The college football season has technically already started (Hawaii vs. Cal in Australia anyone?), but the real action does not begin until this Thursday. Given the proximity to the season, football experts are announcing their bowl picks. ESPN’s Brett McMurphy and Mark Schlabach made their college bowl picks today, and they like Wake’s chances.

Mark Schlabach has the Deacs headed to St. Petersburg, Florida to take on Tulsa in the St. Petersburg Bowl. That game will take place on December 26th at 11 a.m. Brett McMurphy has the Deacs headed to Shreveport, Louisiana to take on Kentucky in the Camping World Independence Bowl. That game will take place on December 26th at 5 p.m. If that happens, we can call that the Les Johns Bowl.

These definitely aren’t the most glamorous bowl games in the world, but it’s encouraging that the Deacs are getting some respect from the national media. Clearly Wake wants to make the best bowl possible, but given that Wake hasn’t been to a bowl game since 2011, any bowl game would be a major sign of progress. Wake definitely has the talent, experience, and schedule to do it. I’m excited to watch the journey begin on Thursday night against Tulane.

Do you all agree with the ESPN writers? Will Wake Forest make a bowl?

Wake Forest kicks off its 2016 season in just 9 days when they host the Tulane Green Wave at BB&T Field. Though Tulane should be a run-heavy team, Wake Forest will still need quality play from its defensive backs in this game and every game for the remainder of the season. The defensive backs struggled at times last season. What can we expect out of the unit in 2016? I previewed the DB’s with Mark Rogers of Mark Rogers TV.

Wake Forest’s defense intercepted just 6(6!) passes in 2015, which was 111th nationally. Forcing turnovers can be a bit fluky, but some of the fundamentals in forcing turnovers (a strong pass rush, decent coverage skills) were lacking. Graduate transfers Devin Gaulden and Zach Dancel were brought in from Wisconsin and Maryland, respectively, but both left a lot to be desired in terms of coverage skills and pursuit angles.

Clawson has addressed these issues, however, mostly in the 2015 recruiting class. Dionte Austin, a true freshman in 2015, ended up replacing Gaulden midway through last season and got better as the year progressed. Though he lacked ideal body weight, he competed very hard and is set to take a step forward in 2016. At safety, Wake Forest will insert Jessie Bates, who redshirted last year and is a member of the 2015 recruiting class. He intercepted 9 balls as a high school senior, and has performed very well in spring practice and in fall camp.

What else can we expect from the unit? Check out my appearance on Mark Rogers TV.

Many thanks as always to Mark for having me on his show. He does an excellent job covering all things college football. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @MarkRogersTV and check out his YouTube channel.

How do you all think that the DB’s will perform in 2016? Let us know in the comments section below!

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With 10 days left before Wake Forest takes the field against Tulane on September 1st, head coach Dave Clawson has named John Wolford the starting quarterback. Clearly Coach Clawson was not persuaded by Rob's article outline why Kendall Hinton should start (LOL).

According to Les Johns at Demon Deacon Digest (Scout), who has done a phenomenal job covering Wake Forest this season, Wolford will get the start, but Kendall Hinton will play as well.

BREAKING: Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson tells us John Wolford will start at QB against Tulane, but Kendall Hinton will play as well.

— Les Johns (@Les_Johns) August 22, 2016

Wolford and Kendall Hinton split first team reps throughout fall camp, but after nearly 20 practices and 2 scrimmages, Dave Clawson decided that Wolford was going to be his quarterback. Wolford completed 142 of 234 passing attempts (60.7%) last season for 1,791 yards, 9 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. Wolford also ran for 3 touchdowns.

This decision should allow Wolford to earn more reps in practice, and develop even better timing with the wide receivers and tight ends. With just 10 days prior to the season opener, I believe this is an appropriate time to name the starter. Given that Hinton will also play against Tulane, however, it's quite possible that Clawson continues to play both quarterbacks and evaluates them as the season progresses.

