Wake Forest’s Jake Dickert makes coaching carousel watch list after Louisville upset
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Wake Forest head coach Jake Dickert is building a case as one of college football‘s top candidates for the next coaching cycle after a 3-1 start that includes a road win over No. 16 Louisville.
On the Crain & Cone podcast Thursday, co-host Blain Crain named Dickert as a coach to watch, and On3 reporter Pete Nakos agreed. “He will be a hot commodity,” Nakos said. “I forgot to mention him. That’s a good one, though.”
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Crain & Cone on Jake Dickert
Blain Crain pointed to the Demon Deacons’ last two games as the reason Dickert’s name could pop up later this fall.
“Beat Louisville. You lost by 13 against Miami, but looked confident and competitive through four quarters,” Crain said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Jake Dickert was a hot commodity in the coaching market.”
His brother and co-host, Jake Crain, agreed. “He’s done an incredible job,” Jake Crain said. “He did a great job at Washington State, too. He’s a guy that’s done nothing but rise.”
Nakos had already listed Dickert in his Sept. 24 On3 notebook among sitting Power Four head coaches who could move. “What if he could do it somewhere with more resources?” Nakos wrote.
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Why is Jake Dickert rising?
Dickert has now won at two tough jobs. He took over Washington State as acting head coach in October 2021 after the school fired head coach Nick Rolovich. Then Wake Forest hired him in December 2024 to replace former coach Dave Clawson.
He entered this season with a 32-24 record across both stops, and that includes a 9-4 debut at Wake Forest capped by a bowl win.
The 30-27 win at Louisville on Saturday pushed his stock higher. Wide receiver Carlos Hernandez caught nine passes for 194 yards, and Gabe Kirschke blocked a 57-yard field goal try with 15 seconds left. The win gave Wake Forest back-to-back road wins for the first time since 1975 and 1976.
ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg wrote this week that Dickert isn’t tied to one region or one powerhouse program, and that makes him more appealing to schools. He also noted Dickert grew up in Wisconsin. The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman said Dickert would be “high on Wisconsin’s radar if Luke Fickell has a disappointing season in Madison.” Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell has helped his own case, though, because the Badgers beat Penn State in Week 4.
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Wake Forest schedule after Louisville
The Demon Deacons have a manageable schedule ahead with matchups against Stanford, NC State, Cal, Virginia, Merrimack, SMU and Georgia Tech. Wake Forest also closes the regular season at home against Duke on Nov. 28.
Stanford at Wake Forest kicks off Saturday at noon ET on ACC Network. The Demon Deacons then play at NC State on Oct. 10 and at Cal on Oct. 17 before a bye week.
Wake Forest has eight games left for Dickert to add to his resume. Schools could be just weeks away from firings that will open up the coaching job market.
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