Wake Forest head coach Dave Clawson steps down after 11 seasons leading football program
A new era will begin for Wake Forest football.
Head coach Dave Clawson resigned after 11 seasons, the Demon Deacons’ athletic department announced Monday afternoon. Clawson will remain with the university in an advisory role.
The school has begun a national search to find its next head coach.
“Coaching at Wake Forest has been the honor of my career,” Clawson said in a statement. “This is a special place with extraordinary people, and I am deeply grateful for the relationships I’ve built over the last 11 years. Together, we achieved things that many thought impossible, and I step down knowing I gave everything I had for this program and University. I want to thank our players, coaches and staff for their unwavering support and dedication since my arrival to help build a sustainable winning program.
“With that, I am so grateful for our student body, fans and so many special Wake Foresters who invested their time, efforts and money into helping us win. While this chapter is ending, my pride in what we’ve built here will never fade. After completing my 25th season as a head coach and 36th-straight in college football, the timing is right for me and my family to step away into this new role within Wake Forest University.”
Clawson, 57, is the only coach in NCAA history to lead four different Division I programs — Fordham, Richmond, Bowling Green and Wake — to double-digit wins in a season. He will stay at Wake Forest as a special advisor to vice president and athletic director John Currie.
The Demon Deacons appeared in seven straight bowl games under Clawson between 2016-22, their most successful stretch in school history. They were ranked in the Top 10 in both 2021 and 2022, the program’s highest rankings in the AP Top 25 poll.
“Dave Clawson has been the epitome of integrity, innovation, and excellence in college football,” Currie said. “He elevated Wake Forest football to unprecedented heights, not only through success on the field but also by fostering the development of young men as leaders in life. Quite simply, Dave Clawson’s leadership, competitive drive and strategic instincts have made football at Wake Forest important, and a flagship program for our entire community and University at a scale that might have been unimaginable to most when he arrived 11 years ago.
“Our student-athletes are always our top priority during such a transition. Along with president Susan R. Wente and our entire athletics and university leadership team, I am committed to ensuring our current football players receive support, guidance and care during this time. With that, a national search is underway to find our next head coach.”
