Wake Forest Athletics
Gaining Confidence, Jack Foley Looks Ahead to 2026 Season
7/6/2026 10:36:00 AM | Football
Jack Foley's Wake Forest career nearly didn't happen. He committed to the Demon Deacons, then decommitted, before finding his way back when head coach Jake Dickert arrived and brought his staff with him.
Sixty-four yards into the Duke's Mayo Bowl, it was hard to imagine it working out any better.
Foley, a redshirt freshman wide receiver from Bend, Ore., caught a touchdown pass that covered most of the length of the field against Mississippi State in Wake Forest's 43-29 bowl victory, announcing himself to anyone who hadn't been paying attention.
It was the first touchdown of his collegiate career, and it came against an SEC defense.
"That was obviously a big moment for me — a kick-off to my career," Foley said during spring camp. "I owe it all to the trust that the coaches and the program gave me. I wouldn't have had that opportunity if my coaches from last year didn't trust me. That brought so much confidence going into this offseason, knowing that I can hang with guys like that, especially SEC teams."
Dickert saw exactly what the moment did for his young wide receiver.
"His ceiling is so high, and that bowl game really springboarded him with a lot of confidence to show, 'Hey, I can run by SEC DBs,'" Dickert said. "He believes in himself way more at this time this year than he did last year."
The path to that moment was longer and more winding than most. Foley arrived at Wake Forest from Mountain View High School in Bend as the No. 5 recruit in Oregon and the No. 145 wide receiver in the country in the 2025 class. He was a two-time all-state wide receiver who led Mountain View to an undefeated regular season, an Intermountain Conference championship and back-to-back appearances in the 5A state championship game. During his senior season, he hauled in 52 receptions for 1,082 yards and 16 touchdowns.
But before he ever got to Wake Forest, he left. Then the coaching staff changed, and something pulled him back.
"I don't know if it was this place exactly, but I know I was meant to be with the staff that Coach Dickert brings with him," Foley said. "Even during visits with the previous Wake Forest staff compared to the other programs I visited during my recruiting process, I was just drawn to the energy they brought. I clearly couldn't escape it. I had to give in to it."
The first year brought its own adjustments. Coming from a high school program in Oregon, Foley was learning a college offense from scratch while competing behind established veterans. He credits a network of people who poured time into him after hours to get him up to speed.
"Coach Izaiah Prouse-Lackey was calling me late at night, helping me with the playbook," Foley said. "Coming from Oregon, we did not have an offense like we have here. It was a big adjustment. But being behind guys like Carlos Hernandez, Sterling Berkhalter and Kamrean Johnson last year, they just poured into me. Praise God for people that pour into my life like that."
He appeared in five games as a freshman before breaking through in the Duke's Mayo Bowl. Now entering his redshirt sophomore season, Foley is competing for a prominent role in an offense led by transfer quarterback Gio Lopez. The switch from right-handed to left-handed passers hasn't troubled him much.
"I've never caught passes from a left-handed quarterback, but it's been great so far," he said. "Love catching from Gio. Love catching from Steele [Pizzella] as well."
Foley described the receiver room as a deeper, tighter group than a year ago, with competition for snaps pushing everyone rather than dividing them.
"I think we're closer than last year," he said. "Our camaraderie is really good. It doesn't matter who you put in — all the guys in our room can play. So I really love it."
The 64-yard touchdown against Mississippi State gave him something to build on. The coaches who stayed up late helping him learn the playbook gave him the foundation to keep growing. Foley is still young, still developing and, by his own coach's assessment, just getting started.
"His ceiling is so high," Dickert said. "It's still going to be a process with Jack. I think he knows that. But I think he believes in himself."
