Wake Forest’s 3-1 start has done more than put the Demon Deacons in a strong spot early in the season. It has also pushed Jake Dickert onto the radar in the next round of college football’s coaching carousel.
The latest buzz came Thursday on the Crain & Cone podcast, where co-host Blain Crain put Dickert on the watch list and On3 reporter Pete Nakos backed him up. “He will be a hot commodity,” Nakos said.
“I forgot to mention him. That’s a good one, though.”
Crain tied Dickert’s rising profile directly to what Wake Forest has done over the last two weeks.
“Beat Louisville. You lost by 13 against Miami, but looked confident and competitive through four quarters,” Crain said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Jake Dickert was a hot commodity in the coaching market.”
Jake Crain agreed, calling attention to the way Dickert has climbed through two demanding jobs. “He’s done an incredible job,” Jake Crain said.
“He did a great job at Washington State, too. He’s a guy that’s done nothing but rise.”
Nakos had already flagged Dickert in his Sept. 24 On3 notebook, listing him among sitting Power Four head coaches who could be on the move.
“What if he could do it somewhere with more resources?” Nakos wrote.
Dickert’s résumé helps explain why his name is gaining traction. He took over Washington State as acting head coach in October 2021 after the school fired Nick Rolovich, then Wake Forest hired him in December 2024 to replace Dave Clawson. He came into this season with a 32-24 record across those stops, including a 9-4 first year at Wake Forest that ended with a bowl win.
Saturday’s 30-27 road win at Louisville only strengthened the case. Carlos Hernandez was the big-play engine, catching nine passes for 194 yards, while Gabe Kirschke came through with a blocked 57-yard field goal try with 15 seconds left. The victory also gave Wake Forest back-to-back road wins for the first time since 1975 and 1976.
The national media has started to notice the fit, too. ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg wrote this week that Dickert isn’t attached to one region or one powerhouse program, which could make him attractive to a wider range of schools.
Rittenberg also noted that Dickert grew up in Wisconsin. Bruce Feldman of The Athletic added that Dickert would be “high on Wisconsin’s radar if Luke Fickell has a disappointing season in Madison.”
Wisconsin’s own 4th-week win over Penn State has helped Fickell’s position for now.
For Wake Forest, the timing could matter. The Demon Deacons have a stretch ahead that looks manageable, with Stanford, NC State, Cal, Virginia, Merrimack, SMU and Georgia Tech still on the schedule.
They also finish the regular season at home against Duke on Nov. 28.
Next up is Stanford at Wake Forest on Saturday at noon ET on ACC Network. Wake Forest then heads to NC State on Oct. 10 and to Cal on Oct. 17 before a bye week.
Dickert still has eight games left to build on the start he’s already put together, and the coaching market could heat up fast if openings start to appear in the coming weeks.
In Other News...
Wake Forest Just Entered A Different ACC Conversation
A key road win at Louisville has changed the way Wake Forest is being viewed inside the ACC, as the Demon Deacons climbed six spots to move into the No. 2 spot in the conference football power rankings. The weekly rankings, compiled by an editorial staff based on recent game results, still have Miami in a unanimous No. 1 position, but Wake Forests rise has given the league a new shape near the top.
Wake Forests jump also came in a week when Virginia Tech slipped four places, underscoring how quickly the middle of the ACC can be reshuffled by one good Saturday. For the Demon Deacons, the bigger question now is whether this road breakthrough was a one-week surge or the start of a more durable place in the conference conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Stanford's Reset Feels Real But One Road Problem Still Looms
Stanfords first season under Tavita Pritchard has started to look more like a program trying to move forward than one simply surviving the week-to-week grind. The offense has become more functional, quarterback Davis Warren has settled in, and the changes on defense under coordinator Kris Richard have given the Cardinal a clearer identity. Even the work of linebacker Matt Rose has fit into that broader reset, with Stanford showing signs of a team that can at least stay in games instead of drifting through them.
Still, the road version of that progress is where the test gets real, and Wake Forest will have plenty of interest in how much of Stanfords growth travels. The Talking Trees Podcast breakdown pointed to genuine improvement, but also left open the question that matters most in a matchup like this: whether the Cardinal can carry that competence away from home and turn it into something more dependable when the setting changes. [Read more 🡒]
Stanford Faces An Early Test After Finally Showing Some Real Life
Wake Forest heads into Family Weekend at 3-1 and carrying a little more momentum after its upset of Louisville, a result that gave the Demon Deacons a much cleaner read on where they stand early in the season. Gio Lopez has helped steady the offense and Carlos Hernandez has been one of the more reliable targets, giving Wake enough balance to make this feel like more than just a good start on paper.
Stanford arrives with a different kind of urgency, trying to build off a conference win and finally show signs of a real climb under a new structure. The Cardinals have gotten a lift from their quarterback, while Tavita Pritchard and Andrew Luck are trying to steer the program through its transition period, which makes this trip a useful measuring stick for how far Stanford has come and how far it still has to go. [Read more 🡒]