will that translate to more wins for the Demon Deacons?

2020 was a season that was supposed to be filled with question marks for Wake Forest Football. Starting quarterback Jamie Newman transferred to Georgia and leading receiver Sage Surratt opted out of the season to prepare for the NFL draft.

Sam Hartman stepped in at quarterback and was really good outside of a dud in the bowl game against Wisconsin. Surratt’s presence was not missed much, as Jaquarii Roberson became one of the biggest threats in the ACC at the wide receiver position. The Demon Deacons are bringing back 20 starters and the ACC Atlantic after Clemson is wide open. This is a great opportunity for the Demon Deacons.

Wake Forest has football always been looked at as one of the toughest jobs in the ACC and the power five. There has been limited success there and the highest that they reached was under Jim Grobe a little over a decade ago.

Grobe took the Demon Deacons higher than they had ever been in 2006, winning their first ACC title since 1970 and making the Orange Bowl. Grobe had a couple of solid years following that, but he was not able to reach that level of success again and was let go after the 2013 season.

Wake Forest hired Dave Clawson after letting Grobe go and while it took a couple of seasons to put the foundation of the program in place, Clawson has gotten the program back to respectability and where they are not a cakewalk each Saturday.

Wake Forest thinks that they have the quarterback in Hartman and the skill players to be a threat to any non-Clemson team in the ACC and the Deamon Deacons just might have that.

A tough schedule lies in front of them and expect a lot of close games in a wide-open and crazy race for 2nd in the ACC Atlantic division.