Wake Forest Athletics

Wake Forest Announces Team Captains for the 2025 Season
8/24/2025 5:00:00 PM | Football
Nick Andersen, Demond Claiborne and Devin Kylany were all named captains for the 2025 season with the fourth captain rotating on a game-to-game basis.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- The Wake Forest football team has announced the captains for the 2025 season Sunday.
The three permanent team captains for the upcoming season are senior defensive back Nick Andersen, senior running back Demond Claiborne and redshirt senior offensive lineman Devin Kylany with the fourth captain rotating on a game-to-game basis.
This marks Ander's second season as a captain for the Deacs while Kylany was a team captain at Washington State a season ago. Claiborne will be a first time team captain this season.
The Demon Deacons are set to kickoff the 2025 season on Friday, Aug. 29 against Kennesaw State for Opening Night at Allegacy Stadium presented by the Winston-Salem Police Department.
With multiple sellouts expected this fall, Wake Forest Athletics encouraged fans to get their tickets for the 2025 season while supplies last! Limited quantities remain for Opening Night at Allegacy Stadium on Aug. 29, Western Carolina on Sept. 6, NC State on Sept. 11, Georgia Tech on Sept. 27 and for North Carolina on Nov. 15.
More on the three captains permanent:
Nick Andersen | DB | R-Sr.
1. Shaun Dolac Buffalo 12.9
2. Red Murdock Buffalo 12.0
3. Travion Barnes FIU 11.7
4. Isaac Smith Miss. State 11.5
5. Carson Schwesinger UCLA 11.3
6. Stone Blanton Miss. State 10.4
7. Nick Andersen Wake Forest 10.2
T8. Marques Watson-Trent Ga. Southern 10.0
T8. Bryan McCoy Akron 10.0
10. Collin Ramos Navy 9.9
Demond Claiborne | RB | SR
Devin Kylany | OL | R-Sr.
Bojangles Four Pack and Single-Game Tickets
The Bojangles Four-Pack includes tickets in a reserved east side seating section and complimentary parking in the Diet Pepsi Lot at the LJVM Coliseum for select games. With demand already at record levels for several home games, only a limited number of Four-Pack packages are available. These tickets will sell out, so act fast!
Don't miss your chance to be part of the action this fall—secure your single game or Bojangles Four-Pack tickets today and be there for every touchdown, turnover, and unforgettable moment.
Wake Forest Athletics has previously announced the full fan experience, group day and promotional plans for the 2025 football season.
The quickest and most efficient way to order single-game tickets is to click the link above for the specific game you want to purchase or to call the Wake Forest Ticket Office at 336-758-3322 ext. 1. Office hours are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Feedback
As fans have questions, feedback or ideas, Wake Forest Athletics encourages you to email wfsports@wfu.edu with those thoughts.
The three permanent team captains for the upcoming season are senior defensive back Nick Andersen, senior running back Demond Claiborne and redshirt senior offensive lineman Devin Kylany with the fourth captain rotating on a game-to-game basis.
This marks Ander's second season as a captain for the Deacs while Kylany was a team captain at Washington State a season ago. Claiborne will be a first time team captain this season.
The Demon Deacons are set to kickoff the 2025 season on Friday, Aug. 29 against Kennesaw State for Opening Night at Allegacy Stadium presented by the Winston-Salem Police Department.
With multiple sellouts expected this fall, Wake Forest Athletics encouraged fans to get their tickets for the 2025 season while supplies last! Limited quantities remain for Opening Night at Allegacy Stadium on Aug. 29, Western Carolina on Sept. 6, NC State on Sept. 11, Georgia Tech on Sept. 27 and for North Carolina on Nov. 15.
More on the three captains permanent:
Nick Andersen | DB | R-Sr.
- Nick Andersen has earned multiple preseason All-ACC selections heading into 2025.
- Andersen was one of the best tacklers in the country and leads the Demon Deacons with 122 total tackles (10.2) which is 28 more than the next closest player on the team.
- Andersen became the first Demon Deacon with 100 tackles in a season with Ryan Smenda Jr. in 2022.
