Wake Forest has employed Washington State’s Jake Dickert to grow to be the Demon Deacons’ subsequent soccer coach.
The college introduced the transfer Wednesday morning, two days after Dave Clawson resigned unexpectedly after 11 seasons that included common bowl bids and an Atlantic Coast Convention division title.
“Coach Dickert’s approach to building a program — through evaluation and development of talent with a plan rooted in detail, discipline, and an unwavering commitment to student-athlete development — reminds me of what made Dave Clawson so successful during his 11-year transformational tenure as our head football coach,” athletic director John Currie stated in an announcement from the varsity.
“Jake’s philosophy of fostering personal growth, cultivating trust within the team, and relentlessly competing for championships embodies the principles we hold dear.”
Dickert, 41, had been the defensive coordinator when he took over throughout the 2021 season because the Cougars’ interim coach after Washington State fired Nick Rolovich for refusing a state mandate that every one staff get vaccinated in opposition to COVID-19. Dickert led the group to a 3-3 end to earn the everlasting job, then went 20-17 within the three seasons since.
The Athletic first reported Wake Forest was set to rent Dickert.
“We will have a clear focus on retaining our current roster while adding valuable pieces that fit our program and Wake Forest University,” Dickert stated in an announcement. “Additionally, I am excited to immerse myself in this special community as throughout this process my belief that this is the perfect place for our family and our program only strengthened.”
Washington State has spent 9 weeks within the AP High 25 ballot over the previous two seasons, peaking at No. 13 throughout a five-week run amid a 4-0 begin in 2023 and reaching No. 19 in early November of this season.
Washington State went 8-4 this 12 months, the primary because the Pac-12 fell aside with nearly all of its faculties scattering to the Atlantic Coast Convention, Huge 12 and Huge Ten. The Cougars are set to play No. 22 Syracuse within the Vacation Bowl on Dec. 27.
Dickert arrived at Washington State after a three-year run at Wyoming in a profession with stops which have included the Division II degree, although these had typically been at faculties within the central a part of the nation or additional west.
He’ll relocate to the jap seaboard for this job at an elite non-public college with one of many smallest undergraduate enrollments within the Bowl Subdivision ranks (5,471 college students within the 2023-24 tutorial 12 months). It additionally comes because the Demon Deacons have suffered by way of consecutive 4-8 seasons in Clawson’s in any other case profitable run, a product of a altering panorama in school sports activities that hindered Wake Forest’s profitable method of retaining and growing gamers to compete with faculties that includes four- and five-star prospects.
Notably, these modifications have included free participant motion by way of the switch portal and gamers with the ability to revenue from their athletic fame by way of identify, picture and likeness (NIL) alternatives — a mix that has led to roster upheaval throughout school sports activities.
In Wake Forest’s case, the Demon Deacons had an 11-win season that included a visit to the ACC title recreation in 2021, in addition to transient stints within the high 10 of the AP High 25 in 2021 and 2022 amid a run of seven straight bowl appearances earlier than the previous two four-win seasons.