Andersen Providing Stability and Leadership On and Off the Field
10/3/2025 5:59:00 AM | Football
“Anytime your teammates vote you into a leadership position, including the leadership council, it’s something I don’t take lightly. It’s a big responsibility and it motivates me to work even harder.” - Nick Andersen
Just days before the season opening victory over Kennesaw State, Wake Forest players cast their ballots for captains. They elected three, with one additional player earning the honor on a week-to-week basis.
Star running back Demond Claiborne and Washington State transfer offensive lineman Devin Kylany were anointed with that honor by their teammates, but it was returning safety Nick Anderson, who started his Wake Forest career as a walk-on in 2020, who garnered nearly a unanimous vote.
"It's such a great honor," Andersen said. "Anytime your teammates vote you into a leadership position, including the leadership council, it's something I don't take lightly. It's a big responsibility and it motivates me to work even harder."
Andersen's journey from unheralded walk-on to near-unanimous captain is the embodiment of what Wake Forest football has prided itself on — development, accountability and connection. Teammates saw him rise through the program not only with on-field production but also with a steady presence in the locker room.
Defensive coordinator Scottie Hazelton said that's what separates him.
"That's a tremendous honor," Hazelton said. "When you get almost a hundred percent of the vote from the team, it's unbelievable. People notice what he's doing on a daily basis. He takes his preparation seriously and works like a pro. When guys see that, they want to mimic it—they try to follow him. But to do what he does is hard.
"He's not concerned with himself, which is great. He can identify when he makes a mistake, but he's more about saying, 'Hey, we need to fix this. We need to work on this.' Guys look to him every time we get together as a defense, and then he passes that leadership along—telling others, 'Hey, you can break them down. You need to do this.' He spreads it around. He does a great job with that. He accepts all the responsibility that comes with leadership, and he does a great job pushing people to lead themselves."
The balance of being willing to carry the responsibility but also distributing it amongst his teammates is what has made Andersen's leadership so sticky. He has seen it modeled by those before him, and he has embraced the challenge of learning how to reach a diverse roster that includes a surge of transfers brought in by new head coach Jake Dickert.
"One week at a time. For me, every week is Christmas," Andersen said. "Anytime we get the chance to put on the pads—that's what we work all year for. We only get 12 opportunities to go out there and show all the hard work we do in the dark, so I'm really excited.
"One of the biggest things I've learned throughout my career from great leaders is that you've got to learn the individual. Who are you leading? How do different guys respond to different things? With a bunch of transfers and new guys, I've tried to take the time to learn how everyone clicks, how everyone responds. That's helped me spread my leadership across the offense as well. At the end of the day, all anyone cares about is that the Deacs win."
That willingness to meet people where they are has deep roots. Andersen still remembers the moment as a freshman when veteran linebacker Luke Masterson stopped a practice and gathered the defense on its own. That kind of player-driven accountability, he says, left a mark.
"I vividly remember my freshman year, at a Tuesday practice around Week 7 or 8 of that shortened season," he said. "Luke Masterson got all of us together—just the players, no coaches—and said, 'Hey, we need to step it up. I've been very fortunate to learn from some of the best leaders possible during my time here. The best teams are player-led teams. The more we can hold ourselves accountable and disciplined without the coaches having to do it, the better we'll be as a unit."
It's also no accident that Andersen chose to remain in Winston-Salem through the transition from Dave Clawson to Dickert. Their shared philosophy on work and culture sealed his decision.
"From our very first conversation (with Coach Dickert), we clicked," Andersen said. "That first FaceTime we had back in December or January, I knew I wanted to stay. I knew this was the guy I wanted to go to war with every single day. We see things the same way, we're always hungry, and we both believe consistent hard work leads to success."
That alignment has resonated beyond Andersen. He's been part of a leadership circle that includes Quincy Bryant, Dylan Hazen, Davaughn Patterson, and RuShaun Tongue. Together, they've committed to pushing one another while bringing the rest of the roster along.
"Yeah, I had conversations with Quincy, Dylan, Davaughn, Ru—all those guys," Andersen said. "We just knew that together, we'd be better as one than if any of us went off individually. I'm blessed to have those guys with me every single day pushing me."
Selected as an Athlon Preseason All-ACC, Andersen leads the Demon Deacons through three games with 23 tackles. He also has contributed 1.5 tackles for loss and two pass breakups. His return along with the others who immediately bought into Dickert's vision when added with the new wave of transfers has given Wake Forest a sturdy defensive base as the team adapts to Dickert's leadership.