What are your thoughts on Coach Clawson's decision?

Wake Forest’s 2016 fall camp began today, and it began with some unfortunate news. Zack Wary, a redshirt sophomore linebacker out of Arkansas, will no longer play football after listening to the advice of doctors. Les Johns, now of Demon Deacon Digest, was at practice this morning and announced the news via Twitter. What does this mean for the linebacker unit?

Zack Wary was a member of the 2014 recruiting class, which was Dave Clawson’s first at Wake Forest. He was a consensus top-40 inside linebacker in the class, and chose Wake Forest over Arkansas and Boise State. He played 185 snaps last season over 8 games and accumulated 12 total tackles. I was expecting Wary to take on a greater role with the defense this season, given the departures of Brandon Chubb and Hunter Williams.

Look for Jaboree Williams and Marquel Lee to be definite starters, with Grant Dawson and possibly Kalin McNeil being the backups. Thomas Brown and Demetrius Kemp should compete for the starting rover job. Overall, Wake should be faster at linebacker and rover than they were a year ago.

We wish Zack the best, and respect that he made the best decision for his long-term health.

The Wake Forest football program’s top target has named his top three schools, and set his announcement date. Michael Allen, a 4-star defensive lineman out of Georgia, is down to Wake Forest, Southern California, and Tennesssee. The highly regarded prospect will announce his decision on Monday, August 8th.

Wake Forest has received the last 3 Crystal Ball picks for Michael Allen, and all three analysts making the prediction are very legitimate. Wake Forest’s recruiting class is currently ranked 47th nationally according to 247 Composite. The addition of Allen, would propel the Deacs to 43rd nationally,

Allen would definitely be a game-charger for Wake’s defense and program. He is a 4-star recruit on Rivals, and ranked as their 169th best player overall in the 2017 class. I would expect Allen to come in and immediately start at defensive end. He has the versatility to rush the passer, but can also provide excellent coverage in the run game. If need be, he even has the athleticism to drop into coverage in certain situations.

Monday could be a massive day for Wake’s program. Huge credit to defensive line coach Dave Cohen for establishing an early relationship and continuing to build it. Dave Clawson and his staff are definitely building something, and I am very excited about the future of the program.

Head coach Dave Clawson and staff struck on the recruiting trail for the first time in August, as wide receiver Jaquarii Roberson committed to Wake Forest for the Class of 2017

#WAKEUP pic.twitter.com/0JRS1CFcEg

— Jaquarii Roberson (@quarii25) August 1, 2016

The 6-3, 170 pound Roberson (@quarii25) is a wide receiver out of Hertford County High School in Ahoskie, NC. 247Sports has him rankedas a 3 star, and the 43rd best receiver in the state of North Carolina.

He chose Wake Forest over East Carolina and N.C. State. He was also courted by Central Florida and Old Dominion throughout the recruiting process.

Last year at Hertford County he accrued 66 receptions for 1,480 yards and 19 touchdowns, averaging 113.8 yards per game in leading the Bears to a 9-4 record. He also scored 21.7 PPG and averaged 9.8 rebounds per game for the basketball team.

Welcome to Wake Jacquarii. We look forward to seeing what you can do at Mother So Dear!

Wake Forest was extremely young at the wide receiver position last season, but there was clearly talent there. Dave Clawson and his staff focused heavily on skill position players in the 2015 recruiting class, and it paid off last year. What can we expect out of the wide receivers this year?

I believe that wide receiver/tight end is Wake Forest's strongest positional unit. Even though they are still incredibly young at the position (the three best receivers will either be true or redshirt freshmen), I still believe that it's the best. If the Wake Forest offensive line can protect the quarterback long enough to get these receivers the ball in space, then Wake Forest should have a much more explosive offense in 2016. I talked with Mark Rogers about who I believe will break out this season and have a big impact.

