When Wake Forest re-signed Jake Dickert, it proved one thing. They are committed to winning at football at the highest level.
“We are excited about the future of Wake Forest Football and taking our program to new heights. …We are just getting started.”
@CoachDickert signs long-term contract extension: https://t.co/cUON5Vgaov https://t.co/5kr0vKWoIZ
— Wake Forest Football (@WakeFB) November 12, 2026
Indiana changed what’s possible in this new landscape of college football. One might argue, well, they are doing it with Big 10 money. That’s true to a point, but who else has Big 10 money? Michigan, Ohio State, Alabama, Texas, Georgia, Penn State, Texas A&M – you get the idea, but it was Indiana that was lifting up the 2025 National Championship Trophy.
So while I’m not saying Wake Forest is going to compete for a national title, they can compete for a playoff spot, and once you are in the playoffs, anything is possible.
What you do need is super coaching. Curt Cignetti is that kind of coaching, and after going 17-5 in nearly the last two years, Wake Forest is getting that too from Jake Dickert.
While I’m fundamentally opposed to the 24-team playoff, Dickert said something that gave me pause from On3.
We have to be sprinting in this lane, and I believe we can do that — and I believe with the expanded playoffs, there can be a lot of opportunity here.
I 100% believe the expanded playoffs will dilute the regular season; if good coaches like Dickert have the mindset I can make the playoffs where I’m at, then more coaches like him will be less apt to leave. That, I have to admit, is not bad for the sport.
Saturday, Wake Forest plays a massive game with another non-blue-blood but successful football program, SMU under Rhett Lashlee, who’s also chosen to stay at SMU. Lashlee made the playoffs in the 12-team format.
Good for Wake Forest retaining one of the hottest names in coaching.
