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Wake Forest football took to the practice field for the first time this fall on Monday and remained on its outdoor fields even as the rain started to pour down.
just dudes having fun 😆 pic.twitter.com/KuHj9JEo0q
— ACC Football (@ACCFootball) July 25, 2024
“Before the first game, you want to get two or three days of wet ball work, and so when it first started raining, I was thinking about coming inside and I’m like, ‘You know what, we’re already out here. It’s already wet,’” head coach Dave Clawson said. “I think it’s good to get work like that because chances are we’re going to find a game or two like this.” The Demon Deacons, aiming to rebound from last year’s 4-8 record, practiced for about 90 minutes Monday morning. Clawson was pleased with the opening day of training and how his players adapted to the weather.
“When you have the first practice in helmets and spiders, the two things that you look for is you want people to stay off the ground, and I thought we had minimal guys on the ground today, and then you just don’t want it to be sloppy,” Clawson said. “You throw the weather in there and they have every excuse for it to get sloppy and it didn’t … I thought our ball security was decent.”
Ready to leave it all out there 👊 pic.twitter.com/VSFcmYmdUj
— Wake Forest Football (@WakeFB) July 24, 2024
With the starting quarterback spot up for grabs and a first look at some new and returning faces in the wide receiver and defensive back rooms, here are some key takeaways from Monday’s first day of fall practice. Louisiana Tech transfer Hank Bachmeier and redshirt senior Michael Kern both got their first opportunities to impress this fall in the adverse weather conditions on Monday. Kern, who missed time during spring camp with an injury, consistently ran with the starting group of receivers in Taylor Morin, Donavon Greene and Horatio Fields on Day 1, while Bachmeier threw to the second unit of receivers.
Mhmm, mhmm, mhmm 📸
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— ACC Football (@ACCFootball) July 25, 2024
Both are likely to get plenty of chances to throw to a variety of wide receivers in the coming weeks with Clawson in no rush to make a decision on the starter ahead of the Demon Deacons’ season opener against North Carolina A&T on Aug. 29.
Them Deacs clean up nice 🎩@WakeFB x #AccomplishGreatness pic.twitter.com/KBJBFUrBgl
— ACC Football (@ACCFootball) July 25, 2024
“We’re gonna play the long game with this one,” Clawson said. “I think 2021 might have been the only year here that we didn’t have to start different quarterbacks. We have two guys in their sixth year and then we have a bunch of guys in their first and second year and I hope that we can keep those guys healthy, but certainly odds are that we’re going to need both of them.”
𝐃𝐂𝟏 🎙️ pic.twitter.com/qCGkBEwHc9
— Wake Forest Football (@WakeFB) July 26, 2024
Kern connected on a couple of long throws to Morin during an 11-on-11 drill against the starting defense and found Greene a couple times early on in his return to fall camp. The redshirt junior suffered a knee injury on the first day of practice last year that caused him to miss the entire 2023 season. “Hank and Kern (are) two older quarterbacks have played a lot of football, it’s been good working with them,” Greene said. “We’ll see which one comes out on top but in my opinion, (they’re) two really good quarterbacks that can run this offense.”
Click it 🔒 https://t.co/t624qSz6fK
— Wake Forest Football (@WakeFB) July 28, 2024
Bachmeier connected with Deuce Alexander consistently throughout Monday’s practice. The redshirt freshman looked sharp and could play a role in the wide receiver room this season after catching just two passes for 30 yards last year. Freshman and four-star recruit Jeremiah Melvin also caught passes from Bachmeier on Monday.
Fall is upon us 👊 pic.twitter.com/PipUBLEsGs
— Wake Forest Football (@WakeFB) July 29, 2024
Freshman Jeremy Hecklinski, who impressed in April’s Spring game with 204 yards on 12-for-21 passing and three touchdowns, had an up and down day. He connected on two deep balls to Wesley Stroebel and EJ Reid but threw a poor interception straight to defensive back Devin Cook.
Racing through the raindrops 🌧️ pic.twitter.com/c7CtyrHYhT
— Wake Forest Football (@WakeFB) July 29, 2024
While Clawson didn’t rule out other players emerging in the preseason quarterback battle at last week’s ACC media day, it appears that Bachmeier and Kern will be the primary duo competing for the starting spot throughout the rest of fall camp.
Welcome back, Donny 🫡 pic.twitter.com/3tXeJ7aaOX
— Wake Forest Football (@WakeFB) July 29, 2024
“To make a premature decision and just anoint somebody, I don’t think that’s good for them, I don’t think it’s good for the team,” Clawson said. “At some point, we’re going to have to make a hard decision on who the starter is and who the backup is. But there’s no point in making that decision until we have to, and we don’t have to make it until the start of the first game.”
Courtesy: Story by Nicky Wolcott Charlotte Observer
