Division I · Atlantic Coast Conference
Wake Forest University Football
Winston-Salem, NC · the Deacons · Wake Forest University overview
130
Roster
25 over the D-I cap of 105
$39M
Team budget
81st percentile in Division I
$303,076
Per roster spot
median $79,762
11
Coaches
1 head · 10 assistant
990
APR
98% of players retained
22%
Admitted
top 10% for selectivity
Wake Forest University fields a football team in the Atlantic Coast Conference (NCAA Division I). In 2024–25 the roster carried 130 players, about the median of 119, with 1 head coach and 10 assistants. Team expenses were $39,399,925, well above the median of $9.1M — $303,076 per roster spot, top quarter of Division I football programs. Under the Division I roster cap of 105 in force from 2025-26, that is 25 over — cuts or attrition are likely, though players already on the roster may stay (230 of 261 Division I programs carried more than the cap). The team's multi-year Academic Progress Rate is 990, about the median of 964, with 98% of players retained year to year. The school gave $13,950,491 in athletic aid across its men's teams, about $41,893 per roster spot.
Among Division I football programs
Where this program sits against its 261 peers (percentile; the tick is the median).
#51Team budgetof 261 · Division I#56Spend per playerof 261 · Division I#46Roster sizeof 261 · Division I#12APRof 261 · Division I
Team budgets across the division
this programevery Division I football program
Roster sizes (cap 105)
this programevery Division I roster
The program
- Roster130 2024–25 season
- Division I roster cap105 25 over last season
- Coaching staff1 head, 10 assistant
- Team expenses$39,399,925 for the year
- Operating expenses$3,472,586 game-day and travel
- Spend per roster spot$303,076 division median $79,762
- Academic Progress Rate990 multi-year; 997 latest
- Players retained98% year to year
- Eligible100% of player-terms
- Athletic aid, men's teams$13,950,491 school-wide
- Aid per roster spot$41,893 across men's teams
- Recruiting spend, men's$1,453,094 school-wide
Coaching staff
| Name | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| Jake Dickert head coach | Head Coach | not on file |
Put Wake Forest University on a target list, address the whole staff at once, and send each email yourself from Gmail — nothing goes out without you pressing Send.Start your board
Recruiting timing
- Coaches may first contact youSeptember 1 of junior year
- Your own emailsAny time the rule limits what coaches send back
- High-school football players1,029,588 2024-25
- Division I roster spots31,184 261 programs
- Odds of a spot1 in 33 3.0% of high-school players hold a Division I roster spot
General NCAA rule for Division I; the football recruiting guide has the date for each grad year, the eligibility checklist and what to put in a first email.
About the school
What an athlete asks first — each panel opens the full picture.Campus
Full picture →5,471undergraduates · 9,121 students in all
Women 57% Men 43%
- Setting
- City
- Type
- Private · Research university
- Affiliation
- None
Getting in
Full picture →22%admitted · of 17,479 applicants
SAT middle 50%1390 – 1510
ACT middle 50%32 – 34
- Test scores
- Test-optional
- Graduate in 6 yrs
- 91%
Football
Full picture →130on the roster · 2024–25 season
Roster vs the D-I cap of 105130
25 over — players already on the roster may stay
Academic Progress Rate990
98% of players kept year to year
- Team expenses
- $39,399,925 $303,076 per roster spot · top quarter of Division I
- Coaches
- 1 head · 10 assistant
- Athletic aid, men's teams
- $13,950,491
- Recruiting spend, men's
- $1,453,094
Cost
Full picture →$27,790net price · after grants, aided first-years
Net price by family income
- Tuition & fees
- $64,758
Campus safety
Full picture →1.39violent offences per 1,000 · students a year, 2022–2024
- In residence halls
- 8 burglaries · 19 sex offences over 2022–2024
- Residence-hall fires
- 5 over 2022–2024
Majors
Full picture →22%of bachelor's degrees in business · 19 fields · Bachelor's, Doctorate, Master's
Research Wake Forest University
School pages built around what an athlete needs to know — the program's money and roster room, admissions fit, what a family really pays, majors, campus life and safety.
