WINSTON-SALEM – After 11 transformative seasons, Wake Forest football coach Dave Clawson is stepping down, marking the end of an era that elevated the Demon Deacons from perennial ACC underdog to a program that consistently challenged expectations.
Clawson's departure, announced Monday, comes after two challenging 4-8 seasons that followed a remarkable peak in 2021 when Wake Forest reached the ACC Championship Game and achieved its highest-ever national ranking. The 57-year-old coach will transition to a special advisory role within the university, maintaining his connection to the program he dramatically reshaped.
"Coaching at Wake Forest has been the honor of my career," Clawson said in a statement. "Together, we achieved things that many thought impossible."
Those achievements are substantial. Clawson is the only coach in NCAA history to lead four different Division I programs to double-digit wins in a season. At Wake Forest, he guided the team to seven consecutive bowl games, including a historic run with top-10 national rankings in 2021 and 2022 – the highest in school history.
His tenure saw remarkable milestones: three consecutive wins against Florida State, an ACC Championship Game appearance, and a 5-2 record in bowl games. Clawson leaves with a 67-69 overall record, the best winning percentage for a Wake Forest football coach since the school joined the ACC in 1953.
However, the landscape of college football has dramatically shifted, and Clawson's resignation reflects the increasingly challenging environment for mid-tier programs. Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals and the transfer portal have fundamentally altered team-building strategies.
"To fix problems, you need a lot of money," Clawson candidly stated earlier this season. Wake Forest's NIL budget was believed to be among the lowest in the 17-team ACC, creating significant recruitment and retention challenges.
The program's recent decline was stark. After six consecutive winning seasons, Wake Forest went 4-8 in both 2022 and 2023. The Demon Deacons won just three ACC games over those two years, a precipitous drop from their 2021 success.
Clawson's frustration became increasingly apparent, particularly when star quarterback Sam Hartman transferred to Notre Dame. He openly criticized the current college football ecosystem, noting how quickly players can move between programs.
"Many players now, if they don't have the exact role they want by Years 2 or 3, are likely to leave," Clawson said in November, hinting at the underlying tensions driving his decision.
Wake Forest President Susan R. Wente praised Clawson's impact, stating he "embodied Wake Forest's motto of Pro Humanitate, fostering success on the field, in the classroom, and in the community."
Athletic Director John Currie described Clawson as "the epitome of integrity, innovation, and excellence in college football" who elevated the program to "unprecedented heights."
The timing of Clawson's resignation is strategically significant. With the winter transfer window currently open, Wake Forest must quickly identify a successor who can retain current players and recruit new talent. A 30-day transfer window begins Tuesday, allowing players to transfer due to the coaching change.
Clawson plans to take a year off from coaching, ending a 36-year career in college football. His legacy at Wake Forest is secure: a coach who transformed expectations and proved that a smaller academic institution could compete at the highest levels of collegiate athletics.
As the Demon Deacons begin their search for a new leader, Clawson's tenure will be remembered as a pivotal moment in the program's history – a time when possibility trumped probability.
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