Wake Forest has taken one of the biggest names off the coaching board.
Jake Dickert has agreed to a new contract with the Demon Deacons, a deal that will boost both the staff and roster salary pools and keep him in Winston-Salem for the long haul. The move shuts down growing outside interest from the biggest jobs in the market and gives Wake Forest a chance to ride this season without the noise.
Dickert has wasted no time making his mark. Wake Forest is 17-5 under his watch, including an 8-1 start this season with the only loss coming against Miami.
His first year in charge produced a 9-4 record, the most wins ever by a first-year coach at Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons are also sitting at No. 13 in the latest College Football Playoff Rankings.
“Wake Forest University is committed to football success at the highest level and Coach Dickert has done an extraordinary job of inspiring belief among our players, fans and the entire Demon Deacon community,” Wake Forest athletic director John Currie said in a statement. “I am grateful for his and Candice's commitment and trust and especially appreciate President Rodriguez and our Board leadership recognizing that now was the time to go ahead and eliminate any outside speculation so that our team and Deacon Nation can put all our energy into the stretch run of this special season.”
Dickert also addressed the moment on social media, writing: “Candice and I have such a high level of appreciation for everyone involved at Wake Forest that believes in us and the future of our football program. We know what the path ahead looks like and we are excited to be a huge part of the future. As always, we need ALL of Demon… https://t.co/5TlEYX5MmS”
With Dickert secured, the next questions at Wake Forest are about who stays with him. Offensive coordinator Rob Ezell and quarterback Gio Lopez are now front and center.
Ezell is in his first season calling plays at the Power Four level, and the results have been loud: Wake Forest owns the No. 9 offense in the sport. Lopez has been even better, posting an 18-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio and the No.
8 QBR nationally.
The Deacons’ next test comes Saturday at SMU, where the winner will move into the lead spot as the new favorite to reach the ACC Championship Game against Miami.
Dickert’s path to this point has been anything but ordinary. He started as a wide receiver at Wisconsin-Stevens Point, then two years after graduating joined the staff at North Dakota State as safeties coach. From there, he climbed through Division II stops at Augustana and Minnesota State before reaching the FBS.
His rise accelerated in 2021, when he was promoted to interim coach after Nick Rolovich's abrupt dismissal. Dickert steadied Washington State right away and eventually guided the Cougars to a 23-20 record and a Holiday Bowl appearance while the Pac-12 unraveled around him.
Now he’s done something similar at Wake Forest, giving the program stability and momentum in the NIL era. Dave Clawson built the Demon Deacons into a consistent winner as a developmental coach, and Dickert has carried that culture into 2026.
Lopez has been a major part of the surge. After a mediocre season at North Carolina and a messy situation with Bill Belichick, he arrived at Wake Forest as a reclamation project. Reunited with Ezell, who coached him during a successful run at South Alabama, Lopez has taken off.
The junior has completed 67% of his passes for 2,176 yards, 18 touchdowns and one interception. He has also run for 317 yards and six touchdowns. Among ACC quarterbacks, he ranks near the top in almost every passing category alongside SMU’s Kevin Jennings and Miami’s Darian Mensah.
For Wake Forest, locking up Dickert changes the whole picture. The program’s next move is to keep Ezell and Lopez in place, because if both stay, the Demon Deacons could become one of the most intriguing teams of the offseason.
Dickert’s new deal also reshapes the coaching market. He had been a repeated name in carousel chatter after his work at Wake Forest, and his ACC ties made him a popular possibility at Florida State.
With him now off the board, Florida State’s search shifts elsewhere, including former coach Jimbo Fisher. Duke’s Manny Diaz and Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham have also been linked to the opening.
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