Wake Forest football coach Dave Clawson is resigning

Wake Forest head coach Dave Clawson has resigned.

Wake Forest announced the decision Monday, confirming multiple reports, including from Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports. Clawson will remain at Wake Forest as a special advisor to athletic director John Currie.

According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, the decision was Clawson’s as he felt it was time to make a move. According to the report, he will play an active role in fundraising in his advisory role.

Clawson, 57, coached at Wake Forest for 11 seasons. He led the program to the most successful era in its history.

After five seasons as Bowling Green’s head coach, Clawson took over at Wake Forest in 2014 after the Demon Deacons had suffered five straight losing seasons. After two 3-9 seasons early in his tenure, Clawson led Wake Forest to six winning seasons in seven years through 2022.

The run included seven straight bowl appearances and a No. 10 ranking in the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Wake Forest has never been ranked in the top 10 before and has not ranked higher than 14th since joining the ACC as a charter member in 1953. Place.

Clawson was named the 2021 ACC Coach of the Year after posting an 11-3 season that included a trip to the ACC Championship Game and a win over Rutgers in the Gator Bowl.

Wake Forest finished 4-8 in each of the last two seasons as the program struggled to retain talent, due in part to reported NIL restrictions that put it at a financial disadvantage compared to its peers.

Clawson retires after leading Wake Forest to a 67-69 record in his 11 seasons. Wake Forest went 5-2 in bowl games under Clawson. Wake Forest did not address its plans to replace Clawson in its announcement Monday.