Wake Forest signs head football coach Jake Dickert to long-term contract extension amid interest from other programs

· Yahoo Sports

Wake Forest is keeping head football coach Jake Dickert around for the foreseeable future amid rumors of other programs showing interest in hiring him.

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Dickert, 43, agreed to a contract extension with Wake Forest that the school announced on Thursday as “long-term” without revealing specifics.

During Dickert’s second season in Winston-Salem, the Demon Deacons are 8-1, and 5-1 in the ACC trailing only Miami (8-1, 6-0) in the conference standings. That has Wake Forest currently ranked No. 13 in the College Football Playoff rankings.

The contract extension presumably puts a stop to rumors that Florida State was eyeing Dickert to replace Mike Norvell, who was fired on Nov. 1. Maryland supporters also named Dickert as a candidate to take over for Mike Locksley, dismissed on Oct. 21. (A peek at Michigan message boards also shows Dickert mentioned as a potential replacement if the program moves on from Kyle Whittingham.)

Overall, Dickert is 17-5 at Wake Forest. In his first season, the Demon Deacons finished 4-4 in the ACC and 9-4 overall, including a win in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl over Mississippi State.

"Wake Forest University is committed to football success at the highest level and Coach Dickert has done an extraordinary job of inspiring belief among our players, fans and the entire Demon Deacon community," said John Currie, Wake Forest vice president and athletic director, in the school’s announcement.

."I am grateful for his and Candice's commitment and trust and especially appreciate President Rodriguez and our Board leadership recognizing that now was the time to go ahead and eliminate any outside speculation so that our team and Deacon Nation can put all our energy into the stretch run of this special season,” he added.

Prior to his stint in Winston-Salem, Dickert was the head coach at Washington State for four-plus seasons, compiling a 23-20 record. He took over in the interim for the Cougars when Nick Rolovich was fired during the 2021 season, moving up from defensive coordinator.

Dickert began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Wisconsin Stevens-Point, his alma mater. He then moved on to South Dakota State, the first stop in a progression from Division III to Division II to FCS programs. Dickert coached three seasons at Wyoming before moving up from a Group of Six program to a Power Four school at Washington State.

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