Wake Forest has hired a new head coach, poaching Jake Dickert from Washington State. Dickert coached the Washington State Cougars for four years, with an overall record of 23 wins and 20 losses. The Demon Deacons’ former head coach, Dave Clawson, recently announced his resignation and the program did not take long to find a suitable replacement. Dickert will join a Wake Forest program that has struggled over recent years and try to turn them into an ACC competitor. Wake Forest finished 4-8 this season, missing out on a bowl game. Bringing in Jake Dickert will begin a new era that can hopefully turn the program around.
Jake Dickert’s Coaching History
Jake Dickert was a successful head coach in his time at Washington State. Dickert had various assistant coaching jobs in Division II from 2009-2016, before Wyoming hired him. He was a safeties coach for several seasons and was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2019. Then, in 2020, Dickert was hired by Washington State as a defensive coordinator. In October 2021, the Cougars’ head coach, Nick Rolovich, was fired and Jake Dickert took over as head coach. Taking over midseason, Dickert coached the Cougars to a 3-3 record, going 3-1 in Pac-12 conference play. Washington State lost to Central Michigan in the Sun Bowl.
In his first full season as a head coach, Jake Dickert coached the Washington State Cougars to a 7-5 record. They lost in the LA Bowl to Fresno State. While the season was unremarkable, it marked the arrival of Cam Ward. The current Heisman finalist and NFL draft prospect spent two seasons playing under Dickert at Washington State. But even with Ward at quarterback, the Cougars struggled the next season, going 5-7 after a 4-0 start. They went 2-7 in Pac-12 conference play and did not qualify for a bowl game. Cam Ward left Washington State that offseason, transferring to the Miami Hurricanes.
In 2024, the Washington State Cougars got off to another hot start. They began the season 4-0 before losing to Boise State. The Cougars went on another winning streak after that and were 8-1. Washington State was ranked in the top 25 and had an outside shot at the College Football Playoff. But they proceeded to lose their last three games to New Mexico, Oregon State, and Wyoming. The Cougars finished 8-4 and are scheduled to play in the Holiday Bowl versus Syracuse. However, they will be doing so without their head coach, Jake Dickert, and without their starting quarterback, John Mateer, who entered the transfer portal.
Joining Wake Forest
Washington State (AP Photo/Young Kwak)
Jake Dickert is joining a Wake Forest program that went 4-8 this season. They went 2-6 in ACC conference play, losing their last four games. Wake Forest’s head coach, Dave Clawson, resigned. Clawson had a record of 67-69, coaching from 2014-2024. In that time, Wake Forest had six winning seasons and five bowl-game victories. Clawson’s best season came in 2021 when Wake Forest went 11-3. They lost in the ACC Championship game to Pittsburgh and defeated Rutgers in the Gator Bowl. But, after going 4-8 for two consecutive seasons, Clawson resigned and Dickert was hired to take his place.
Jake Dickert will be leaving a Washington State program where it looked like he was building something. The news of his departure came as a surprise, with his success in Pullman. But Dickert’s quarterback entered the transfer portal, and the Pac-12 was decimated in conference realignment, so maybe Dickert is getting out before things get worse. His new team, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, have struggled in recent years but had good seasons under Dave Clawson. While they’ve never been a powerhouse program in the ACC, Dickert can attempt to revitalize the program after the resignation of their longtime head coach.
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