Football program130 on the rosterPeers, percentiles, nearby programs, comparisonsRankingsWhere it standsEvery list this school is on, nationally and in its divisionAdmissions22% admittedSAT/ACT ladders, test policy, graduationCost & aid$27,790 net priceSticker vs net price by family income, athletic aidMajorsBusiness · 22%Every field and program with degrees awardedCampusCity · 5,471Setting, who is on campus, housing costs, servicesCampus safety1.39 violent / 1,000Three years of reported offences against the divisionAthleticsEvery teamThe whole department: every team, staff and aid
Football programs within 150 miles
| School | Miles | Roster | Budget | APR | Admitted | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winston-Salem State University Division II · Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association | 4 | 116 | $2.1M | — | 69% | |
| Guilford College Division III · Old Dominion Athletic Conf. | 22 | 131 | $388k | — | 84% | |
| Greensboro College Division III · USA South Athletic Conference | 27 | 118 | $407k | — | 92% | |
| North Carolina A&T State University Division I · Coastal Athletic Association | 28 | 146 | $4.3M | 966 | 46% | |
| Catawba College Division II · South Atlantic Conference | 33 | 140 | $2M | — | 78% | |
| Livingstone College Division II · Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association | 34 | 84 | $1.2M | — | 74% | |
| Elon University Division I · Coastal Athletic Association | 43 | 109 | $7.7M | 988 | 67% | |
| Davidson College Division I · Pioneer Football League | 54 | 100 | $2.6M | 982 | 14% | |
| Ferrum College Division II · Conference Carolinas | 57 | 115 | $596k | — | 100% | |
| Averett University Division III · Old Dominion Athletic Conf. | 57 | 143 | $485k | — | 48% | |
| The University of North Carolina at Charlotte Division I · American Conference | 63 | 122 | $16M | 945 | 80% | |
| Lenoir-Rhyne University Division II · South Atlantic Conference | 65 | 164 | $2.5M | — | 81% |
Other football programs in the Atlantic Coast Conference
| School | Roster | Budget | Per player | APR | Compare | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Miami (Florida) 22 over cap | 127 | $88M | $693,842 | 973 | vs | |
| Florida State University 19 over cap | 124 | $83M | $671,515 | 942 | vs | |
| Clemson University 32 over cap | 137 | $81M | $592,238 | 993 | vs | |
| University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 18 over cap | 123 | $49M | $399,558 | 959 | vs | |
| Duke University 16 over cap | 121 | $47M | $391,434 | 986 | vs | |
| University of Pittsburgh 13 over cap | 118 | $47M | $399,506 | 988 | vs | |
| University of California, Berkeley 15 over cap | 120 | $47M | $389,349 | 977 | vs | |
| Southern Methodist University 17 over cap | 122 | $45M | $371,439 | 974 | vs | |
| Georgia Institute of Technology 15 over cap | 120 | $43M | $355,912 | 978 | vs | |
| Syracuse University 19 over cap | 124 | $42M | $339,435 | 965 | vs | |
| Boston College 43 over cap | 148 | $41M | $278,545 | 989 | vs | |
| North Carolina State University 20 over cap | 125 | $41M | $324,282 | 962 | vs | |
| Wake Forest University 25 over cap | 130 | $39M | $303,076 | 990 | vs | |
| Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University 19 over cap | 124 | $38M | $304,870 | 958 | vs | |
| Stanford University 5 over cap | 110 | $36M | $327,200 | 990 | vs | |
| University of Virginia 22 over cap | 127 | $34M | $264,659 | 972 | vs | |
| University of Louisville 15 over cap | 120 | $31M | $256,209 | 984 | vs |
Every Atlantic Coast Conference football program · Football budgets ranked