Patterson Finding His Fit in Energetic Program
4/8/2025 10:01:00 AM | Football
“Everyone here is on board, and we're becoming more close-knit every day. It's been fun getting to know these new people and for them to get to know me.” - Davaughn Patterson
Davaughn Patterson did a little bit of everything — and a lot of many things — for the Wake Forest Football defense during his sophomore campaign a season ago; and most everything the hard-hitting safety accomplished in 2024 was delivered with violent intentions.
He finished last season fourth on the team with 74 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, with a forced fumble, an interception and three pass breakups. He can defend the top receivers in the ACC, is able to ferociously cut down running backs and is even able to surprise opposing offenses by coming off the edge to attack the quarterback.
Patterson is the epitome of a Swiss Army knife, and the new Wake Forest brain trust plans to put him in creative situations to make plays in 2025.
"I'm a versatile player — I'm sure they've seen the film and are aware of that," Patterson said. "Right now, they're just watching us work, and I'm trying to prove myself. I want to show my work ethic and how hard I work. I feel like I need to prove myself to them because I don't rely on past achievements.
"With the new coaching staff, I feel I have to prove myself daily to earn my spot on the field. Regarding my skills, we've had plenty of talks about what things will look like this year. I'll be learning multiple positions again, so it should be much the same and still fun for me."
With coaching staff changes also comes brand new schemes, new verbiage and a new culture. Patterson has had to adjust to what is demanded from head coach Jake Dickert, defensive coordinator Scottie Hazelton and defensive backs coach Freddie Banks. On top of all that, plus the rigorous academic work at Wake Forest; Patterson will also be learning multiple roles in this brand new defensive scheme.
"It's not intimidating to me at all," he said. "I always welcome a new challenge, especially when it comes to learning new positions. I feel like the more you learn about different positions, the better you can play on the field.
"The more positions you understand and know what someone else should be doing, the easier it is for you to go out there and play better and faster with your teammates. You'll know where they're going to be and where you can expect help. So, I always try to learn as many positions as possible and gain as much knowledge as I can about the entire defense."
Of course, it was an offseason full of surprise and excitement for Wake Forest Football, as 11-year head coach Dave Clawson stepped aside after a wildly-successful tenure. Mere days later, Wake Forest vice president and director of athletics John Currie introduced Dickert as the 33rd head coach in program history.
"You can't really dwell on it for too long," Patterson said about the changes. "I'm just getting to know my new teammates, the new coaching staff, and trying to build connections and relationships. It's all about meeting everyone so that we all share the same mission, which is to win games next year. It all starts with building those relationships, so that's the phase I'm in right now—just trying to get to know everybody and start working out again.
"We have a lot of new people, new faces, along with some familiar ones. It's a good process meeting new people and practicing those skills. So far, everyone here is on board, and we're becoming more close-knit every day. It's been fun getting to know these new people and for them to get to know me."
Patterson was able to lean heavily on his father, Shawn Patterson, who coaches at Ed White High School (Jacksonville, FL), to help him navigate the transition process confidently.
"This whole process is very new to me," Patterson said. "I didn't know where to start, so I went straight to my dad. We had some conversations over the phone, and he convinced me to sit down and meet the coaches before doing anything else. I did that, and I'm happy with my decision to stay.
"I never really thought about it because, personally, I've never left a school or had a coach leave, so this was a first for me. I didn't quite know how to handle it initially, but I talked to my parents and friends, and I just let it all blow over."
As the Demon Deacons begin Spring Camp, Patterson is loving the new staff and the energy they're bringing to the program every day.
"They bring a younger, more energetic vibe to the team," Patterson said. "They are all about energy. We try to incorporate that into our daily lives. These new coaches are much more energetic and fun to be around.
"We're definitely eager and excited to get out there on the field. That's what we live for. Everyone talked about how ready they were for spring ball, because proving ourselves to the new coaching staff is one of our top priorities."
He finished last season fourth on the team with 74 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, with a forced fumble, an interception and three pass breakups. He can defend the top receivers in the ACC, is able to ferociously cut down running backs and is even able to surprise opposing offenses by coming off the edge to attack the quarterback.
Patterson is the epitome of a Swiss Army knife, and the new Wake Forest brain trust plans to put him in creative situations to make plays in 2025.
"I'm a versatile player — I'm sure they've seen the film and are aware of that," Patterson said. "Right now, they're just watching us work, and I'm trying to prove myself. I want to show my work ethic and how hard I work. I feel like I need to prove myself to them because I don't rely on past achievements.
"With the new coaching staff, I feel I have to prove myself daily to earn my spot on the field. Regarding my skills, we've had plenty of talks about what things will look like this year. I'll be learning multiple positions again, so it should be much the same and still fun for me."
With coaching staff changes also comes brand new schemes, new verbiage and a new culture. Patterson has had to adjust to what is demanded from head coach Jake Dickert, defensive coordinator Scottie Hazelton and defensive backs coach Freddie Banks. On top of all that, plus the rigorous academic work at Wake Forest; Patterson will also be learning multiple roles in this brand new defensive scheme.
"It's not intimidating to me at all," he said. "I always welcome a new challenge, especially when it comes to learning new positions. I feel like the more you learn about different positions, the better you can play on the field.
"The more positions you understand and know what someone else should be doing, the easier it is for you to go out there and play better and faster with your teammates. You'll know where they're going to be and where you can expect help. So, I always try to learn as many positions as possible and gain as much knowledge as I can about the entire defense."
Of course, it was an offseason full of surprise and excitement for Wake Forest Football, as 11-year head coach Dave Clawson stepped aside after a wildly-successful tenure. Mere days later, Wake Forest vice president and director of athletics John Currie introduced Dickert as the 33rd head coach in program history.
"You can't really dwell on it for too long," Patterson said about the changes. "I'm just getting to know my new teammates, the new coaching staff, and trying to build connections and relationships. It's all about meeting everyone so that we all share the same mission, which is to win games next year. It all starts with building those relationships, so that's the phase I'm in right now—just trying to get to know everybody and start working out again.
"We have a lot of new people, new faces, along with some familiar ones. It's a good process meeting new people and practicing those skills. So far, everyone here is on board, and we're becoming more close-knit every day. It's been fun getting to know these new people and for them to get to know me."
Patterson was able to lean heavily on his father, Shawn Patterson, who coaches at Ed White High School (Jacksonville, FL), to help him navigate the transition process confidently.
"This whole process is very new to me," Patterson said. "I didn't know where to start, so I went straight to my dad. We had some conversations over the phone, and he convinced me to sit down and meet the coaches before doing anything else. I did that, and I'm happy with my decision to stay.
"I never really thought about it because, personally, I've never left a school or had a coach leave, so this was a first for me. I didn't quite know how to handle it initially, but I talked to my parents and friends, and I just let it all blow over."
As the Demon Deacons begin Spring Camp, Patterson is loving the new staff and the energy they're bringing to the program every day.
"They bring a younger, more energetic vibe to the team," Patterson said. "They are all about energy. We try to incorporate that into our daily lives. These new coaches are much more energetic and fun to be around.
"We're definitely eager and excited to get out there on the field. That's what we live for. Everyone talked about how ready they were for spring ball, because proving ourselves to the new coaching staff is one of our top priorities."
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