Jackson Helping Make Early Impact in Defensive Backs Room
6/16/2025 7:10:00 AM | Football
“From the time the horn blows to the end, we’re out here grinding." - Chevis Jackson
It surely wasn't an easy task luring Chevis Jackson from his role as cornerbacks coach at Miami, where the Hurricanes last season put together their second 10-win season since 2004. But it was the leadership, passion, energy and vision that new Wake Forest head coach Jake Dickert laid out to Jackson that made the transition right for him.
"Oh man, it's been a blast so far," new Wake Forest assistant coach (cornerbacks) said late in Spring Camp. "When I got here, they opened the doors and treated me like one of their own. I'm excited about it.
"Coach Dickert got me on the phone and explained his vision for the program, and it's exactly what he said it would be—high energy, a competitive atmosphere, and we work every day. From the time the horn blows to the end, we're out here grinding."
"Completely. You can see it by the way we're functioning at practice. Whatever we ask them to do—they're up here watching extra film, taking notes, doing walkthroughs. There's a lot going on, and they're doing a great job, especially leading the group. Not just the safety room, but also the corners. Everybody has a voice in that room, and they're putting us in the right position to do what we need to do."
The secondary has been an ongoing opportunity for the Demon Deacons in recent years, with excellent top-level talent but issues that pop up once injuries take place and depth pieces become overmatched with high-level ACC receivers. While never completely satisfied, Jackson was pleased with what he saw from his group in the 15 Spring Camp practices.
"I really appreciate the guys working their tails off all spring," he said. "They're getting better. They're taking the coaching, and that's the one thing I really appreciate. Me being the new guy coming in, and them getting adapted to the way I coach compared to what they've previously been used to — but they're really taking the coaching and soaking it up.
"They're good in the meeting rooms and then they come out here and perform on a regular basis. I'm very pleased with what they're doing. We're not there yet — still a lot of work to do—but I like the progression we're on right now."
While certainly a challenge with a blended roster of returning upperclassmen Demon Deacons with true freshmen and a large group of transfers, Jackson made building connections his top focus in the spring.
"Loving them," he said. "Talk to them. Make sure they've got a good connection with me. Treat them like they're our own. I'm the big uncle they can come talk to whenever they need anything. We just take it day by day, and whatever happens after that, it's what we've got to go through, and we figure it out from there.
"Success is knowing what's going on, being able to function, playing fast—all things we're doing right now. Like I said, we're headed in the right direction and hopefully we can continue, stay healthy and keep progressing for the season."
The new staff and blended roster brings fresh opportunities for everyone, and spots on the two-deep depth chart up for grabs as well as de facto leadership roles.
"Well, you've got to think about the older guys," Jackson said. "KP (Karon Prunty) is doing really well in my room. As far as the safeties go, you've got Nando (Nick Andersen), Ru (Rushaun Tongue) — guys like that. Everybody's doing a really good job. Some of the younger guys with a lot of potential — Freddie (Gillens) is doing really well. That's just to name a few, but everybody's doing a good job, and like I said, the progression from day one to now has been really good."
And then there's the hard-hitting talented sophomore safety Davaughn Patterson, who the staff is determined to put in the right spots defensively to make the largest impact on a play-by-play basis.
"Davaughn's a great player," Jackson said. "We're putting him wherever we can to make the plays he's supposed to make—whether it's in coverage or in the box. He's a key part of the defense, and we've got to make sure we're putting him in the right position to make the plays he's supposed to make on Saturdays."
The cross training doesn't begin and end with Patterson, however.
"We ask all our defensive backs to do a lot of different things," Jackson said. "We kind of cross-train all of them. You're going to see some guys playing multiple positions in the spring. That's what we did, and they've all got to know the defense.
"You never know what's going to happen throughout the season, so having them play multiple positions is a good thing. It allows us to build depth on the back end and keep us rolling when something bad happens — or even if nothing does — we've got depth at every position."
"Oh man, it's been a blast so far," new Wake Forest assistant coach (cornerbacks) said late in Spring Camp. "When I got here, they opened the doors and treated me like one of their own. I'm excited about it.
"Coach Dickert got me on the phone and explained his vision for the program, and it's exactly what he said it would be—high energy, a competitive atmosphere, and we work every day. From the time the horn blows to the end, we're out here grinding."
"Completely. You can see it by the way we're functioning at practice. Whatever we ask them to do—they're up here watching extra film, taking notes, doing walkthroughs. There's a lot going on, and they're doing a great job, especially leading the group. Not just the safety room, but also the corners. Everybody has a voice in that room, and they're putting us in the right position to do what we need to do."
The secondary has been an ongoing opportunity for the Demon Deacons in recent years, with excellent top-level talent but issues that pop up once injuries take place and depth pieces become overmatched with high-level ACC receivers. While never completely satisfied, Jackson was pleased with what he saw from his group in the 15 Spring Camp practices.
"I really appreciate the guys working their tails off all spring," he said. "They're getting better. They're taking the coaching, and that's the one thing I really appreciate. Me being the new guy coming in, and them getting adapted to the way I coach compared to what they've previously been used to — but they're really taking the coaching and soaking it up.
"They're good in the meeting rooms and then they come out here and perform on a regular basis. I'm very pleased with what they're doing. We're not there yet — still a lot of work to do—but I like the progression we're on right now."
While certainly a challenge with a blended roster of returning upperclassmen Demon Deacons with true freshmen and a large group of transfers, Jackson made building connections his top focus in the spring.
"Loving them," he said. "Talk to them. Make sure they've got a good connection with me. Treat them like they're our own. I'm the big uncle they can come talk to whenever they need anything. We just take it day by day, and whatever happens after that, it's what we've got to go through, and we figure it out from there.
"Success is knowing what's going on, being able to function, playing fast—all things we're doing right now. Like I said, we're headed in the right direction and hopefully we can continue, stay healthy and keep progressing for the season."
The new staff and blended roster brings fresh opportunities for everyone, and spots on the two-deep depth chart up for grabs as well as de facto leadership roles.
"Well, you've got to think about the older guys," Jackson said. "KP (Karon Prunty) is doing really well in my room. As far as the safeties go, you've got Nando (Nick Andersen), Ru (Rushaun Tongue) — guys like that. Everybody's doing a really good job. Some of the younger guys with a lot of potential — Freddie (Gillens) is doing really well. That's just to name a few, but everybody's doing a good job, and like I said, the progression from day one to now has been really good."
And then there's the hard-hitting talented sophomore safety Davaughn Patterson, who the staff is determined to put in the right spots defensively to make the largest impact on a play-by-play basis.
"Davaughn's a great player," Jackson said. "We're putting him wherever we can to make the plays he's supposed to make—whether it's in coverage or in the box. He's a key part of the defense, and we've got to make sure we're putting him in the right position to make the plays he's supposed to make on Saturdays."
The cross training doesn't begin and end with Patterson, however.
"We ask all our defensive backs to do a lot of different things," Jackson said. "We kind of cross-train all of them. You're going to see some guys playing multiple positions in the spring. That's what we did, and they've all got to know the defense.
"You never know what's going to happen throughout the season, so having them play multiple positions is a good thing. It allows us to build depth on the back end and keep us rolling when something bad happens — or even if nothing does — we've got depth at every position."
Players Mentioned
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