The 2016 Wake Forest Demon Deacons football team represented Wake Forest University during the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Dave Clawson, who was in his third season at the school, and played its home games at BB&T Field. Wake Forest competed in the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference, as they have since the league's inception in 1953. They finished the season 7–6, 3–5 in ACC play to finish in a tie for fourth place in the Atlantic Division. They were invited to the Military Bowl where they defeated Temple.

When Wake Forest lost to Louisville on November 12, Dave Clawson alleged that Louisville had received impermissible information that benefited the Cardinals on the football field. On December 14, 2016, after a month long probe, former Wake Forest staff member and IMG College radio analyst Tommy Elrod was dismissed from the program for leaking confidential and proprietary game preparations on multiple occasions. Once the leaks came to light, Clawson and offensive coordinator Warren Ruggiero would completely overhaul the Demon Deacons' offensive playbook in the offseason resulting in the "slow mesh" offense, an offensive scheme based on the run-pass option (RPO).

Recruiting

Schedule

Coaching staff Position Name First year at WFU Head coach Dave Clawson 2014 Defensive coordinator / Safeties Mike Elko 2014 Asst head coach / Receivers Kevin Higgins 2014 Offensive coordinator / quarterbacks Warren Ruggiero 2014 Special teams coordinator / tight ends Adam Scheier 2014 Defensive Line Dave Cohen 2014 Running backs John Hunter 2014 Cornerbacks Derrick Jackson 2012 Offensive Line Nick Tabacca 2014 Source:

Game summaries

Tulane 3rd meeting. 0–2 all time. Last meeting 1995, 35–9 Green Wave in New Orleans.

@ Duke 97th meeting. 37–57–2 all time. Last meeting 2015, 27–21 Blue Devils in Winston–Salem.

Delaware 2nd meeting. 1–0 all time. Last meeting 1932, 7–0 Demon Deacons in Newark.

@ Indiana 2nd meeting. 0–1 all time. Last meeting 2015, 31–24 Hoosiers in Winston–Salem.

@ NC State 110th meeting. 38–65–6 all time. Last meeting 2015, 35–17 Wolfpack in Winston–Salem.

Syracuse 6th meeting. 1–4 all time. Last meeting 2015, 30–17 Orange in Syracuse.

@ Florida State 35th meeting. 6–27–1 all time. Last meeting 2015, 24–16 Seminoles in Winston–Salem.

Army 16th meeting. 11–4 all time. Last meeting 2015, 17–14 Demon Deacons in West Point.

Virginia 49th meeting. 14–34 all time. Last meeting 2012, 16–10 Demon Deacons in Charlottesville.

@ Louisville 4th meeting. 0–3 all time. Last meeting 2015, 20–19 Cardinals in Winston–Salem.

Clemson 82nd meeting. 17–63–1 all time. Last meeting 2015, 33–13 Tigers in Clemson.

Boston College 24th meeting. 9–12–2 all time. Last meeting 2015, 3–0 Demon Deacons in Chestnut Hill.

Vs. Temple – Military Bowl 2nd meeting. 0–1 all time. Last meeting 1930, 36–0 Owls in Philadelphia.

Leaks of plays

Colloquially called "WakeyLeaks", some of Wake Forest's opponents appear to have had knowledge of Wake Forest's playbook, even plays they had just created and only practiced for one week. Suspicion fell on Tommy Elrod, a color commentator on the broadcast crew; Elrod was found to have made long phone calls to the coaches of rival teams in the days before Wake Forest played them, and he had access to the practice tapes compiled by Wake Forest staff. Elrod had been an assistant coach during the leadership of previous coach Jim Grobe; it is speculated that after Clawson did not hire him on as a coach, instead relegating him to color commentary, he leaked the plays as a form of revenge. Elrod was fired and banned from the campus in December 2016.

References