Wake Forest Athletics
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From The Quad
7/30/2026 5:07:00 PM | General
Presented by Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist
Good Afternoon Deacon Nation!
The calendar says it's still July, but "summer vacation" is long over for many Demon Deacons as we are now 12 days from our first official varsity match – women's soccer hosting LSU on Wednesday, Aug. 12 and only 34 sleeps until Opening Night at Allegacy Stadium, as Demon Deacon football kicks off the 2026 season against Akron, live on ACC Network! With some big Demon Deacon announcements already popping this week, continued intrigue around the potential Protect College Sports Act in Washington, and (thankfully!) actual live practices and games with real student-athletes happening over the next few weeks lets get to the updates!
Pepsi Partnership Brings Major Momentum to Wake Forest
Earlier this week, Wake Forest announced a University-wide, 10-year pouring rights partnership with Pepsi Bottling Ventures, which represents a transformational expansion of our longtime relationship with Pepsi. This partnership is a major win for the entire Wake Forest community, including with Pepsi's help in extending the Demon Deacon brand, meaningful new opportunities for students and significant financial value over the next decade. Wake Forest will benefit from support for student scholarships, paid internships, sustainability initiatives, and NIL opportunities for student-athletes. I'm especially grateful for Pepsi leadership's recognition of the value of deepening their association with Wake Forest and all my colleagues across campus who collaborated to make this deal happen! Go Deacs and Go Pepsi!!!
Deacon Club All Time Record Year
Thanks to the support of more than 5,000 donors, the Deacon Club raised a record $43.7 million in cash this fiscal year – the highest fundraising total in our history! Coupled with new recorded pledges Wake Forest secured over $64.6 million for Demon Deacon competitive excellence this year. The cash total represents a $10.7 million cash increase – 32% more – than the previous year, shattering the 2021 single year fundraising record of $37.2 million. Your generosity also helped the Deacon Club Scholarship Fund surpass $7.4 million, its highest total in more than eight years, creating over 30 new current-use scholarships that will open doors for future Demon Deacons. Meanwhile, support for our Excellence Funds, sport-specific annual funds that provide coaches and student-athletes with the resources to recruit, develop, and compete for championships, grew by an extraordinary 68%, representing nearly $7.9 million in additional support over the previous year. To cap everything off, our International Leadership Circle (those giving at least $15,000 in cash annually for sport restricted funds, NIL, current use scholarships and operations etc) reached a record 430 members, a 20% increase from the FY25 membership of 359. Did you know we have ILC members in 32 states and 3 countries? I am grateful for the generosity and proactivity of all Deacon Club members and I appreciate our dedicated development staff who go the extra mile to serve our Deacon Club members worldwide!
Athletics Administrative Team Reloads, Recalibrates to Meet New Challenges
Regular readers of From the Quad are much more in tune with the disruption and rapid evolution that college athletics and higher education has faced over the past five years than the average college athletics fan. Finding a competitive edge amidst the challenges takes teamwork and talent and I'm excited about new members joining our leadership team and well deserved promotions for some of our veterans as we reorganize for a big 2026-2027 academic and athletic year.
As we announced July 6, Deputy AD Janeen Lalik is now on board bringing 30-plus years of experience in college, professional and sports adjacent enterprises, most recently serving as Executive VP of the Nashville Predators' Sabertooth Sports Enterprises division. And earlier this week, we announced that Ryan Madden, currently Senior VP for marketing for Major League Soccer's Austin FC franchise, will be joining the Demon Deacon family as Executive Associate Athletic Director/Chief Brand & Revenue Officer. The addition of Ryan and Janeen's skills, experience, and capacity presented us the opportunity to refine and realign our efforts to the areas of greatest need, including support of our student-athletes and coaches, revenue generation and, of course, our goal of The Best Fan Experience in North Carolina.
