Anyone closely following the Wake Forest Spring camp this year can clearly see significant differences compared to last year. The defense has some veteran leadership voids, as some key players are out with injuries. The offense is working to blend new pieces together. Some of it is working well. Some of it needs much more work.<\/p>\n
The Demon Deacons spent some of Thursday\u2019s practice in actual scrimmage mode. The assessment<\/a> on how they looked at the halfway point of camp will come after watching the films. But first impressions were pretty clear. There are some elements where the Deacs are ahead of the same time frame as last season.<\/p>\n The most obvious upgrade from year to year is at quarterback. That\u2019s not to say Gio Lopez is going to top anyone\u2019s list of top transfer portal quarterbacks for the 2026 season. But at the times of self-reflection, it is a step up from the 2025 Spring camp. There were days when Robby Ashford was the best in the room, and that was sometimes by default. There were times when it was Deshaun Purdie. And there were more times when it was neither.<\/p>\n Fast forward to today, and Lopez is \u201cthe guy.\u201d He has some hits and some misses. But he is QB1. And Steele Pizzella, a guy who head coach Jake Dickert says is one of the smartest players he has ever worked with, is having a solid camp at QB2.<\/p>\n After the scrimmage on Thursday, Dickert met with the media. \u201cI think I get caught in the same trap as some of the other coaches comparing where we are now to where we finished last year,\u201d Dickert said. \u201cI\u2019ve just got to remind myself. Last year, after scrimmage one, it was raining. I watched it this morning. We couldn\u2019t move the ball. We couldn\u2019t throw a vertical pass. And we busted everywhere on defense.\u201d Yes, you read that correctly. Dickert spent Thursday morning going back and looking at the film of last year\u2019s first scrimmage in order to help get some context for Thursday\u2019s work.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know, just like remind ourselves that building a team takes time. And we can\u2019t keep comparing to last year and where this team is at. But I think we\u2019re in a good place.\u201d<\/p>\n Just going through the eyeball test of the morning, Dickert said, \u201cI think we\u2019re so much farther along. I\u2019ll give our coaches credit in that.\u201d He said the players are driving the improved work, and he is happy with the off-season talent acquisitions. \u201cEven in recruiting, we\u2019re so much farther along. We\u2019re in a whole different place. And I\u2019ve said this many times before. Wake Forest can be a football program.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s not to say there is not significant work to do in the remaining three weeks of camp. \u201dWe\u2019ve got to firm up the pocket [offensive line pass protection]. That\u2019s our number one thing on offense. And we\u2019ve got to get better at it.\u201d<\/p>\n Offensive coordinator Rob Ezell met with the media for the first time this Spring. He was Lopez\u2019s offensive coordinator at South Alabama in 2024. So even though Lopez may be new to Wake Forest, he is not new to Ezell\u2019s schemes. \u201che\u2019s done a really good job of elevating the players around him and bringing the confidence into them,\u201d Ezell said after the scrimmage.<\/p>\n Beyond the headlines that come with having a new quarterback, Ezell said he has been pleased with the development at the wide receiver position. Carlos Hernandez was the returning receiver with the most game experience. But others have made it a competition at the position. Tyler Chase and Jack Foley have had big moments throughout the first three weeks of camp. And even with being slight of build, Kam Shanks<\/a> has made a real claim to be the every down slot receiver, all 5\u2019-8\u201d, 170 pounds of him.<\/p>\nThe Biggest Difference<\/h3>\n
The Film Always Tells the Story<\/h3>\n
Ezell Gives His Take On His Offense<\/h2>\n