The vote last month only made official what teammates already knew: Andersen is the standard.
And for the Deacons, who believe their edge is found in "connection," there may be no better captain to embody it.
Star running back Demond Claiborne and Washington State transfer offensive lineman Devin Kylany were anointed with that honor by their teammates, but it was returning safety Nick Anderson, who started his Wake Forest career as a walk-on in 2020, who garnered nearly a unanimous vote.
"It's such a great honor," Andersen said. "Anytime your teammates vote you into a leadership position, including the leadership council, it's something I don't take lightly. It's a big responsibility and it motivates me to work even harder."
Andersen's journey from unheralded walk-on to near-unanimous captain is the embodiment of what Wake Forest football has prided itself on — development, accountability and connection. Teammates saw him rise through the program not only with on-field production but also with a steady presence in the locker room.
Defensive coordinator Scottie Hazelton said that's what separates him.
"That's a tremendous honor," Hazelton said. "When you get almost a hundred percent of the vote from the team, it's unbelievable. People notice what he's doing on a daily basis. He takes his preparation seriously and works like a pro. When guys see that, they want to mimic it—they try to follow him. But to do what he does is hard.
"He's not concerned with himself, which is great. He can identify when he makes a mistake, but he's more about saying, 'Hey, we need to fix this. We need to work on this.' Guys look to him every time we get together as a defense, and then he passes that leadership along—telling others, 'Hey, you can break them down. You need to do this.' He spreads it around. He does a great job with that. He accepts all the responsibility that comes with leadership, and he does a great job pushing people to lead themselves."
The balance of being willing to carry the responsibility but also distributing it amongst his teammates is what has made Andersen's leadership so sticky. He has seen it modeled by those before him, and he has embraced the challenge of learning how to reach a diverse roster that includes a surge of transfers brought in by new head coach Jake Dickert.
"One week at a time. For me, every week is Christmas," Andersen said. "Anytime we get the chance to put on the pads—that's what we work all year for. We only get 12 opportunities to go out there and show all the hard work we do in the dark, so I'm really excited.
"One of the biggest things I've learned throughout my career from great leaders is that you've got to learn the individual. Who are you leading? How do different guys respond to different things? With a bunch of transfers and new guys, I've tried to take the time to learn how everyone clicks, how everyone responds. That's helped me spread my leadership across the offense as well. At the end of the day, all anyone cares about is that the Deacs win."
That willingness to meet people where they are has deep roots. Andersen still remembers the moment as a freshman when veteran linebacker Luke Masterson stopped a practice and gathered the defense on its own. That kind of player-driven accountability, he says, left a mark.
"I vividly remember my freshman year, at a Tuesday practice around Week 7 or 8 of that shortened season," he said. "Luke Masterson got all of us together—just the players, no coaches—and said, 'Hey, we need to step it up. I've been very fortunate to learn from some of the best leaders possible during my time here. The best teams are player-led teams. The more we can hold ourselves accountable and disciplined without the coaches having to do it, the better we'll be as a unit."
It's also no accident that Andersen chose to remain in Winston-Salem through the transition from Dave Clawson to Dickert. Their shared philosophy on work and culture sealed his decision.
"From our very first conversation (with Coach Dickert), we clicked," Andersen said. "That first FaceTime we had back in December or January, I knew I wanted to stay. I knew this was the guy I wanted to go to war with every single day. We see things the same way, we're always hungry, and we both believe consistent hard work leads to success."
That alignment has resonated beyond Andersen. He's been part of a leadership circle that includes Quincy Bryant, Dylan Hazen, Davaughn Patterson, and RuShaun Tongue. Together, they've committed to pushing one another while bringing the rest of the roster along.
"Yeah, I had conversations with Quincy, Dylan, Davaughn, Ru—all those guys," Andersen said. "We just knew that together, we'd be better as one than if any of us went off individually. I'm blessed to have those guys with me every single day pushing me."
Selected as an Athlon Preseason All-ACC, Andersen leads the Demon Deacons through three games with 23 tackles. He also has contributed 1.5 tackles for loss and two pass breakups. His return along with the others who immediately bought into Dickert's vision when added with the new wave of transfers has given Wake Forest a sturdy defensive base as the team adapts to Dickert's leadership.
The vote last month only made official what teammates already knew: Andersen is the standard.
And for the Deacons, who believe their edge is found in "connection," there may be no better captain to embody it.
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