I'm grateful for the efforts of all Wake Forest athletics staffers and proud to congratulate leadership team members Jordan Jarry, Daren Koudele, Annette Medalie, Craig Zakrzewski, Mike Piscetelli, Barry Faircloth, and Randy Casstevens on their promotions. I look forward to working with what I think is the most talented leadership team in college athletics as we head into the 2026-27 academic and athletic year.
Joel Preview – Men's Basketball to Host FREE Open Practice, Wednesday August 5th
All fans and community members are welcomed to a FREE open Men's Basketball practice in Joel Coliseum at 5 p.m. next Wednesday, Aug. 5! Doors open at 4:15 p.m. and we'll have fun engagement and giveaways throughout the event. Concessions, including the new Deacon Ale, will be available. Our social media team has been pumping out great men's basketball practice content all summer long and a few weeks ago Coach Forbes welcomed members of the media to practice for a first look at the new squad. Along with returning sophomore guard Isaac Carr, there have been highlight moments for the whole Demon Deacon roster with guard Kevair Kennedy (Merrimack), center Antonio Dorn (Virginia Tech), guard Jamari McDowell (Kansas), and the freshmen Placide twins are already showing special on court talent. Join us Wednesday and get to know the new squad as excitement builds for the strong nonconference schedule and the return of all our Big Four rivals to LJVM in 2026-2027. Season tickets are on sale – as are seats for the Wake - West Virginia clash, Saturday, Dec. 19 at First Horizon Coliseum.
Grassroots Engagement – Making Connections – Boosting the Community Deacon Pride
Our coaches and student-athletes have been busy all summer getting out and about Winston-Salem and the Triad including Coach Jake Dickert and Wake Forest football making stops with fans and customers of our Wake Forest Sports Properties partners, like Cook Out, Lowe's Foods, Miller's on Robinhood, and even taking the mound at Truist Stadium for a first pitch with the Winston-Salem Dash. Football student-athletes have also engaged deeply in the community with a visit to Atrium Health Levine Children's Brenner Children's Hospital and with Camp Discovery attendees at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center.
It was fun to be out at Spry Stadium this past Sunday night with a great crowd of kids (and adults of all ages) for 2026 Soccer Fan Fest. Fans had the opportunity to meet members of both teams, get autographs, and play games throughout the event, while Coach Muuss and Coach da Luz spent time with the community ahead of their upcoming seasons. Be sure to purchase your soccer season and single-game tickets!
Couch Ballpark, Allegacy Stadium, and the LJVM Coliseum sit in the heart of Winston-Salem's historic Sports and Entertainment District. In combination with the Carolina Classic Fairgrounds and Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Arena, the area welcomed more than one million visitors last year – and the construction of The Grounds isn't even complete yet! As exciting progress on The Grounds is being made, we're especially looking forward to debuting the nearly completed pedestrian pathway that will connect our campus directly to Allegacy Stadium this season, building towards The Best Fan Experience in North Carolina for our students and fans.
We still have a limited number of Opening Night Four Packs available – the perfect way to bring along a friend, new neighbor, or colleague to experience the Deacs in person. Each four-pack includes four tickets, a parking pass, and a $20 concession credit, making it an easy and affordable way to enjoy gameday together! Get them before the price increases on Monday, Aug. 3.
And remember, season tickets start at just $149 – or about $25 per game – making Wake Forest one of the best big-time entertainment values in North Carolina. Season ticket holders also enjoy benefits like priority parking and early access to premium experiences. With the Lowes Foods DEACTOWN Fan Zone open before kickoff and food and beverage options inside the stadium, including local food trucks, there's no need to worry about cooking or cleanup – just come out and enjoy an unforgettable day cheering on the Deacs.
To explore all your options, visit GoDeacs.com/Tickets, call the Wake Forest Ticket Office at 336-758-3322 ext. 1, or email tix@wfu.edu. Our team is happy to help you find the best option for you, your family, or your group.
The Deacs Are Back – Wake Alums Making Big Noise on the PGA – Wyndham Next Week!
