It is commonplace to see college football players leave their school early to get to workouts with a trainer in hopes of a future in the NFL. Still more common these days is the yearly use of the transfer portal. There is the promise of more playing time or more money somewhere else. “Getting the bag,” as it has become known, is a primary reason to bolt. But for a group of Wake Forest seniors, “getting the bag” was not the priority. And the playing time would be earned by proving themselves to a new coaching staff. For those Wake Forest seniors, the decision to stay was worth it.
Wake Forest Seniors Say It Was Worth It To Come Back
Making a Pact in the Face of Adversity
Early last December, a small group of Wake Forest defensive players talked with each other about coming back for one more year. They each had a year of eligibility left and likely could have moved on somewhere else. It’s the common thing to do these days. And these players were coming off back-to-back 4-8 seasons. Despite the team record, their individual play was not going to be a detriment to opportunities elsewhere. But the stain of two poor seasons by the Demon Deacons certainly sat with them.
But instead of being an issue that drove them elsewhere, the group agreed that it would be an issue that would cause them to stay at Wake. They agreed to return to the school and the program as a whole. Linebacker Quincy Bryant, linebacker Dylan Hazen, and defensive back Nick Anderson are now reaping the rewards of that decision.
Bryant told us during Fall camp about the pact. He said it was less about individual stats or achievements. It was more about not leaving Wake Forest with the type of season the Deacs had in 2024. “We want to win at Wake because of how much it has done for us,” Bryant told us back in August. He said the group that made the pact felt they owed more to the school than to leave with back-to-back 4-8 seasons.
Why Wake
It wasn’t always as they had planned. After they mutually agreed to return for one more season, the head coach who recruited them all to Wake Forest, Dave Clawson, announced his retirement. In came Jake Dickert from Washington State, a coach with whom most of them were not very familiar.
Bryant told us during Fall camp that the change in coach was not going to alter their plans because it was about the bigger picture.
The Demon Deacons finished the season 8-4. They were a call or two away from beating Georgia Tech and lost at the end of the regular season to Duke thanks to plenty of self-inflicted wounds. Then again, the record likely benefited from last year’s cancellation of the 2025 game at Ole Miss and the substitution of Oregon State.
Now, instead of being done with their college football careers, the group is preparing for a bowl game for the first time in three years. The Deacs will face Mississippi State on January 2nd in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
In Retrospect
So was the extra year of hard work and having your body banged up worth coming back? “One hundred percent,” Hazen recently told us. “I think me, Nick, and Quincy all had that mindset of coming back and making the most of it. We were going to go pedal to the metal and see what happens.”
Hazen said leaving the Wake Forest program better than it was in the prior two seasons was a big deal. “We had that caliber of a team this season to compete for the conference championship. Some games didn’t go our way, but we competed hard every game and got a lot of good results.”
Anderson’s career has seen a trajectory that took him from walk-on to All-ACC first team this year. He echoed Hazen’s thoughts on the group returning. “I couldn’t be happier, coming back,” he said last week. “The new coaching staff has been unbelievable. It’s been a good year, but like I said, we have some unfinished business, and I’d like to go out on a win.”
Anderson finished the 2025 regular season with 95 total tackles, which is 27 shy of last year. But the upside to that stat is the defensive line and linebackers in front of him were much more impactful and effective this season than they were last year. Anderson, who has been dubbed Captain America by Dickert, was allowed to play more freely and instinctively. That resulted in a career-high passes defended (deflected) with seven. By the way, Anderson admitted he has never seen a Captain America movie.
Hazen said that for him, the year has exceeded his expectations. “For me, this has surpassed what I thought it was going to be. I have enjoyed it this year.” He said the bond with Anderson, Bryant, and some of the new teammates who transferred in before the season was bigger to him than he imagined.
Looking Ahead
He said it also makes it harder knowing there is only one game left as a group. “I have been here for five years now, so I have a strong connection to Wake Forest now, but that is also why I came back for another year,” he said. “It definitely makes leaving this place a lot harder.”
Anderson said last week that he is solely focused on the game ahead. There is time later to think of what the legacy is for the group that made the pact to return.
Main Image: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images
