Wake Forest is set to open its 2026 season on Thursday night at Allegacy Stadium, where Jake Dickert’s team meets Akron with a roster that mixes steady veteran leadership and a heavily rebuilt offense.
The Demon Deacons will be led into the opener by captains Gio Lopez at quarterback, Will Way at center, Langston Hardy at defensive end, Aiden Hall at linebacker, Davaughn Patterson at safety, and Matthew Lusardi at tight end. That group will help set the tone as Wake Forest begins a new year in front of a new-look offense.
Lopez is the biggest change at the center of it all. The UNC transfer arrives as Wake Forest’s new starting quarterback, and he comes with a familiar connection to offensive coordinator Rob Ezell, who coached him at South Alabama during the 2024 season. In that campaign, the redshirt junior from Madison, Alabama, threw for 2,557 yards and 18 touchdowns across 11 starts, helping South Alabama finish 7-6 while ranking 22nd nationally in total offense at 274.7 yards per game.
He steps into an offense that looks very different from the one Wake Forest rolled out a year ago. With wide receiver coach Nick Edwards gone to Oklahoma State, the Deacons also moved on from Chris Barnes, Micah Mays, and Sterling Berhalter, all of whom were part of the passing game last season.
Dyrell Roberts has been busy rebuilding that receiver group through the transfer portal. Wake Forest brought in Kam Shanks from Arkansas, Drayden Dickmann from Rice, and freshman Elijah Otieno from Forney, Texas, to help fill out the slot options.
Carlos Hernandez remains one of the main pieces in place. The senior, who came to Winston-Salem with Dickert from Washington State, caught 40 passes for 611 yards and scored five total touchdowns last season. One of those scores came on a punt return against Virginia.
Ty Clark III is another key name to watch. He returns in the backfield after serving as Demond Claiborne’s backup last season, and while matching Claiborne’s efficiency will not be easy, Clark showed enough to matter. He averaged 4.3 yards per carry and scored three touchdowns last year, and he will be working behind an offensive line that has also been rebuilt.
In Other News...
Wake Forest's New-Look Offense Took Over Fast Against Akron
Wake Forest did not need long to show how different the new-look offense could look against Akron. The Demon Deacons raced to a 28-3 halftime lead behind a string of explosive passing plays, with Gio Lopez steering the attack and the defense helping by piling up sacks and forcing a key turnover to keep the Zips on their heels.
The big-play burst came quickly and often, giving Wake Forest the kind of momentum shift it has been looking for as the season gets rolling. Lopez delivered multiple touchdown passes, and the scoring pace kept Akron scrambling even after the Zips finally pieced together a late drive before the break. For Wake Forest, the early takeaway is clear: when the passing game starts hitting in stride, the whole operation can change in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
Wake Forests Fast Start Came With One Early Concern
Wake Forest got the new season off to a convincing start by beating Akron 38-16, and the early signs were encouraging on both sides of the ball. Quarterback Gio Lopez settled in quickly in his first game after transferring from UNC, while Carlos Hernandez, Antonio Meeks and Kam Shanks all helped stretch the field in an offense that also got strong protection up front.
The defense did its part, too, holding Akron to just 3 points through three quarters and getting a busy afternoon from linebacker Vincent Firenze, who finished with 9 tackles, a tackle for loss and a forced fumble. Even the kicking game was a weapon, with Ethan Hyams averaging 49 yards per punt and ranking second nationally, though the bigger question coming out of the opener is how long Wake Forest can keep that early rhythm if one of its key receiving threats is forced to miss extended time. [Read more 🡒]