A quartet of Demon Deacons headlines the field at next week's Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club, Aug. 5-9, led by 2025 champion Cameron Young '19, who is currently ranked third in both the world and the FedEx Cup standings. Also returning home to the Triad next week are 2011 champion Webb Simpson '08, Alex Fitzpatrick and Michael Brennan ('24). Alex's breakout season includes his first PGA Tour victory, while Michael joins Cam as one of only 14 tour pros to make the cut at the Masters, the PGA Championship, US Open, British Open and PGA Championship.
Grab your tickets here, don your Swinging Deacon gear and go cheer on our Deacs!
Brandon Hazouri Elevated to Lead Wake Forest Women's Cross Country and Track & Field Associate Head Coach
Congratulations to Brandon Hazouri who was elevated to Women's Cross Country Head Coach and Track & Field Associate Head Coach by Wake Forest Director of Track & Field and Cross Country John Hayes last week. Brandon has had a tremendous impact since arriving in Winston-Salem, helping guide championship-level performances, developing standout student-athletes and strengthening our recruiting efforts. Go Deacs and Go Brandon!
Update: Cruz-Cantwell Senate Bill
In past issues of From The Quad I have written about the Cruz-Cantwell bill, the latest effort in the multi-year attempt to bring stability and sustainability to college sports. The last two weeks have included deep engagement at all hours of day and night by many leaders including Commissioner Phillips and his Power Four colleagues, the bill sponsors and others who are trying to hammer out the compromise details to get the bill to the Senate floor for a possible vote. Stay tuned for more updates and for readers who want best the play-by-play of the action, I recommend following Yahoo's Ross Dellenger's X social feed.
Chairing the ACC's Athletic Directors
As was announced earlier this week, I have been selected to Chair the ACC Athletics Directors this year. To be selected by my peers and Commissioner Phillips for this responsibility is both humbling and an honor, but it will also help me better support President Rodriguez in his inaugural year, and provide the opportunity to work even more closely with Commissioner Jim Phillips and the ACC Board of Directors as we continue to advance the conference's mission, values, and national brand. Our AD's group has a remarkable depth of experience across college athletics, major media, and professional sports and it's more important than ever before to harness those collective strengths to advance our league.
Wake Forest's Educating Character Initiative Nets $44 Million Lilly Endowment Gift
Led by Dr. Michael Lamb, Wake Forest's Educating Character Initiative is growing again! With this remarkable new support from Lilly Endowment Inc., its reach will extend even further as this $44 million investment will allow ECI to continue helping colleges and universities strengthen the character of students, faculty and staff through meaningful, mission-driven work. It is another powerful example of Wake Forest advancing a national conversation in a way that reflects both our values and our commitment to character.
Wake Forest and Lost Worlds Brewing Launch Deacon Ale
Just in time for football season, Wake Forest Athletics and Lost Worlds Brewing have teamed up to launch Deacon Ale, the new official craft beer of Wake Forest. Last week, Coach Dickert and Coach Forbes got a first taste, and this exciting addition will enhance the gameday experience at Allegacy Stadium, LJVM Coliseum, and wherever Demon Deacons cheer on the Old Gold & Black, all while extending the Wake Forest brand throughout the region. Be sure to grab Deacon Ale at your local Lowe's Foods before your DEACTOWN tailgates this fall!
From the Quad Big 3
Finally, here are today's Big 3 ways to help the Deacs:
Thanks for all the ways you support Wake Forest University, and as always, please continue to send your thoughts, ideas and suggestions to me at wfuad@wfu.edu, and …
Go Deacs!
John Currie
Vice President & Director of Athletics
Wake Forest University
Good Afternoon Deacon Nation!
The calendar says it's still July, but "summer vacation" is long over for many Demon Deacons as we are now 12 days from our first official varsity match – women's soccer hosting LSU on Wednesday, Aug. 12 and only 34 sleeps until Opening Night at Allegacy Stadium, as Demon Deacon football kicks off the 2026 season against Akron, live on ACC Network! With some big Demon Deacon announcements already popping this week, continued intrigue around the potential Protect College Sports Act in Washington, and (thankfully!) actual live practices and games with real student-athletes happening over the next few weeks lets get to the updates!
