Three Wake Forest offensive linemen finish season with PFF grades over 70
With Wake Forest’s 2022 regular season in the books and a matchup against Missouri in the Gasparilla Bowl looming, we’re recapping the PFF grades of key contributors for each position group. Up next: the offensive line (min. 50 snaps).
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1. Spencer Clapp- 72.0
Clapp wasn’t a starter for the offensive line this year, but he did make a significant impact in a reserve role at tackle. He saw action in 11 of 12 regular season games, notching a run block grade of 69.2 and a pass blocking grade of 76.5. Clapp still has a year of eligibility remaining and didn’t participate in Senior Day activities, so he should be a key piece of the offensive line next season.
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2. DeVonte Gordon- 71.7
Gordon was a mainstay at tackle this season, starting all 12 regular season games for Wake Forest. He allowed two QB hits and three sacks this year, down from the seven sacks he allowed in 2021. His highest grade of the season, a 72.3 came in the season opener vs VMI. While his run blocking grade was middle of the pack at 64.2, his pass blocking grade was the highest on the team at an 80.2. Gordon was just a sophomore this season and is currently set to return to Wake Forest next season.
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3. Nick Sharpe- 70.2
Sharpe saw limited action as a reserve right guard this season, only totaling 62 snaps over six games. His highest PFF grade came against Army in Week 6, where he notched a 75.3 overall offensive grade, a 73.9 run block grade and a 78.2 pass block grade — all three marks were season highs. Sharpe was just a redshirt freshman this year and has several years of eligibility remaining.
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4. Michael Jurgens- 67.3
As a senior captain, Jurgens started all 12 games at center for Wake Forest. His highest PFF grade of the season came in the team’s first game against VMI (80.2), where he totaled a run block grade of 76.5 and a pass block grade of 74.3. Over five seasons at Wake Forest, Jurgens has a total snap count of 2,418 and only six sacks allowed. Jurgens has one year of eligibility remaining, but it is unclear whether he’ll return.
5. Sean Maginn- 65.2
Maginn was the Deacs’ starter at left guard this year. He allowed two sacks and three QB hits, with his best two PFF grades coming against Vanderbilt (76.3), and Army (74.9). Maginn also had two stellar pass blocking performances in the VMI and Duke games, notching rates of 84.4 and 87.3, respectively. Maginn has no remaining eligibility and will depart from Wake Forest with 3,399 total snaps played, nine sacks allowed and a career PFF grade of 61.55 over six seasons.
6. Loic Ngassam Nya- 63.3
Ngassam Nya occupied the starting right guard spot for the Deacs this year. He had three pass blocking PFF grades over 80, coming against Florida State (87.4), Army (83.1) and UNC (87.5). Ngassam Nya allowed just two sacks and 10 QB hurries this year. He has used up all of his college eligibility and is set to depart from Wake Forest after a five-year career totaling 3,161 snaps, 11 sacks and eight QB hits allowed, and a combined PFF grade of 60.0.
7. Christian Forbes- 58.8
Forbes was mainly a reserve left tackle this season, though he played four of his 53 total snaps at right guard. He saw the most action against Louisville in Week 9, totaling 24 snaps. Forbes’ best two pass blocking grades came against Army (74.4) and Boston College (74.0). As a redshirt freshman, Forbes could step into an expanded role on the line next season with the departures of several key players.
8. Zach Vaughan- 56.0
Vaughan was another reserve offensive lineman who saw limited action at center. He saw 24 snaps in the Louisville game in Week 9. Vaughan graded out at a 69.5 in eight offensive snaps against Army as his highest PFF grade of the season. Vaughan was a redshirt freshman in 2022 and should be back on the line next season.
9. Matt Gulbin- 55.7
Gulbin rounds out the reserve offensive linemen and clocked in 53 snaps at left guard in 2022. His best pass blocking grade of the season came against VMI (77.3). Gulbin was also a redshirt freshman and will likely be back with the Deacs last season.
10. Je’Vionte’ Nash- 52.0
Nash was the oldest player in the program as a seventh-year senior. PFF was not a huge fan of his work — he started all 12 games and was graded at a 55.6 or below in seven of them. However, he did notch grades of 80.9 and 83.3 in the Vanderbilt and Army games, respectively. Nash finished the season with a run block grade of 63.4 and a pass block grade of 42.7. Nash departs from Wake Forest with 1,549 career snaps played and nine sacks allowed.
Looking ahead:
Several key pieces will depart from this unit in Maginn, Nash and Ngassam Nya. Also, Jurgens has not yet announced whether he’ll return to Wake Forest to use his final year of eligibility. Either way, this group will need some serious retooling in the offseason. It will be interesting to see who stands out in camp among the reserve group of Clapp, Gulbin, Vaughan, Forbes and Sharpe. The performance of this group next year will be critical as the team adjusts to a new quarterback under center and some potential shuffling around in the running back room.
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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.