After what felt to some like a lifetime with Sam Hartman leading the Demon Deacons offense, the Wake Forest spotlight shines on Mitch Griffis for the 2023 season. The differences are clear now but may become even more stark in the weeks ahead.
Griffis was one of the three Wake Forest player representatives at ACC media days last week. It’s a role previously played by Hartman. It’s common for most teams to have QB1 as the face of the program. The similarities between Wake Forest then and Wake Forest now end there.
A Different Vibe
Hartman looked like the part of the experienced veteran. He had a full beard, numerous tattoos, a confident swagger, and a demeanor that said he understood the obligation that went with being QB1. He was mostly tolerant of the media if not always willing to handle the task at hand.
Commence the Griffis era. He is in his fourth year at Wake Forest, and he has patiently been waiting his turn. His youthful appearance says he could have just as easily been spending that time working at a small community malt shop. He is confident in answering questions from the media but does so with a grin that says he is just happy people are asking him the questions.
Griffis has one career start at Wake. Following Hartman’s emergency surgery halfway through Fall training camp last year, Griffis stepped in as the starter for the season opener against VMI. He went 21 of 29 throwing for 288 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. It was impressive, but let’s be real. It was VMI. He appeared in mop-up duty three more times in 2023, including the loss at Louisville where Hartman’s season unraveled.
Job Security
At ACC Kickoff, he was reminded that this is not just about playing football. It is now his offense to run, and he is the face of the program as QB1, there was not one bit of unease in his response. “It’s not daunting. It’s an awesome experience. And it’s a blessing to be here. It’s a dream come true. That’s how I treat it.”
In an era where quarterbacks quickly do the paperwork for the transfer portal when they have to sit for a season, Griffis has more than put in his time. “In terms of playing time, it was hard to wait. I’m a competitor. I wanted to play. I wish I could have played earlier, but again, there was no other group of guys I wanted to play with. It was well worth the wait, and I still have three years left, so my career is just getting started,” Griffis said.
He was also gratified when head coach Dave Clawson gave him reassurances after Spring camp that there would be no portal shopping for the Demon Deacons. Griffis was his guy.
New Responsibilities
He is convinced he has worked every day for this opportunity. “Up to this point in the off-season, I have worked the hardest I can,” he said last week. “I’ve maximized my skills up to today. There is still room for me to get better as the days go on. But I think the room for me to grow the most is just through experiences.”
Among the experiences are the outside commitments that come with being the newly ordained team leader. “Going through media day, doing more interviews after practice. Kind of outside of the building things have picked up for me. But in the building, it’s been the exact same,” he said. “When I came to campus as a freshman, I knew I was going to be a starting quarterback one day. And I’ve prepared every single day like I was a starter. So my preparation really hasn’t changed much.”
He gets the standard Wake Forest opener against an FCS team, as the Demon Deacons host Elon on August 31st. But the schedule is full of challenges once the out-of-conference games are out of the way. There is Clemson and Virginia Tech on the road as well as home games against Pitt and Florida State.
That Guy On The Other Sideline Looks Familiar
And then there is that game. We asked Griffis, with the premise that he is supposed to say he just takes it all one game at a time, if he had a reaction when he saw the game scheduled for November 18th. We hadn’t even finished asking the question when he started grinning. He knew where we were going with the question. “I’m not going to sit here and lie and say I’m not interested in that game,” he said about playing Notre Dame, and its new quarterback, Sam Hartman. “I think everybody in our program is really excited for that game. I’ll tell you what, he wants to kick our tail too. It’s a mutual competitiveness, a mutual respect obviously,” he added.
“Sam did amazing things for five years for our program. I can’t thank him enough as a mentor and as a friend. I’m always rooting for him. I hope they go 11-1,” he finished with a wry grin.
Training camp opens Monday with six practices scheduled in the first week.
Photo courtesy: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