Many thanks to Mark for taking the time to discuss the Wake Forest receiver situation. He does a fantastic job covering all things college football, and I'd strongly encourage you to follow him on Twitter @MarkRogersTV and check out his YouTube channel.

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The Wake Forest running game has left a lot to be desired over the past two seasons. Two years ago Wake Forest had a historically bad running game. Even though they improved last season, the Deacs still had one of the worst rushing averages in the country. Is there reason for optimism this season?

Wake Forest will have many more options at running back this year than they have had in previous seasons. In prior years, Wake really relied on a small number of backs, and truly lacked depth at the position. This season, however, I anticipate Wake Forest having strength in numbers. In no way to I anticipate that all of Wake's backs will have successful seasons, but the coaching staff has improved the talent level to the point where Wake's attack should be strong just because there is a reasonable chance that at least several Wake backs will have good seasons. Who are the most likely candidates? I share my thoughts in the video below.

Many thanks to Mark for taking the time to discuss the Wake Forest running back situation. He does a fantastic job covering all things college football, and I'd strongly encourage you to follow him on Twitter @MarkRogersTV and check out his YouTube channel.

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Wake Forest's football season kicks off less than 75 days from now, which means it's time to start taking a closer look at what we can expect to happen this fall. Last week, Mark Rogers of Mark Rogers TV took the time to discuss the Wake Forest quarterback situation with me.

The quarterback situation is one that is definitely interesting this season. Junior John Wolford has been the starter during each of the last two seasons, but sophomore Kendall Hinton was impressive last season as a true freshman. He was able to make plays with his legs, and finished the season with 7 rushing touchdowns and nearly 400 rushing yards. Wolford, however,  completed a much higher percentage of his passes than did Hinton (60.7% to 52.2%) but still had accuracy issues. With an improved offensive line, will Wolford be more accurate? We also discussed the overall quarterback depth and what the position may look like moving forward. Who has the best chance of starting?

Many thanks to Mark for taking the time to discuss the Wake Forest quarterback situation. He does a fantastic job covering all things college football, and I'd strongly encourage you to follow him on Twitter @MarkRogersTV and check out his YouTube channel.

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Athlon Sports ranked all 128 FBS teams, and the Wake Forest Demon Deacons were ranked 64th. Is that an accurate ranking? Where does that place Wake Forest among other ACC teams? Let's take a look.

Wake Forest's ranking of 64, places them of three other ACC teams: Boston College, Virginia, and Syracuse. It puts them 5th in the ACC Atlantic, and puts them just 5 spots behind NC State. Wake is currently ranked 74th in the projected S&P+ ratings from Football Outsiders, so the Athlon Sports projection is actually optimistic compared to some analytical projections.

It's a cop out, but it's not easy to project what the 2016 Wake Forest football team. Wake has won just three games during each of the past two seasons, so it's difficult to say that the team is going to double its win total and make a bowl game. However, while the team is still young, many of the young players have so many reps of experience. Wake graduated just a handful of seniors from last year's roster and now has another recruiting class of depth to rotate in. Young players should get better, but how much better will they get?

Wake's previous two teams have lacked athleticism and explosiveness, but this year promises to be the most explosive yet. Dave Clawson has to figure out the quarterback position early. He rotated in Wolford and Hinton last year almost out of necessity due to injury, but that cannot be the case this season. Whoever the quarterback is, that player is going to need the offensive line to continue to progress and be able to keep the quarterback upright and also create running lanes for the tailbacks.

On the defensive side, Wake's front seven should be fine, but the secondary has to improve. I believe the secondary will be better this year and force more turnovers, but Wake's secondary benefited some last year from opposing teams just running the ball and milking the clock when they had the lead. Wake's offense should be better in 2016, so the secondary may not have that same benefit. Full credit to Bill Connelly for that insight.

Do you all think that 64th is a good ranking? Let us know in the comments section below. Football season is less than 100 days away. Fall camp will be here before we know it.