Wake Forest head football coach Dave Clawson is stepping down after 11 seasons and is expected to remain with the university in an advisory role, sources told ESPN on Monday.
The advisory role will include working with athletic director John Currie, the school president and board of trustees on athletics issues. Clawson is also expected to play a big role in fundraising at the school, sources told ESPN.
Clawson led Wake Forest to seven consecutive bowl games during a run that included top-10 appearances in both 2021 and 2022. Those are the highest Associated Press poll rankings in Wake Forest history.
The decision to step down was Clawson's, sources told ESPN, as he felt like it was time. Sources compared the decision to recent moves made by Virginia basketball coach Tony Bennett and former Washington football coach Chris Petersen, who both stepped away in part because of the changing era in the sport.
Clawson has been mulling the decision in recent weeks, sources said, and had been in communication with school officials about it before formally notifying them Monday.
Clawson, 57, is expected to take a year off from coaching to recharge and refresh after working as a head coach for 25 of the last 26 seasons. He's the only coach in NCAA history to lead four different Division I programs — Fordham, Richmond, Bowling Green and Wake Forest — to double-digit wins in a season. He's turned down interest from multiple head coaching jobs over the years, opting to stay at Wake Forest.
Clawson is regarded as the school's best modern coach. He leaves with a record of 67-69, the best winning percentage of any Wake Forest football coach since the school joined the ACC in 1953. He led Wake Forest to seven of the 17 bowl games in school
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