Home Dave Clawson named ACC Coach of the Year: Mendenhall gets one vote
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Dave Clawson named ACC Coach of the Year: Mendenhall gets one vote

Chris Graham
Dave Clawson
Wake Forest football coach Dave Clawson. Photo by Chris Graham.

Wake Forest’s Dave Clawson has been voted the ACC Coach of the Year after leading the Demon Deacons to 10 regular-season wins, the Atlantic Division title and a berth in this Saturday’s Subway ACC Championship Game.

The other news: somebody actually gave Virginia coach Bronco Mendenhall a vote.

Clawson, in his eighth season at Wake Forest, was the choice of 49 voters among a 64-member panel of 50 select media members and each of the league’s 14 head coaches. Pat Narduzzi, who led Pitt to the Coastal Division title and will square off against the Deacons in Saturday night’s championship game in Charlotte, placed second with 10 votes.

Wake Forest finished the regular season 10-2 overall and posted a 7-1 conference record after being picked for a fifth-place Atlantic Division finish in the league’s preseason media poll. The Demon Deacons, who did not receive a first-place vote from any of the preseason poll’s 147 voters, opened the season 8-0, earned a top-10 national ranking and secured bowl eligibility for the sixth consecutive season.

Wake Forest placed eight players on the 2021 All-ACC Teams and heads into the Subway ACC Football Championship Game third among all FBS teams in scoring at 42.9 points per game.

This marks the ninth time a Wake Forest head coach has been honored as the ACC Football Coach of the Year and the first since Jim Grobe led the Demon Deacons to the 2006 conference title. Clawson, who owns a cumulative 50-47 record at Wake Forest, is one of five head coaches in program history to have a winning record during his tenure at the school and the first since D.C. “Peahead” Walker (77-51-6 from 1937-50).

The breakdown of voting for 2021 ACC Football Coach of the Year:

  • Dave Clawson, Wake Forest, 49
  • Pat Narduzzi, Pitt, 10
  • Dave Doeren, NC State, 2
  • Bronco Mendenhall, Virginia, 1
  • Scott Satterfield, Louisville, 1
  • Dabo Swinney, Clemson, 1

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Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, TikTok, BlueSky, or subscribe to Substack or his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected].

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