Wake Forest has rewarded Dave Clawson for his first bowl trip in three years as the Demon Deacons’ head coach with an 8-year extension.
The program announced a new contract for Clawson that keeps him in Winston-Salem through 2024. Financial terms were not disclosed; USA Today‘s salary index placed him at $2.11 million in 2016.
“I am very pleased that Dave has accepted our contract extension,” AD Ron Wellman said in a statement. “The progress shown throughout the program, both on and off the field over the last three years, has been the type of progress we envisioned when Dave came on board. His energy, talent, integrity and ability to recruit, develop and motivate our student-athletes, have led to our success not only on the field but in the classroom. We have an exciting future with Dave leading our program.”
“I am honored to be offered this long-term contract,” said Clawson. “I greatly appreciate the support that our president, Dr. Nathan Hatch, and athletic director Ron Wellman have given to our program, our staff and myself since arriving at Wake Forest three years ago. The future of Wake Forest football is bright and we plan to build on the success of our 2016 season.”
Clawson rocketed Wake Forest to a 4-win improvement in 2016, among the top five for year-to-year improvements among Power 5 schools, with a win over No. 24 Temple in the Military Bowl. That trajectory mirrors the blueprint for previous Clawson stops; he led Fordham from zero to 10 wins over 1999-02, Richmond from three to 11 victories from 2004-07, and Bowling Green from two to 10 wins from 2010-13.