In a bit of surprise in Winston-Salem, Wake Forest quarterback Deshawn Purdie is now expected to enter the transfer portal. On3 broke the news on Tuesday afternoon.
Wake Forest Quarterback a Late Transfer Portal Entry
It comes as a surprise because Purdie was going to go into Spring camp as the incumbent at the quarterback position. He was in a quarterback battle with Robby Ashford through Spring camp last year and into the Fall camp.
Ashford, the sixth-year player who transferred from South Carolina this time last year, won the starting spot. He had a roller coaster of a season, production-wise. But he put up five touchdowns (three passing and two rushing) in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl last week to win the game MVP. His college eligibility is now over.
That left Purdie, a transfer from Charlotte. In his sophomore year at Wake Forest, Purdie played in eight games. He was 41 of 82, throwing for 618 yards, six touchdowns, and three interceptions. He did not play in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl on Friday. The 50% completion mark mirrored what he did as a freshman at Charlotte in 2024. He was 100 of 200 throwing with the 49ers for 1,802 yards, 10 touchdown passes, and six interceptions.
At 6’-5”, 220 pounds, Purdie is a physical presence. Ironically, though, he struggles in the pocket, even with his height. He throws with a three-quarter arm motion, which tends to negate his height advantage in the pocket. Purdie was much more effective when on designed rollouts or throwing on the run. He has the physical potential to play the position while still needing considerable refinement.
He goes into the portal with two years of playing time still available to him.
The move comes as a bit of a surprise because Jake Dickert had one-on-one meetings with every potentially returning player in the days after the regular season finale at Duke. Within days, a handful of players announced they would be going into the portal when the window opened on January 2nd. Getting an idea of what their future is at their current school is now a part of the evaluation process every year, and it results in players being told they might be better served elsewhere. That is often an explanation for the early entry announcements. But Purdie deciding to enter four days after the portal window opened is a bit of a surprise.
While Dickert was always likely to shop for at least one quarterback in the transfer portal, in the here and now, that leaves Wake Forest with one quarterback who took any snaps all season. Freshman Steele Pizzella took some late-game snaps in the blowout win at Oregon State in October.
But even while already having a quarterback on the shopping list, the position now moves much higher up the priority list for Dickert. There is one week left to enter the portal. But players can come out whenever they have found a new home. Out of all the Wake Forest players who announced they were entering the portal in the previous weeks, many have not completed their filing. Only defensive lineman Mateen Ibirogba completed his filing and is moving on to Texas Tech.
Main Image: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images