- His 122 tackles are most in the last decade:
- 1. Nick Andersen (2024) - 122
- 2. Ryan Smenda Jr. (2022) - 117
- 3. Ryan Janvion (2014) - 115
- 4. Brandon Chubb (2015) - 107
- T5. Marquel Lee (2016) - 105
- T5. Justin Strnad (2019) - 105
- In addition to leading the team in this category, Andersen was also the ACC leader with the next closest player totaling 117 tackles this season. Andersen's 122 total tackles also ranks 13th nationally and his tackles per game ranked seventh:
1. Shaun Dolac Buffalo 12.9
2. Red Murdock Buffalo 12.0
3. Travion Barnes FIU 11.7
4. Isaac Smith Miss. State 11.5
5. Carson Schwesinger UCLA 11.3
6. Stone Blanton Miss. State 10.4
7. Nick Andersen Wake Forest 10.2
T8. Marques Watson-Trent Ga. Southern 10.0
T8. Bryan McCoy Akron 10.0
10. Collin Ramos Navy 9.9
- Andersen recorded eight interceptions during his career, including a pair during the 2024 season. He sits just outside the top 10 in program history and has the most in the last decade.
| Rank | Name | Career Interceptions |
| 1. | Nick Andersen (2020-Present) | 8 |
| T2. | Amari Henderson (2016-19) | 7 |
| T2. | Jessie Bates III (2015-17) | 6 |
| T2. | Ja'Sir Taylor (2017-21) | 6 |
| 5. | Essang Bassey (2016-19) | 5 |
Demond Claiborne | RB | SR
- Named a 2024 Phil Steele All-American, 2025 Preseason Phil Steele All-American and consensus 2025 preseason All-ACC selection.
- Earned multiple All-ACC honors including to the official All-ACC team as voted on by media and coaches in 2024.
- Capped off a historic season in 2024 with 228 carries for 1,049 yards and 11 rushing touchdowns.
- Additionally, he caught 23 passes for 254 yards and a pair of receiving touchdowns. Finally, he returned 11 kickoffs for 277 yards (25.1 average) and had a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown at Miami in Week 13.
- Became the second Demon Deacon to ever log 1,000 rushing yards and 250 receiving yards in a season.
- Was the first Wake Forest running back to total 1,000 yards on the ground since Cade Carney accomplished this feat in 2018.
- Tallied 11 scoring runs which was tied with quarterback Sam Hartman's tally (11) which ranks second in program history.
- Claiborne's 100-yard return against Miami is tied for the longest play in program history, matching Alphonso Smith's 100-yard interception return for a touchdown against Maryland in 2007.
- The kickoff return for a touchdown marked the second of his career and he became the second Demon Deacon in program history to record multiple in his career (John Stone, 3 kickoff return touchdowns).
- Claiborne's 1,579 all-purpose yards this season ranks seventh in program history and his all-purpose yards per game of 131.6 ranked 11th nationally:
| Rank | Rush | Rec | PR | KR | Total APR |
| 1. Kenneth Moore (2007) | 316 | 1,011 | 355 | 172 | 1,854 |
| 2. Greg Dortch (2018) | 20 | 1,078 | 276 | 376 | 1,750 |
| 3. Fabien Davis (2002) | 446 | 575 | 363 | 363 | 1,747 |
| 4. John Zeglinski (1975) | 591 | 354 | 243 | 542 | 1,730 |
| 5. John Leach (1993) | 1,089 | 340 | 0 | 253 | 1,691 |
| 6. Anthony Williams (1990) | 866 | 0 | 0 | 740 | 1,606 |
| 7. Demond Claiborne (2024) | 1,048 | 254 | 0 | 277 | 1,530 |
| 8. Chris Barclay (2005) | 1,127 | 159 | 0 | 222 | 1,508 |
| 9. Bill Barnes (1956) | 1,010 | 41 | 0 | 440 | 1,491 |
| 10. Mark Young (1988) | 711 | 245 | 0 | 488 | 1,444 |
Devin Kylany | OL | R-Sr.
- Devin Kylany goes into the 2025 season with over 30 career games played including 23 in the last two seasons alone.
- Last year at Washington State, he was named team captain, leading the Cougars to the Holiday Bowl while starting in 11 games at center. Over the course of the season, Kylany allowed only two sacks in 399 pass snaps and was named the Washington State Offensive Player of the Week in the victory at Fresno State.
Bojangles Four Pack and Single-Game Tickets
The Bojangles Four-Pack includes tickets in a reserved east side seating section and complimentary parking in the Diet Pepsi Lot at the LJVM Coliseum for select games. With demand already at record levels for several home games, only a limited number of Four-Pack packages are available. These tickets will sell out, so act fast!
Don't miss your chance to be part of the action this fall—secure your single game or Bojangles Four-Pack tickets today and be there for every touchdown, turnover, and unforgettable moment.
Wake Forest Athletics has previously announced the full fan experience, group day and promotional plans for the 2025 football season.
The quickest and most efficient way to order single-game tickets is to click the link above for the specific game you want to purchase or to call the Wake Forest Ticket Office at 336-758-3322 ext. 1. Office hours are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Feedback
As fans have questions, feedback or ideas, Wake Forest Athletics encourages you to email wfsports@wfu.edu with those thoughts.
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