Wake Forest has a leadership void to fill in 2026. It happens to schools every year. And it gets harder and harder to manage with college sports becoming a transitory world when it comes to roster management. But a handful of players seem to have risen to the responsibility as the Demon Deacons prepare for Fall camp.
Wake Forest Is Filling the Leadership Void
The Nick Anderson Legacy
Head coach Jake Dickert is having to replace defensive back Nick Anderson not just on the field but as an irrefutable leader of the team. Anderson went from walk-on to all-conference over a six-year college career in Winston-Salem. What he may have lacked in natural athletic ability, he more than made up for with a tenacious work ethic, learned knowledge of the game, and a style of leadership that had players on both sides of the ball willing to follow him.
But, despite the efforts of some Twitter/X-based attorneys, the days of six-year players are gone. Living in the present at Wake Forest means finding the voices in the locker room that will lead the team. Defensive back Davaughn Patterson, defensive lineman Langston Hardy, and quarterback Gio Lopez are right there.
Three at the Top of the List
It is a given for Lopez because every team needs the quarterback to be a go-to guy for teammates. For Patterson and Hardy, it is a matter of experience on and off the field and, according to Dickert, a mindset about how to grow the next generation of team leaders.
We’ve got a really strong leadership group on this team,” Dickert told us last week. “And we’ve got to leverage that.” He added, “I see Langston, I see Vaughn, I see Gio out there when no one needs to be there, teaching the young guys the scheme.”
Patterson
Patterson is entering his fourth year at Wake. He is “the name” in the Deacs’ secondary that opponents will be focusing on. He had 80 total tackles last season while playing through a painful sports hernia. But it is what he brings to the locker room that Dickert values just as much. “Vaughn is one of the fiercest competitors you could ever imagine. His leadership capability has grown in our time together,” Dickert said from the media stage last week.
Patterson said his style is to lead by example. He pointed to some Summer workouts recently that were in temperatures hitting the mid-90s. “Of course people are tired. But it’s up to us to show that we can get through it with mental fortitude.” He said it’s about being out front to show how it’s done. He called it being a motivator to show what’s possible.
He gives credit to Anderson for setting the example of how to lead. “Nick was a great leader for the team. He’s vocal, and he’s everything you want in a leader. With him gone, a lot of guys are going to have to step up if we want to continue to have the success we had last year.”
Hardy
Dickert places a premium on the team leaders getting to know each player in an individual capacity, particularly within their position groups. He even breaks the roster down into subgroups in order to facilitate a more personal learning curve.
Hardy talked about using that model to hone his leadership skills. He referenced the recent workouts in the Summer heat and what he learned from observing three incoming freshmen on the defensive line. “Seeing how those guys attacked that workout was big for me. As a leader, trying to lead them, I’m trying to see where they are at in their own journey.” Hardy talked about getting to know them on a personal basis with time spent off the field. He then tries to put that to use in the on-field work. “Seeing how they attack days like that is good for an older guy on the team. I know how I can push these guys because I know what they will respond to.”
We told Dickert what Patterson and Hardy told us about their desire to step up as leaders and what they learned from Anderson’s example. “There is an old adage. Great leaders, when they walk through the door, they leave it open for others to walk through. They don’t close it behind them and not want others to achieve the same things.”
Fall camp for Wake Forest opens on August 3rd.
Main Image: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
