Wake Forest has had a quietly good offseason so far. Teams want to focus on the extremes, like Louisville’s elite transfer portal or Georgia Tech’s disastrous transfer portal. Some teams have made huge additions, but others fly under the radar. Wake Forest falls under the latter. None of their moves have been huge game-changers until Friday. Wake Forest picked up Washington State guard Nate Calmese in the portal. Several high-profile schools wanted Calmese, so he is a huge addition. What does Calmese bring to the Demon Deacons? Who else will be joining Calmese in Winston-Salem? Can Wake Forest end their NCAA Tournament drought?
NEWS: Washington State transfer guard Nate Calmese has committed to Wake Forest, he tells @On3sports.
The 6-2 junior averaged 15.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game.
Scored 27 points on Iowa, 21 on Washington, and 20 on Gonzaga this season.… pic.twitter.com/RecDearRt6
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) April 18, 2025
Wake Forest Adds Elite Guard Nate Calmese to Impressive Transfer Portal Class
What Does Nate Calmese Bring to Wake Forest?
Calmese is a scorer at heart, but provides in several aspects of the game. He averaged 15.2 points per game on 47.4% shooting, but only hit threes at a 29.1% clip. He also averaged 4.4 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game, along with 1.6 steals. This will be Calmese’s fourth school in as many years, transferring from Lamar to Washington before heading to Washington State. Calmese struggled in his only power conference appearance, averaging only 10.9 minutes per game at Washington. He also struggled with turnovers this season, averaging 3.0 per game. In some regards, this is a riskier signing for the Demon Deacons, but their last WCC transfer, Hunter Sallis, ended up fitting in well. It’s a good risk to take on a high-scoring player from a relatively strong mid-major conference.
Who Else is Transferring in?
Several strong transfers will join Calmese in Wake Forest this year. Mekhi Mason from Washington committed on Wednesday. He averaged 9.9 points per game, shooting 42.5% from the field and 40.2% from three. Mason averaged 14 points as a sophomore at Rice. Cooper Schwieger committed earlier in the portal and appears set to replace Efton Reid. Schwieger averaged 15.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game at Valparaiso as a sophomore. Schwieger only shot 29.9% from three, but even a faint scoring threat from the outside will open the lane. The last transfer, Myles Colvin from Purdue, is more of a flyer. Colvin averaged 5.4 points per game in 17.8 minutes. He flashed potential early in the season, scoring 20 points against Ole Miss, but Steve Forbes hopes he can bring more out of Colvin in a bigger role.
Can Wake Forest Compete for an NCAA Tournament Bid?
The Demon Deacons were in a strong position before a late-season collapse ended any hopes of earning a big. However, Wake Forest hopes that transfers like Calmese can help end this mini-NCAA Tournament drought. Forbes has struggled with the downfall of the ACC, putting together records that would put him in the NCAA Tournament in every other power conference. There is reason for hope this season in the ACC, and Wake Forest will have to put together a strong season.
The ACC won’t jump past seven bids, so they will have to outplay some of their peers. Louisville and Clemson have put together strong classes. North Carolina is slowly building their class, and Duke will bring in one of the top high school recruiting classes in the nation. Despite North Carolina’s shortcomings before a shocking bid to the NCAA Tournament, they will likely find themselves back next year. That leaves at most three more spots for the NCAA Tournament from the ACC. This has been a good offseason so far, but adding one more solid transfer would ease some minds. Regardless of their additions, they need to step up their play on the court next season to avoid being on the wrong end of the bubble again.
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