2018 Football Roster
Benzinger, Jake
Jersey Number 73
Jake Benzinger
- Height:
- 6-7
- Weight:
- 295
- Class:
- Redshirt Junior
- Hometown:
- Williamston, MA
- High School:
- Mt. Greylock
Bio
Benzinger Post Career bio
2019 (Redshirt Senior)
Started all 13 games at right tackle as a senior and finished his career with 40 starts including the final 39 games of his career ... Named honorable mention All-ACC as an offensive tackle ... Named to the All-ACC Academic Team ... Played in the East-West Shrine Game ... Team high 117 snaps vs. Louisville ... Played 112 snaps vs. Utah State ... Finished the year second on the team with 1,111 plays ... Member of the Dean’s List.
2018 (Redshirt Junior)
Started all 13 games as a junior ... Has 27 career starts, the second-most on offense behind Justin Herron’s 38 ... Tied for the team lead with Essang Bassey with 26 consecutive starts ... Was second on the team with 1,116 snaps ... Led the team in snaps against Notre Dame (99), Duke (83) and Memphis (101) ... Tied for the team lead with three games with 100 or more snaps ... Started the season-opener at Tulane (8/30) at right tackle but became the starter at left tackle the following week, replacing Herron who was lost for the year with an injury suffered against the Green Wave ... Tied for third on the team in knockdown blocks in 2018 ... Has started each of Wake Forest’s last two bowl victories ... Participated in commencement exercises in May and will finish his degree in economics in December.
2017 (Redshirt Sophomore)
Started all 13 games at right tackle and was an instrumental part of the line that allowed Wake Forest to set school records for total offense yards, passing yards and points in a season while finishing 33rd in the country in sacks allowed ... Earned his second varsity letter ... Played a season-high 97 snaps in the Belk Bowl win over Texas A&M (12/29) ... On the field for 987 snaps, tied for the most on the team among offensive linemen ... Played a team-high 68 snaps vs. Presbyterian in the season-opener (8/31) ... Was instrumental in helping the Deacon rushing attack average a school record 4.57 yards per carry.
2016 (Redshirt Freshman)
Saw his first college action with 13 snaps at left tackle at Duke (9/10) ... Made his first career start vs. Delaware, spelling Justin Herron who was nursing a sprained ankle ... On the field for 103 snaps on the season ... Saw a season-high 47 snaps vs. Delaware ... Earned his first varsity letter.
2015 (True Freshman)
Redshirted.
High School
Served as a team captain as a senior ... A First Team All-Berkshire selection as a senior ... Also named to the All-Western Massachusetts team as a senior ... Three-year starter on the offensive line ... A standout basketball and baseball player ... Led the basketball team to the state quarterfinals as a junior ... Comes from a program that went undefeated during a 33-game stretch from 2009-2012 and won three consecutive Western Massachusetts Super Bowl titles from 2010-2012 ... Coached by Shawn Flaherty ... As a high school senior, also played baseball where he hit .368 with nine doubles and 25 RBIs ... Averaged 8.3 PPG in basketball as a HS senior.
Personal
Son of John and Janice Benzinger ... Father was an All-Yankee Conference selection at UMass in 1986 and saw time with the New England Patriots ... Born Jan. 30, 1997.
2019 (Redshirt Senior)
Started all 13 games at right tackle as a senior and finished his career with 40 starts including the final 39 games of his career ... Named honorable mention All-ACC as an offensive tackle ... Named to the All-ACC Academic Team ... Played in the East-West Shrine Game ... Team high 117 snaps vs. Louisville ... Played 112 snaps vs. Utah State ... Finished the year second on the team with 1,111 plays ... Member of the Dean’s List.
2018 (Redshirt Junior)
Started all 13 games as a junior ... Has 27 career starts, the second-most on offense behind Justin Herron’s 38 ... Tied for the team lead with Essang Bassey with 26 consecutive starts ... Was second on the team with 1,116 snaps ... Led the team in snaps against Notre Dame (99), Duke (83) and Memphis (101) ... Tied for the team lead with three games with 100 or more snaps ... Started the season-opener at Tulane (8/30) at right tackle but became the starter at left tackle the following week, replacing Herron who was lost for the year with an injury suffered against the Green Wave ... Tied for third on the team in knockdown blocks in 2018 ... Has started each of Wake Forest’s last two bowl victories ... Participated in commencement exercises in May and will finish his degree in economics in December.
2017 (Redshirt Sophomore)
Started all 13 games at right tackle and was an instrumental part of the line that allowed Wake Forest to set school records for total offense yards, passing yards and points in a season while finishing 33rd in the country in sacks allowed ... Earned his second varsity letter ... Played a season-high 97 snaps in the Belk Bowl win over Texas A&M (12/29) ... On the field for 987 snaps, tied for the most on the team among offensive linemen ... Played a team-high 68 snaps vs. Presbyterian in the season-opener (8/31) ... Was instrumental in helping the Deacon rushing attack average a school record 4.57 yards per carry.
2016 (Redshirt Freshman)
Saw his first college action with 13 snaps at left tackle at Duke (9/10) ... Made his first career start vs. Delaware, spelling Justin Herron who was nursing a sprained ankle ... On the field for 103 snaps on the season ... Saw a season-high 47 snaps vs. Delaware ... Earned his first varsity letter.
2015 (True Freshman)
Redshirted.
High School
Served as a team captain as a senior ... A First Team All-Berkshire selection as a senior ... Also named to the All-Western Massachusetts team as a senior ... Three-year starter on the offensive line ... A standout basketball and baseball player ... Led the basketball team to the state quarterfinals as a junior ... Comes from a program that went undefeated during a 33-game stretch from 2009-2012 and won three consecutive Western Massachusetts Super Bowl titles from 2010-2012 ... Coached by Shawn Flaherty ... As a high school senior, also played baseball where he hit .368 with nine doubles and 25 RBIs ... Averaged 8.3 PPG in basketball as a HS senior.
Personal
Son of John and Janice Benzinger ... Father was an All-Yankee Conference selection at UMass in 1986 and saw time with the New England Patriots ... Born Jan. 30, 1997.
Football Media Availability (9/18/25)
Thursday, September 18
QB Robbie Ashford takes it himself for the score
Thursday, September 11
Chris Barnes scores the TD on the game's first kick
Thursday, September 11
Matt Barrie SportsCenter at Wake Forest with Demond Claiborne
Wednesday, September 10
