Dave Clawson choked back tears multiple times as he explained why it was the right time for him to step down as Wake Forest’s coach amid a time of landscape-altering changes in college athletics.

Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson resigned Monday, ending an 11-year run by saying he had given ”everything I had" for the program and school. Clawson's tenure included guiding Wake Forest to 11 wins and a trip to the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game in 2021. But the Demon Deacons had gone just 4-8 in the past two seasons.

Jake Dickert is welcomed by Wake Forest supporters Andy Turner (center), Sarah Shoaf and Alan Miller after he was introduced as head coach of Wake Forest University on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024.

Former South Carolina quarterback Robby Ashford told ESPN that he has committed to Wake Forest, giving first-year coach Jake Dickert a veteran signal-caller for his first season there. Ashford is a former ESPN 300 recruit from the Class of 2020 who has thrown for 2,