WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – It’s going to be a sun’s-out, fun on Saturday, April 15 for the 2023 Wake Forest Football Spring Game. The game, which is set to kickoff at 2 p.m. and will be broadcast live on ACC Network Extra. Admission is FREE and open to the public.
Additional Fan Information for Spring Game
Admission
- Admission is FREE and open to the public.
Parking/Traffic/Tailgating
- Complete information regarding Truist Field’s parking map and specific lots can be found here. Free parking will be available in the Gold Lot and Blue Lot adjacent to Bridger Field House.
All parking lots will open at 11 a.m.
Stadium Entry & Metal Detection Information
- Fans will be permitted to enter Truist Field beginning at 12:00 p.m. via Gates 3 and 5 on the east side of the stadium, which is the traditional visiting sideline. Please note that metal detection procedures will be implemented for the entry process.
- Information regarding Truist Field’s prohibited items list can be found here.
- Upon entry into Truist Field, Wake Forest’s 2023 schedule posters and schedule cards will be available for free to all fans!
Clear Bag Policy
- In the interest of fan safety, Wake Forest Athletics will continue to adhere to its clear bag policy. Fans are permitted to enter with a clear bag that does not exceed 12″ in height by 6″ in depth by 12″ in width. A one-gallon clear plastic bag, such as a Ziploc bag or anything similar, is acceptable. Complete information can be found here.
- Approved clear bags are available at DeaconShop.com, Hanes Mall Deacon Shop, as well as the Deacon Shop and Bookstore on-campus for students.
DEACTOWN Fan Zone presented by Forsyth County Farm Bureau Insurance
Back by popular demand from the fall, the expanded DEACTOWN Fan Zone presented by Forsyth County Farm Bureau Insurance! The fan zone will be located inside Truist Field atop Deacon Hill. The space will be open at Noon.
This will be a destination experience for all fans with live music, local drink selections, fun and a variety of food trucks and vendor options. Activities in this space will provide experiences for fans of all ages, from inflatables and kids games to a space to enjoy food and beer.
Postgame Autographs & Field Access
All fans in attendance are welcome to come down to the field, via the stairwells at the bottoms of Sections 13 and 18, after the game to meet the student-athletes and coaches. With that, 2023 schedule posters will be distributed on-field by Wake Forest athletics staff to commemorate the occasion.
Wake Forest Football Overview
The Demon Deacons defeated Southeastern Conference representative Missouri 27-17 in the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. on Dec. 23, 2022. The win marked Wake Forest’s fifth in the last seven years since the Deacs began the Atlantic Coast Conference’s second-longest bowl streak and the country’s tied for the 10th-longest back in 2016.
During the Deacs current run of bowl appearances, Wake Forest has defeated two SEC teams (Texas A&M, 2017; Missouri, 2022) and a Big Ten team (Rutgers).
Head coach Dave Clawson‘s five bowl victories, which is the most in school history, ranks tied for fifth in ACC history for postseason wins. Clawson ranks behind Bobby Bowden (Florida State, 11), Dabo Swinney (Clemson, 11), Frank Beamer (Virginia Tech, 6) and Danny Ford (Clemson, 6). Meanwhile, he is now tied with Jimbo Fisher (Florida State, 5) and Ralph Friedgen (Maryland, 5).
The 2022 Wake Forest football team (8-5 Overall) was just the 10th in program history to win eight games in a season in the 115-year history of the program. Four of the 10 eight-win seasons have come in the Dave Clawson era (40 percent).
Since the start of the 2016 season, the Deacs are tied for the second-most wins in the ACC not counting the COVID-shortened 2020 season entering bowl season. Additionally over the last five years, the Deacs have the second-most wins in a single five-year period.
With that, the Deacs have set a new standard for success in the win column with a record of 19-8 over the last two seasons. The 19 wins in a two-year period are the second most in school history and three away from the program record of 21 set in 2006 & 2007. Additionally, Wake Forest’s 19-8 record is the ninth-best mark in all of Power-5 in the last two seasons.
Offensively, Wake Forest finished the 2022 season averaging 36.1 points per game, helping the Deacs post its sixth consecutive season of averaging 30 or more points a game. This is the longest active streak and the fourth longest in ACC history. Additionally, the Deacons threw for a program record 43 touchdowns during the 2022 season.
Under Warren Ruggiero and Dave Clawson‘s tutelage, the last three starting quarterbacks at Wake Forest have earned All-ACC honors when they were a starter (John Wolford, 2017; Jamie Newman, 2019; Sam Hartman, 2021 & 2022).
Finally, Wake Forest is an astounding 20-4 at home since the start of the 2019 season thanks to the incredible atmosphere created by Wake Forest’s fans and students inside Truist Field over the past few seasons.