Wake Forest enters its season opener with a roster that looks a lot different after 24 players hit the transfer portal following the 2025 season. Coach Dickert and his staff leaned hard into portal recruiting to patch the holes, bringing in 11 transfers on offense and seven on defense.
That overhaul puts a spotlight on quarterback Gio Lopez right away. Offensive coordinator Rob Ezell is expected to lean on the transfer passer, who arrived after throwing for 1,747 yards on 170 completions last year at North Carolina.
Lopez finished with 10 touchdowns and 5 interceptions for the Tar Heels, and he’ll have a familiar kind of target in returning wideout Carlos Hernandez. Hernandez posted 611 yards on 40 catches and 3 touchdowns in 2025, and at 6-foot-0, 190 pounds, he heads into what Wake hopes will be a breakout senior season.
Another name to watch in the passing game is Kam Shanks. The junior wideout logged 101 yards on 9 receptions and a touchdown in his lone season at Arkansas after spending his first two years at UAB. His slot presence should give the Deacons another useful piece.
The backfield runs through Ty Clark III. The Nashville native is a junior who has spent his entire college career at Wake Forest, and he brings value as both a runner and a receiver.
In 2025, Clark rushed for 323 yards and 3 touchdowns while adding 209 receiving yards and one score through the air. He’ll be looking to build his draft stock this season.
Wake’s defense brings a different kind of continuity. Seven starters are seniors, with two sophomores and two juniors also in the mix.
The defensive line, in particular, looks like one of the ACC’s most seasoned groups. It includes four seniors, led by defensive end Langston Hardy, who had 7 sacks and 17 tackles for loss in 2025.
At linebacker, Aiden Hall is the centerpiece. He finished with 73 tackles, including 26 solo stops, and has spent his entire college career at Wake Forest. This is his chance to close it out with a strong senior year.
Akron comes in with a very different offensive setup. Head coach Joe Moorhead is known for helping spread the RPO style throughout college football, and Wake should expect plenty of slow-developing looks.
But the Zips are dealing with uncertainty at quarterback, since their projected starter is in an eligibility battle after already playing his 5 seasons. No decision has been announced on whether he will return, leaving redshirt sophomore Brayden Raggow as the other option despite his limited collegiate experience.
The Zips also lost one of their biggest playmakers when Israel Polk departed after scoring 8 touchdowns last season. Jordan Grant remains a key piece after becoming the program’s first 1000-yard rusher since 2008.
On paper, Wake Forest’s defense should have the upper hand against an Akron offense that has an inexperienced quarterback and three starting offensive linemen gone via the portal. Akron’s defense was the bright spot last year, especially on third downs, but that unit took major hits too. The Zips lost three of their top four pass rushers in the portal, and only two returning defenders had more than 2 sacks last season.
The losses didn’t stop there. Akron’s top two linebackers are gone, along with its top two defensive backs. Last season, the Zips went 1-6 when opponents threw for more than 200 yards, and Nebraska piled up nearly 500 yards through the air against them.
In Other News...
Wake Forest Mourns A Program Legend Whose Impact Went Beyond Records
Wake Forest lost one of the defining players in its football modern history with the death of Alphonso Smith on Sept. 2, 2026. Smith was more than a memorable name in the record book, although that part mattered plenty too, as the cornerback still owns the ACC career interceptions record and helped fuel the 2006 team that brought home an ACC championship.
His place in Wake Forest lore was already secure before his induction into the 2025 Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame, and his football path carried him from Winston-Salem to the NFL after the Denver Broncos drafted him in 2009. Smith later played for the Detroit Lions, but for Wake Forest fans, his legacy will always be tied to a program-changing era and the standard he set on and off the field. [Read more 🡒]
Wake Forest's New-Look Offense Took Over Fast Against Akron
Wake Forest wasted little time showing what its revamped offense can look like, jumping on Akron early and turning the afternoon into a showcase for explosive plays. Gio Lopez settled in quickly, the Demon Deacons stacked up points through the air and the defense added its own pressure with sacks and a turnover, helping build a commanding 28-3 halftime lead.
The big-play burst was the clearest sign that this group may have a different ceiling if the passing game keeps stretching the field like this. Akron did manage a late touchdown before the break, but Wake Forest had already separated itself and left plenty of room for the larger question now: how often can this offense sustain that kind of pace once the competition stiffens? [Read more 🡒]
Wake Forest Opens With A Chance To Prove Last Year Was Real
Wake Forest opens its season Thursday night with a home date at Allegacy Financial Stadium, a familiar kind of early test with a little extra edge to it. After last year gave the Demon Deacons something concrete to build on, the opener offers an immediate chance to show that progress was more than a one-off, and the setting should help frame the conversation right away with kickoff set for 7 p.m. ET on The ACC Network.
Akron arrives as the first opponent, which is exactly the sort of game that can tell you a lot about where a team really stands in September. Even the preseason guesswork around the matchup points squarely toward Wake Forest, but the bigger question is whether the Demon Deacons can turn that expectation into the kind of clean, convincing start that makes the rest of the season feel more believable. [Read more 🡒]