Jake Dickert is the head football coach at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, a position he assumed when he was named the program's 33rd head coach on Dec. 18, 2024. By the time he arrived at Wake Forest, he had spent 18 seasons in college coaching and had worked across nearly every level of the sport, with experience in Division III, Division II, the FCS, the Group of Five and the Power Four.
His first Wake Forest team produced one of the best opening seasons by a new coach in school history. In 2025, the Demon Deacons finished 9-4, reached the Duke's Mayo Bowl and beat Mississippi State 43-29 to close the year. The nine-win season was only the fourth in program history, and Wake Forest reached at least eight wins for the fifth time in nine years. The season included Top-25 victories over SMU and No. 12 Virginia, plus a win over North Carolina in Winston-Salem. Wake Forest's defense ranked among the better units in the ACC, finishing in the conference's upper tier in scoring defense, total defense and pass defense, and the team did not allow a touchdown against either Virginia or North Carolina. Twelve Wake Forest players earned All-ACC recognition in 2025, and three received All-America honors, including FWAA Freshman All-American kicker Connor Calvert.