Pepsi Partnership Brings Major Momentum to Wake Forest
Earlier this week, Wake Forest announced a University-wide, 10-year pouring rights partnership with Pepsi Bottling Ventures, which represents a transformational expansion of our longtime relationship with Pepsi. This partnership is a major win for the entire Wake Forest community, including with Pepsi's help in extending the Demon Deacon brand, meaningful new opportunities for students and significant financial value over the next decade. Wake Forest will benefit from support for student scholarships, paid internships, sustainability initiatives, and NIL opportunities for student-athletes. I'm especially grateful for Pepsi leadership's recognition of the value of deepening their association with Wake Forest and all my colleagues across campus who collaborated to make this deal happen! Go Deacs and Go Pepsi!!!
Deacon Club All Time Record Year
Thanks to the support of more than 5,000 donors, the Deacon Club raised a record $43.7 million in cash this fiscal year – the highest fundraising total in our history! Coupled with new recorded pledges Wake Forest secured over $64.6 million for Demon Deacon competitive excellence this year. The cash total represents a $10.7 million cash increase – 32% more – than the previous year, shattering the 2021 single year fundraising record of $37.2 million. Your generosity also helped the Deacon Club Scholarship Fund surpass $7.4 million, its highest total in more than eight years, creating over 30 new current-use scholarships that will open doors for future Demon Deacons. Meanwhile, support for our Excellence Funds, sport-specific annual funds that provide coaches and student-athletes with the resources to recruit, develop, and compete for championships, grew by an extraordinary 68%, representing nearly $7.9 million in additional support over the previous year. To cap everything off, our International Leadership Circle (those giving at least $15,000 in cash annually for sport restricted funds, NIL, current use scholarships and operations etc) reached a record 430 members, a 20% increase from the FY25 membership of 359. Did you know we have ILC members in 32 states and 3 countries? I am grateful for the generosity and proactivity of all Deacon Club members and I appreciate our dedicated development staff who go the extra mile to serve our Deacon Club members worldwide!
Athletics Administrative Team Reloads, Recalibrates to Meet New Challenges
Regular readers of From the Quad are much more in tune with the disruption and rapid evolution that college athletics and higher education has faced over the past five years than the average college athletics fan. Finding a competitive edge amidst the challenges takes teamwork and talent and I'm excited about new members joining our leadership team and well deserved promotions for some of our veterans as we reorganize for a big 2026-2027 academic and athletic year.
As we announced July 6, Deputy AD Janeen Lalik is now on board bringing 30-plus years of experience in college, professional and sports adjacent enterprises, most recently serving as Executive VP of the Nashville Predators' Sabertooth Sports Enterprises division. And earlier this week, we announced that Ryan Madden, currently Senior VP for marketing for Major League Soccer's Austin FC franchise, will be joining the Demon Deacon family as Executive Associate Athletic Director/Chief Brand & Revenue Officer. The addition of Ryan and Janeen's skills, experience, and capacity presented us the opportunity to refine and realign our efforts to the areas of greatest need, including support of our student-athletes and coaches, revenue generation and, of course, our goal of The Best Fan Experience in North Carolina.
I'm grateful for the efforts of all Wake Forest athletics staffers and proud to congratulate leadership team members Jordan Jarry, Daren Koudele, Annette Medalie, Craig Zakrzewski, Mike Piscetelli, Barry Faircloth, and Randy Casstevens on their promotions. I look forward to working with what I think is the most talented leadership team in college athletics as we head into the 2026-27 academic and athletic year.
