Wake Forest is getting one quarterback through the transfer portal while now being in a position of needing at least one more. Head coach Jake Dickert has worked the New Hampshire corridor to get two more players in positions of need. And the Demon Deacons are tapping into another well-known football family for some help in the secondary.<\/p>\n
The biggest news of the last 24 hours was that of North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Gio Lopez committing to transfer to Wake Forest. The 5\u2019-11\u201d lefthander will be entering his fourth season. He had two seasons at South Alabama, with 2023 being a redshirt year. He spent last season in Chapel Hill.<\/p>\n
His production at UNC dropped tremendously from his numbers in 2024 at South Alabama. He played in 11 games in both seasons. But at UNC, his total passing numbers dropped by 800 yards. His touchdowns dropped from 18 in 2024 to 10 last year. If you are a Wake Forest fan, your hope lies in the rekindling of a football relationship. Lopez\u2019s offensive coordinator at South Alabama was Rob Ezell, the current OC at Wake Forest, and a likely part of the reason the quarterback made the choice he did. Lopez was 21 of 36 passing for 201 yards and no touchdowns in UNC’s 28-12 loss to Wake Forest in November.<\/p>\n
With the late entry of quarterback Deshawn Purdie into the transfer portal, Dickert is likely in the market for one more quarterback. To this point, with five days left to enter the portal, Wake also has redshirt freshman Steele Pizzella. They also have incoming freshmen Gannon Jones from Raleigh, NC, and Grant Lawless from Denver, NC.<\/p>\n
Dickert now also has commitments from D.J. Johnson, an edge rusher transferring from the University of New Hampshire, and Tolu Olajide, an offensive lineman also from UNH.<\/p>\n
Olajide has been primarily at left tackle in his college career. He started all 13 games last season and was 1st<\/sup> team all-conference. Before UNH, he played at Stonehill in Massachusetts. He comes to Wake as a 6\u2019-5\u201d, 300-pound grad transfer, so he will be in Winston-Salem for one season.<\/p>\n Johnson brings depth to the edge rusher position for Wake. Gabe Kirschke and Langston Hardy both return for a final year. But Johnson figures to compete for snaps in camp. He was a redshirt freshman in 2025 for UNH, where he totaled 42 tackles and two-and-a-half sacks. The effort was good enough for him to be named to Phil Steele\u2019s Freshman All-American Second Team.<\/p>\n Johnson is 6\u2019-4\u201d, 250 pounds, and has three years of eligibility left.<\/p>\n The Demon Deacons are also getting Ryan Berger, an offensive lineman from Oregon State. Berger is listed at 6\u2019-4\u201d, 318 pounds. He was the Beavers’ highest-graded offensive lineman per PFF this year and has two years of eligibility left.<\/p>\n Dickert has also signed center Will Way from Weber State. Way is 6\u2019-3\u201d, 290 pounds, and originally from Tucson. He redshirted in 2023 at Weber State, played in four games in 2024, and then in 10 games this last season after recovering from a torn hamstring.<\/p>\n Lastly, on Wednesday, Wake signed a player from a legendary football family. Brian Blades II is a defensive back who is transferring from Florida International. His father, Brian, won two national championships as a wide receiver for the Miami Hurricanes in 1983 and 1987. His uncle, Bennie, was on Miami’s 1987 championship team as an All-American safety.<\/p>\n The younger Blades has been a three-year starter at FIU. He was an all-conference honorable mention in 2025 after recording 26 tackles, one interception, and one fumble recovery.<\/p>\nOffensive Line<\/h3>\n
Heritage Player<\/h3>\n
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