The difference a year makes is striking. At the Wake Forest Pro Day in 2025, Dave Clawson was a significant presence. He had resigned\/retired\/stepped down as head coach three months earlier. But he wanted to be around for the guys who had played for him the previous season. New head coach Jake Dickert was there but stayed in the background. Move forward to Wednesday at the McCreary Football Fieldhouse, and it was now Dickert\u2019s show.<\/p>\n
Sure, some of these guys were recruited by and played for Clawson. But this is Dickert\u2019s program now<\/a>, and he was there to see through the players who went 9-4 in his first season (10-3 with an asterisk, he said with a sly grin).<\/p>\n Fourteen players in all performed an array of weight room measurables and drills on the field in front of pro scouts. There were 13 recent Wake players and offensive lineman Zach Vaughn. He played for the Deacs from 2021 to 2024 before transferring to Western Michigan for the 2025 season. Vaughn was invited to have his pro day at Wake Forest to perform in front of a bigger crowd of scouts.<\/p>\n Twenty-eight NFL teams and seven Canadian Football League teams sent scouts to observe the day\u2019s workouts. There is a prize in plain view for the CFL franchises. Canadian teams are permitted to have 19 Americans, not including the quarterback on a roster. But Wake\u2019s defensive lineman Nuer Gatkuoth is from Edmonton, Alberta. A player who refined his skills in Winston-Salem, but does not count against the American roster limit, is an enticing proposition for CFL teams.<\/p>\n Dickert talked with the media before the day’s events. \u201cI remember standing here a year ago, last year, and just kind of watching and observing,\u201d he said. \u201cNow to have these 13 guys. I just got done talking about them to the NFL scouts. These guys are cornerstones for our program.\u201d<\/p>\n He said he told his players to relax throughout the day, as they have done these drills so many times over the year. Dickert said no matter what happens on a day like this, \u201cYour tape speaks for itself.\u201d He said the game film is always going to get more credit from scouts and NFL front office personnel than does the NFL Combine or Pro Day. \u201cI try to remind them this game isn\u2019t played in shorts and tights.\u201d<\/p>\n Dickert gave credit to his front office staff for working with pro football scouts to help prime the pump for Wake players. There is the added value that getting players in at the next level helps Dickert\u2019s recruiting pitch<\/a> for high school players and for the transfer portal players. \u201cFrom a recruiting standpoint, it\u2019s huge. And we use it quite often to talk about development,\u201d he said on Wednesday. \u201cI think we do an elite job developing football players, emotionally, physically, systematically.\u201d<\/p>\n The media was not allowed in the weight room, where vertical jumps and bench press numbers were under scrutiny by the scouts. But there were plenty of on-field drills to get through.<\/p>\n All results are incredibly unofficial. But the scouts compare notes on things like the 40-yard times for players. Much like with the NFL Combine, those times are talked about the most. But for the scouts, it is obvious that there has never been a play in a game where someone ran 40 yards in a straight line with no gear on and no football in the hands. The relevance of those times is relative.<\/p>\n But if numbers are going to be examined, Wake standout players like defensive back Nick Anderson and his 4.45 40-yard dash time are going to be notable. So is the day for the linebacker Dylan Hazen. He looked like he had bulked up a little in the off-season workouts with pro trainers. Hazen did 39 reps at 225 pounds on the bench press and had a 39-inch vertical leap. He also had one of the best broad jump numbers of the day at 10\u2019-4\u201d.\u00a0 He also ran a very unofficial 4.4 40-yard dash.<\/p>\nJake Dickert’s Stamp on Wake Forest Pro Day<\/h2>\n
Advice for His Players<\/h3>\n
The Numbers That Got Attention<\/h3>\n
Time for Wake Stars to Look Ahead<\/h2>\n