Joel Preview – Men's Basketball to Host FREE Open Practice, Wednesday August 5th
All fans and community members are welcomed to a FREE open Men's Basketball practice in Joel Coliseum at 5 p.m. next Wednesday, Aug. 5! Doors open at 4:15 p.m. and we'll have fun engagement and giveaways throughout the event. Concessions, including the new Deacon Ale, will be available. Our social media team has been pumping out great men's basketball practice content all summer long and a few weeks ago Coach Forbes welcomed members of the media to practice for a first look at the new squad. Along with returning sophomore guard Isaac Carr, there have been highlight moments for the whole Demon Deacon roster with guard Kevair Kennedy (Merrimack), center Antonio Dorn (Virginia Tech), guard Jamari McDowell (Kansas), and the freshmen Placide twins are already showing special on court talent. Join us Wednesday and get to know the new squad as excitement builds for the strong nonconference schedule and the return of all our Big Four rivals to LJVM in 2026-2027. Season tickets are on sale – as are seats for the Wake - West Virginia clash, Saturday, Dec. 19 at First Horizon Coliseum.
Grassroots Engagement – Making Connections – Boosting the Community Deacon Pride
Our coaches and student-athletes have been busy all summer getting out and about Winston-Salem and the Triad including Coach Jake Dickert and Wake Forest football making stops with fans and customers of our Wake Forest Sports Properties partners, like Cook Out, Lowe's Foods, Miller's on Robinhood, and even taking the mound at Truist Stadium for a first pitch with the Winston-Salem Dash. Football student-athletes have also engaged deeply in the community with a visit to Atrium Health Levine Children's Brenner Children's Hospital and with Camp Discovery attendees at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center.
It was fun to be out at Spry Stadium this past Sunday night with a great crowd of kids (and adults of all ages) for 2026 Soccer Fan Fest. Fans had the opportunity to meet members of both teams, get autographs, and play games throughout the event, while Coach Muuss and Coach da Luz spent time with the community ahead of their upcoming seasons. Be sure to purchase your soccer season and single-game tickets!
Couch Ballpark, Allegacy Stadium, and the LJVM Coliseum sit in the heart of Winston-Salem's historic Sports and Entertainment District. In combination with the Carolina Classic Fairgrounds and Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Arena, the area welcomed more than one million visitors last year – and the construction of The Grounds isn't even complete yet! As exciting progress on The Grounds is being made, we're especially looking forward to debuting the nearly completed pedestrian pathway that will connect our campus directly to Allegacy Stadium this season, building towards The Best Fan Experience in North Carolina for our students and fans.
We still have a limited number of Opening Night Four Packs available – the perfect way to bring along a friend, new neighbor, or colleague to experience the Deacs in person. Each four-pack includes four tickets, a parking pass, and a $20 concession credit, making it an easy and affordable way to enjoy gameday together! Get them before the price increases on Monday, Aug. 3.
And remember, season tickets start at just $149 – or about $25 per game – making Wake Forest one of the best big-time entertainment values in North Carolina. Season ticket holders also enjoy benefits like priority parking and early access to premium experiences. With the Lowes Foods DEACTOWN Fan Zone open before kickoff and food and beverage options inside the stadium, including local food trucks, there's no need to worry about cooking or cleanup – just come out and enjoy an unforgettable day cheering on the Deacs.
To explore all your options, visit GoDeacs.com/Tickets, call the Wake Forest Ticket Office at 336-758-3322 ext. 1, or email tix@wfu.edu. Our team is happy to help you find the best option for you, your family, or your group.
The Deacs Are Back – Wake Alums Making Big Noise on the PGA – Wyndham Next Week!
A quartet of Demon Deacons headlines the field at next week's Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club, Aug. 5-9, led by 2025 champion Cameron Young '19, who is currently ranked third in both the world and the FedEx Cup standings. Also returning home to the Triad next week are 2011 champion Webb Simpson '08, Alex Fitzpatrick and Michael Brennan ('24). Alex's breakout season includes his first PGA Tour victory, while Michael joins Cam as one of only 14 tour pros to make the cut at the Masters, the PGA Championship, US Open, British Open and PGA Championship.
