Wake Forest Athletics
Wake Forest Announces Team Captains for the 2022 Season
4/16/2022 9:08:00 AM | Football
Rondell Bothroyd, Sam Hartman, Chase Jones, Michael Jurgens, Ryan Smenda and Blake Whiteheart were introduced as captains to the team ahead of the spring game.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- The Wake Forest football team has announced the captains for the 2022 season Saturday morning .
The six team captains for the upcoming season are redshirt junior defensive lineman Rondell Bothroyd, redshirt junior quarterback Sam Hartman, junior linebacker Chase Jones, redshirt junior offensive lineman Michael Jurgens, senior linebacker Ryan Smenda and redshirt junior tight end Blake Whiteheart.
The 2022 captains have helped lead the Demon Deacons to a program-record six consecutive bowl games, helping lead during the Demon Deacons historic 11-win season, winning both ACC Atlantic Division and Gator Bowl titles.
Additionally, the Demon Deacons' streak is the third-longest active streak in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Deacs 8-0 start to the season was the best in school history in addition to having the longest winning streak in school history.
The Deacs captured all six home games in the 2021 season, tying the program record that was set in 2019. Additionally, Wake Forest has won nine-straight games inside Truist Field which marks the longest home winning streak in program history. The streak dates back to the win over Campbell on Oct. 2, 2020.
Two of the six Demon Deacon captains return from a season ago as Hartman and Jurgens head into their third and second seasons as the leaders of the team, respectively.
More on Bothroyd
Bothroyd recorded a team-high 16.5 tackles-for-loss while also ranking third in the conference en route to earn All-ACC honors. He finished with at least one tackle for loss in all but one game and had one in every regular season game.
He tallied eight sacks a season ago, ranking second on the team and eighth in the ACC. He earned ACC Defensive Player of the Week honors last fall when recorded a game-high and career-high 10 tackles (five solo) and had 1.5 tackles for loss and one sack in Wake Forest's win over Army.
He helped anchor a defense that forced 29 turnovers during the 2021 season, which was good for the fifth-most in the nation and led the ACC. During the historic 2021 campaign, he forced two fumbles, recovered a pair of fumbles and had a blocked punt.
More on Hartman
Hartman arguably had one of the greatest single seasons for a Demon Deacon signal caller, eclipsing numerous career milestones along the way.
He was named a finalist for the Manning Award and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award while also being named a semifinalist for the Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Award and Davey O'Brien Award.
He continues to inch closer to the all-time passing yardage list as Hartman has now thrown the second-most yards in program history.
Career Passing Yardage List
1. Riley Skinner (2006-09) 9,762
2. Sam Hartman (2018-present) 9,266
3. Tanner Price (2010-13) 8,899
Hartman had 11 rushing touchdowns in 2021, which ranks second in program history for touchdown rushes by a QB in program history.
His first touchdown pass to A.T. Perry in the first quarter against NC State marked the 61st touchdown pass of his career. He continued to add to the total and now has 72 in his career.
Additionally, Hartman now sits eighth in career touchdown passes in ACC history:
1. Tajh Boyd, Clemson 2010-13 -- 107
2. Philip Rivers, NC State 2000-03 -- 95
3. Sam Howell, North Carolina 2019-21 --91
4. Deshaun Watson, Clemson 2014-16 -- 90
Trevor Lawrence, Clemson 2018-20 -- 90
6. Chris Weinke, Florida State 1997-00 -- 79
7. Russell Wilson, NC State 2008-10 -- 76
8. Sam Hartman, Wake Forest, 2018-pres. - 72
9. Jacory Harris, Miami 2008-11 -- 70
10. Brad Kaaya, Miami 2014-16 -- 69
Lamar Jackson, Louisville 2015-17 -- 69
With his three passing touchdowns in the Gator Bowl victory over Rutgers, Hartman finished the season responsible for 50 touchdowns, the second highest total in ACC history. Only five other players in ACC history have been responsible for at least 44 touchdowns in a season:
1. Lamar Jackson (51 TDs)
2. Sam Hartman, Deshaun Watson (50 TDs)
4. Deshaun Watson, Kenny Pickett (47 TDs)
6. Tajh Boyd (46 TDs)
7. Lamar Jackson, Trevor Lawerence (45 TDs)
9. Tajh Boyd, Jameis Winston (44 TDs)
More on Jones
Jones ended the historic 2021 campaign for Wake Forest with his best season to date, recording 47 tackles which finished sixth-best on the team while also finishing the year with 2.0 tackles for loss. The Demon Deacons finished 17th in the nation in tackles for loss per game, averaging 7.0 TFLs per contest.
He helped Wake Forest's defense force 29 turnovers during the 2021 season, which was good for the fifth-most in the nation and led the ACC. During the historic 2021 campaign, he forced two fumbles and recovered a pair.
His crucial fumble recovery against Florida State in week three helped seal the Demon Deacons' first conference win of the season. Also, it was one of six turnovers forced in the game, a Clawson era record and the most of the 2021 campaign.
More on Jurgens
Jurgens, who was on the Rimington Award Watch List during the 2020 and 2021 preseason, played and started in 13 games in 2021 at center for the Demon Deacons. According to Pro Football Focus, Jurgens ranked as the No. 6 center in the ACC overall. Additionally, Wake Forest was 11-2 when he started and undefeated in conference games when he started.
Overall for the season, Jurgens helped Wake Forest's offense rank fourth in the country in scoring offense (41.0), while ranking 11th in total offense (467.9). Additionally, the Demon Deacons smashed the program scoring mark as the Deacs were nearly a touchdown better than their previous record season in 2020 of 36.0 points per game.
In addition to scoring offense, the Deacs also ranked top-25 in these offensive categories: Total offense (11th, 467.9 yd/game), Yards per Completion (13th, 14.14), 3rd Down Conv. Pct. (6th, 49.1%), Red Zone Offense (6th, 92.5%) and Passing Offense (12th, 307.4 yd/game).
More on Smenda
Smenda, who is Wake Forest's returning leader in total tackles with 238 in his career, is coming off his best season as a Demon Deacon, totaling a career-high 83 tackles which ranked second on the team and top 20 in the league.
He finished with double-digit tackles twice during the season against North Carolina (10 tackles) and in the ACC Championship Game against Pittsburgh (11 tackles).
He helped anchor a defense that forced 29 turnovers during the 2021 season, which was good for the fifth-most in the nation and led the ACC. During the historic 2021 campaign, he forced three fumbles, had two pass breakups and three quarterback hurries.
More on Whiteheart
Whiteheart helped anchor the explosive passing attack as one of the two starting tight ends for the Demon Deacons last season. He was one of six Wake Forest pass catchers to haul in three or more touchdowns during the season, helping the team set multiple offensive records en route to his best season to date as a Deac.
The Winston-Salem native hauled in his third touchdown of the season in the ACC Atlantic clincher against Boston College in the regular season finale. Whiteheart's first career touchdown was also key for the Demon Deacons, pulling in a then-career high 20-yard pass from Sam Hartman in a road win over Virginia to move Wake Forest to 4-0 on the year.
He ended the season with a career-high 15 catches for 185 yards and three scores in his dual role with 2020 and 2021 captain Brandon Chapman. This marks the fourth consecutive year and sixth time in the last seven seasons that one of the Wake Forest captains has come from the tight end room.
