What former WSU coach Jake Dickert said in his Wake Forest introductory press conference

PULLMAN – In some of Jake Dickert’s opening remarks as Wake Forest’s new head coach, taking the dais for an introductory news conference on Thursday, the former Washington State head coach didn’t mince words when it came to his new recruiting area.

“Where I was at Washington State, we’re surrounded by Canada, Oregon and Idaho. Not exactly the recruiting mecca of the U.S.,” Dickert said.

“So now we’re surrounded by Virginia, Tennessee, South Carolina, our home state of North Carolina.”

In fact, one of Dickert’s favorite states to recruit in at WSU is one of the strongest hotbeds nationwide: California. That’s where Dickert went for seven signees in the class of 2025, 11 in the class of 2024 and eight in the class of 2023, the three classes he built as the Cougars’ full-time head coach.

He also made good use of Colorado and Texas.

Still, Dickert did take time to mention WSU in his introduction in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He said he “felt comfortable” at WSU and that it was “a special place to me. They gave me my first opportunity, and that meant a lot to me.”

Dickert said leaving WSU’s program wasn’t about timing.

“This is an opportunity of a lifetime. I mean that,” Dickert said. “Whether I was there for one year, two years, 10 years, the opportunity when I got that original call from (AD) John (Currie) was, ‘Let’s go.’ This is a prestigious brand that is known for an amazing academic institution, an amazing athletic institution. One of the biggest draws, if I’m being honest, wasn’t just the investment in the facilities. It was part of the location.

“I want to take a moment to recognize my players at Washington State. (Wednesday) was an emotional day for that football team, and we created an amazing amount of memories that I’ll take with me for a lifetime. Those kids gave me everything they had – their effort and commitment to me.

“Our organization and program was really special, and I thank them for that. I’m so grateful for (former WSU AD) Pat Chun, (current AD) Anne McCoy and President (Kirk) Schulz of Washington State who gave a belief and a trust in me and shared in my vision of making me a first-time head coach. Washington State is truly a special place, and I look forward to carrying on the lessons that I learned there here at Wake Forest.”

On Thursday, Dickert also shared a goodbye letter to Cougars fans on X, saying in part, “It has been a true honor to be the head football coach at Washington State University for the last three years. My family has embraced and loved our time here on the Palouse. I can’t even begin to say how much this university and have truly meant to us.”

It remains to be seen how many WSU assistants Dickert takes with him to Wake Forest. Two seem to be clear: general manager Rob Schlaeger and assistant offensive line coach Justin Kramer, who were on the flight with Dickert and his family to Winston-Salem on Wednesday morning.

In Thursday’s news conference, Dickert said he would “put the best staff in the country in front of these young men.”

The rest of the Cougars’ staff remains intact, including acting head coach Pete Kaligis and wide receivers coach Nick Edwards, who is slated to call offensive plays in the upcoming Holiday Bowl, set for Dec. 27 in San Diego against Syracuse.

The man tasked with calling the defense, Dickert, now works in North Carolina. On Thursday, he seemed to indicate the Demon Deacons’ program gives him another advantage he didn’t have with the Cougars.

“I’ve never had things like this and the investment levels here at Wake Forest,” Dickert said. “I’ve been at places – you look at my past: Fargo, North Dakota; Laramie, Wyoming; Brookings, South Dakota. We flew in on the plane. We looked out the windows, and my kids were like, ‘This is a big city. This is really important to us.’ ”