The Spring transfer portal window has come and gone. With the new world of college football being what it is, and the structure being so malleable, we know the Wake Forest portal activity is likely done in terms of players leaving, but perhaps not for new players coming.
The deadline to enter the portal was midnight Friday. Grad players are still free to transfer whenever they want. But the crux of the activity has come and gone. Unofficial estimates show that 2,700 players entered the portal in the Spring 10-day period. Many have played their last down of FBS football as they sought greener pastures elsewhere. There could still be a straggler or two on the big picture database. It generally takes 48 hours for the NCAA to process the paperwork and verify academic standing. But for the most part, the window is closed.
Wake Forest Portal Activity
But of course, that was about entering the portal. The only date-certain deadline for exiting the portal is finding a new school in time to get through the admissions process in order to be on campus this Summer. That means Wake Forest likely won’t lose any more players during this period, but could still add some.
The Deacs lost 10 players to the portal during the 10-day Spring period. Most of them moved on and moved out within the first 48 hours of the portal window being open.
The most notable was reserve quarterback Jeremy Hecklinski. The redshirt freshman was getting snaps in what we would categorize as the first group of three, along with Winter transfers Robby Ashford and Dewayne Purdie. But with those two in the lead to becoming the new starter, Hecklinski left and found a new home at Iowa.
Defensive lineman Chris Marable has moved on to Boston College. None of the other eight who left during the Spring window have landed anywhere else yet.
Priorities
In terms of the incoming players from the portal, the Deacs are getting nine new faces on campus this Summer. New head coach Jake Dickert had talked about positions of priority and building depth, and he got at least one player in every one of those defined spots.
“We know we have to add tight ends,” Dickert said after the Spring Showcase two weeks ago. Add tight ends, they did. First and foremost, Harry Lodge came home. He had entered the portal in the Winter window, going to Georgia Tech. At the end of Spring camp, he put the portal vehicle in reverse and said he would be back at Wake Forest. He has two years of eligibility left. Wake is also getting Kamrean Johnson from Vanderbilt and Will Loerzel from South Alabama. Johnson played sparingly at Vandy for two seasons and has two years left. Loerzel is a redshirt freshman.
Incoming
As for other position needs, Dickert said at the scrimmage, “We’ll look at who can bring the right value to our team, who can add special teams, who can add starting depth.”
Defensive back has also been on the priority list for Dickert. He is getting Braylon Johnson from Virginia Tech and Ladarius Webb, Jr. from South Alabama. Johnson played in 17 games over two seasons at Virginia Tech, accumulating 11 tackles along the way.
Webb played one season at South Alabama after previous stops at Oklahoma State and Jones College. He started 12 games at cornerback last year for the Jaguars and had 40 tackles and two interceptions. Factoring in the NCAA’s one-time waiver for junior college players, he should have two years of eligibility left.
Dickert also picked up a kicker, a defensive lineman, an offensive lineman, and a receiver. It will be hard to miss the new receiver. Chevalier Brenson goes by the nickname “Karate.” He redshirted one year at Ball State and then was at Tennessee State for three seasons. He had 70 catches for 963 yards and six touchdowns in 2024. Brenson will have one year of eligibility left.
What’s Next
Dickert told the media two weeks ago that there is no downtime for coaching staffs anymore. At a time after the scrimmage when they usually would have come upon a small break, they instead were meeting with more prospects from the portal. And getting them to commit may be the easy part. Turning them around in a short period of time to be ready for the season is the real task.
“You’ve got to pour into those kids. Because to get them ready in a three-month period before game one, there is a sense of urgency to that.”
Most of the players are expected to be on campus by Summer.
Main Image: Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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