Wake Forest Football: Dave Clawson's Week 1 Presser
Just three days out from Wake Forest’s season opener against VMI, head coach Dave Clawson took the podium to address the media for the first time since Aug. 20. His message was clear: after a long offseason and a full slate of preseason work, it’s go time.
“We had a good camp,” Clawson said. “Now it’s time you take all the offseason weightlifting, conditioning, mat drills, spring football, summer workouts, summer camp, and put it into action.”
Clawson addressed some of the roadblocks facing the team, including the ongoing absence of quarterback Sam Hartman due to an undisclosed injury.
“Sam has not been cleared yet,” Clawson said. “We feel that he’s been progressing well, but this will be a decision made by doctors when they feel it’s safe and appropriate for him to play. That has not occurred yet. This is going to be Mitch’s [Griffis] game.”
Clawson praised his new starting quarterback’s development throughout camp in Hartman’s place.
“He’s had a good couple weeks of practice, he’s looked good, and he’s ready to go,” he said. “We’re confident with him.”
Another hurdle for the Deacs to overcome is the suspension of LB Ryan Smenda Jr., who will miss the first game due to a targeting penalty called against him in last year’s Gator Bowl. Clawson hasn’t hidden his displeasure in the past regarding the recent decision to deny Wake Forest’s appeal, and he spoke candidly about it again.
“I just think it’s shameful he’s not able to play in this game,” Clawson said. “It’s not right. I feel bad for Ryan.”
The depth chart for Week 1 was released shortly before Clawson spoke. One position of note was slot receiver, where sophomore Ke’Shawn Williams and redshirt sophomore Taylor Morin are listed as coequal.
“Those two are both starters,” Clawson said. “In our mind we have two starting slots. We’ll play those guys equally.”
In a year with a lot of expectations for Wake Forest football, veteran leadership will be critical throughout the Deacs’ campaign. The presence of experienced players on both sides of the ball will be helpful in shaking off the rust for Week 1, especially with a new quarterback under center, Clawson noted.
“You always expect a lot of pregame jitters for the opener,” Clawson said. “But we have a veteran football team. We have a lot of players back. You look at all the accumulated starts on the O-line and D-line and all the different positions, and there’s a lot less unknown going into this opener just because of the relative experience of our football team.”
Ben is a managing editor and lead contributing writer for Deacons Daily. Ben has a year of experience as the Sports Editor for the Old Gold & Black, and a year of experience as the publication’s print managing editor. He has a journalistic profile of over 40 published news and sports pieces for the Dayton Daily News.