How a childhood promise drives Wake Forest running back Demond Claiborne
Wake Forest running back Demond Claiborne owes everything to a promise he made himself when he was a child.
He saw his single mother, Tomeka, struggling to work three jobs to provide for him, his twin and three other siblings. All he wanted was to help her out of a situation he was too young to fully understand. He swore to himself that he would work harder every moment to get her out of the situation.
That was before the vessel became football. And before he knew he had the talent to keep his promise. But he’s always worked for something beyond just a love for the sport.
“That’s still definitely a big part of my life,” Claiborne said. “(It’s) the driving point in my life to not let her outwork me.”
Years after he first made that promise, Claiborne is in his senior season at Wake Forest, playing for the people who shaped him. The running back finished last season with 228 carries for a career-high 1,049 yards and a career-high 11 touchdowns, making him the first Demon Deacon to rush for more than 1,000 yards since 2018. His rushing touchdowns also tied former quarterback Sam Hartman for the second-most in program history. He’s only the second player at Wake Forest to record more than 1,000 rushing yards and 250 receiving yards in a single season.
The Demon Deacons are desperate to become a winning program again after two consecutive seasons finishing 4-8. Newly-named head coach Jake Dickert — who took over after longtime coach Dave Clawson retired — thinks the answer rests in Claiborne.
“Demond is not just defined by his game and his athleticism,” Dickert said. “It’s the man he is and the man he wants to be in his future, and I think that’s always going to be our edge.”
In 2021, Wake Forest went 11-3. During Claiborne’s freshman season, the Demon Deacons had an 8-5 year. To return to winning ways, they’ve spent the offseason building around the running back.
“My biggest thing is staying consistent, and providing the Demon Deacons with a way and a will,” Claiborne said, before later adding, “(I want) to get this program back to where we used to be.”
And Claiborne welcomes that pressure, especially after questioning whether he would experience it in his small hometown.
Claiborne is from Aylett, Virginia, a town on the outskirts of Richmond and home to around 8,000 people.
As he describes it: “really country.”
There are cows, chickens and turkeys at King William High School, where Claiborne attended. Just under 700 students go there. There’s not much exposure for athletes. Claiborne is considered a novelty.
“We’ve had some good athletes come through here, but we have not had anybody like Demond,” King William head coach Scott Moore said. “He’s a big deal for us.”
Claiborne rushed for 1,318 yards, tallied 700 yards receiving and scored 37 total touchdowns at King William. He led his team to a state championship during his senior year. Aylett saw the potential in him, but even with his numbers, it took longer for anyone else outside the small community to notice it, too.
The running back had opportunities to go elsewhere for more attention. But he never left.
“He’s loyal,” Moore said. “He loves his hometown. He loves his high school, and he stuck by us.”
Still, he was fearful that his future wasn’t shaping up the way he wanted. Before becoming the man of the house after school, Claiborne often shared these worries with his high school guidance counselor, Kami Newbill, who acted as his “second mother.”
He would stop by Newbill’s office twice a day. She has an open door policy, and Claiborne would take her up on it. Newbill thinks he averaged 10 visits a week starting in the ninth grade.
“I was his sounding board and his listening ear, and would try to support him,” Newbill said.
They could talk about anything. He would vent to her about the classroom or home life. Sometimes, Claiborne would even sit there and sing. Sometimes he was silent. Newbill saw all the highs and lows he didn’t share with many other people.
When offers weren’t coming, Claiborne started to question everything. He thought that his work was for nothing, and that would lead to a promise unkept.
He received his first offer to Central Michigan during his junior season. More offers rolled in, eventually topping 15.
Newbill helped him select the right school. He committed to Wake Forest on his mom’s birthday in July 2021.
“Doing that on her birthday, it was a blessing for her,” Claiborne said. “It was really a gift initiated for her, just for all her sacrifices. All the things we didn’t see. The long nights (where) she might have experienced a tear, she might have cried that she didn’t show us.”
He signed the paper right beside her. He shouted out Moore. He thanked Newbill and her husband.
Now, entering what is likely his last year with Wake Forest, his goals are still the same — to work hard for his mom and work for the people who helped him become who he is.
Tomeka texts her son every morning. She sends words of encouragement, telling him how much she loves him. Claiborne often imagines the day where he can tell his mom to quit. She’s the sole reason he continues to play as hard as he does.
“I hope eventually I can provide my mom with the assets and the things she deserves for the sacrifice she’s made,” Claiborne said. “But every day is a day-by-day process.”
Right now, he sticks to the basics. He knows his senior season is about to start, and its a chance to have a long-awaited winning season. He knows he has the chance to prove why the offense should be built around him.
But more than anything, Claiborne knows it’s another chance to keep his promise.