Grab your tickets here, don your Swinging Deacon gear and go cheer on our Deacs!
Brandon Hazouri Elevated to Lead Wake Forest Women's Cross Country and Track & Field Associate Head Coach
Congratulations to Brandon Hazouri who was elevated to Women's Cross Country Head Coach and Track & Field Associate Head Coach by Wake Forest Director of Track & Field and Cross Country John Hayes last week. Brandon has had a tremendous impact since arriving in Winston-Salem, helping guide championship-level performances, developing standout student-athletes and strengthening our recruiting efforts. Go Deacs and Go Brandon!
Update: Cruz-Cantwell Senate Bill
In past issues of From The Quad I have written about the Cruz-Cantwell bill, the latest effort in the multi-year attempt to bring stability and sustainability to college sports. The last two weeks have included deep engagement at all hours of day and night by many leaders including Commissioner Phillips and his Power Four colleagues, the bill sponsors and others who are trying to hammer out the compromise details to get the bill to the Senate floor for a possible vote. Stay tuned for more updates and for readers who want best the play-by-play of the action, I recommend following Yahoo's Ross Dellenger's X social feed.
Chairing the ACC's Athletic Directors
As was announced earlier this week, I have been selected to Chair the ACC Athletics Directors this year. To be selected by my peers and Commissioner Phillips for this responsibility is both humbling and an honor, but it will also help me better support President Rodriguez in his inaugural year, and provide the opportunity to work even more closely with Commissioner Jim Phillips and the ACC Board of Directors as we continue to advance the conference's mission, values, and national brand. Our AD's group has a remarkable depth of experience across college athletics, major media, and professional sports and it's more important than ever before to harness those collective strengths to advance our league.
Wake Forest's Educating Character Initiative Nets $44 Million Lilly Endowment Gift
Led by Dr. Michael Lamb, Wake Forest's Educating Character Initiative is growing again! With this remarkable new support from Lilly Endowment Inc., its reach will extend even further as this $44 million investment will allow ECI to continue helping colleges and universities strengthen the character of students, faculty and staff through meaningful, mission-driven work. It is another powerful example of Wake Forest advancing a national conversation in a way that reflects both our values and our commitment to character.
Wake Forest and Lost Worlds Brewing Launch Deacon Ale
Just in time for football season, Wake Forest Athletics and Lost Worlds Brewing have teamed up to launch Deacon Ale, the new official craft beer of Wake Forest. Last week, Coach Dickert and Coach Forbes got a first taste, and this exciting addition will enhance the gameday experience at Allegacy Stadium, LJVM Coliseum, and wherever Demon Deacons cheer on the Old Gold & Black, all while extending the Wake Forest brand throughout the region. Be sure to grab Deacon Ale at your local Lowe's Foods before your DEACTOWN tailgates this fall!
From the Quad Big 3
Finally, here are today's Big 3 ways to help the Deacs:
- Cast Your Vote: The Demon Deacon needs your vote for best college mascot because nobody brings more tradition, spirit, and unmistakable personality to gamedays! From the top hat and tails to the energy he brings across camps and beyond, he represents Wake Forest with pride every single time he appears.
- Sell Out Spry– Mark your calendars for the special Demon Deacon soccer doubleheader on Thursday, Aug. 20! Come out and join the Deacs for our special doubleheader of Demon Deacon soccer!
- Graylyn is up for USA Today's #1 Best Boutique Hotel! Click here to vote for our 55-acre neighbor – and base camp for the German National Soccer Team during the 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup. Voting is free, just takes a few seconds, and you can vote every day in August. Help bring this top honor to Winston!
Thanks for all the ways you support Wake Forest University, and as always, please continue to send your thoughts, ideas and suggestions to me at wfuad@wfu.edu, and …
Go Deacs!
John Currie
Vice President & Director of Athletics
Wake Forest University
Thursday, July 16
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Thursday, July 02
Thursday, June 25