WSU’s Jake Dickert headed to Wake Forest as coach after Dave Clawson’s unexpected exit

Wake Forest hired Washington State coach Jake Dickert to replace Dave Clawson, just two days after Clawson unexpectedly stepped down, the school announced Wednesday.

“I cannot tell you how excited, proud, and honored I am to be the head football coach at Wake Forest University,” Dickert said in a statement. “My No. 1 priority will be building relationships with our current student-athletes and earning their trust. We will have a clear focus on retaining our current roster while adding valuable pieces that fit our program and Wake Forest University.”

Dickert, 41, went 23-20 in four seasons coaching the Cougars. He led them to an 8-4 record this season, the school’s first since the Pac-12 crumbled under the weight of conference realignment.

Clawson had been at Wake Forest for 11 seasons but resigned after two straight four-win seasons. His .492 winning percentage was the highest for any coach at the school since the Demon Deacons joined the ACC in 1953.

Dickert, who played at Division III Wisconsin-Stevens Point, has spent most of his career in the Midwest, working at FCS and Division II schools. He got his first FBS job at Wyoming in 2017 as a defensive assistant under Craig Bohl.

In 2020, Washington State hired Dickert as its defensive coordinator under head coach Nick Rolovich. The school then named Dickert as interim coach to replace Rolovich, who the Cougars dismissed for not complying with a vaccine mandate during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dickert finished the final six games of that season 3-3 and was promoted to head coach. He has led Washington State to bowl games in three of his four seasons.