It’s wild how a college football program can have everyone twisted over some numbers. You hear about a program that’s been laughed at for its fan base, called out by TV analysts like they barely even exist. But now, they’ve crunched some serious numbers and are ready to throw the receipts on the table that literally had ACC rivals on spirals. Not just any receipts—ones that have OGs like Tim Duncan and Chris Paul wrapped all in the mix. And here’s the kicker: this program’s been climbing the ranks in ways no one saw coming.
It’s not every day you hear a school like Wake Forest flexing on the big dogs of the ACC. But oh boy, when they do, it’s like a mic drop on a conference call. You can almost hear the ACC rivals choking on their morning coffee. The Deacs just tossed out some wild claims that got the entire conference buzzing—and they’ve got the numbers and names to back it up.
The whole thing went down when Wake Forest Athletic Director John Currie hopped on Adam Breneman’s podcast, ‘Next Up with Adam Breneman,’ and unleashed the receipts. Currie came prepared. “We’ve done a bunch of research and part of it, came out of, you know, back in 2021 we won the ACC Atlantic Division football championship. The next year, 2022, we’re 10th in the country. You know, we had a massive game against Clemson, and we had great rating stuff. But there was a rather derisive comment made about, like, the scale of Wake Forest fandom,” he said. “Mr. Herbstreit made a joke about, like, Wake Forest’s six fans. And so, like, we actually, like, did some research. How many fans do we have, right?”
The Demon Deacons fanbase is growing, and Wake Forest AD John Currie has the research to back it up.
“We’re the fastest-growing fan base in the Power 5 since 2019.”@John_Currie explains how a Kirk Herbstreit comment sent him down a research rabbit hole on @NextUpWithAdam pic.twitter.com/WBGMPesMEi
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) March 15, 2025
Turns out, the Deacs aren’t exactly the lonely little team some folks think they are. John Currie didn’t stutter: “We actually, like, did some research. How many fans do we have, right? And what it came back was we have 2.7 million fans…And we also came back that we’re the fastest growing fan base in the power five, since 2019.” The research showed Wake Forest flexing a whopping 2.7 million fans. That’s a big deal for a school with only 80,000 alumni. And they’re not just your average fans—44% of them aren’t white, and most of them are young, affluent, and influential. Plus, Wake’s fan base has been growing the fastest in the entire Power Five since 2019. Crazy flex. You gotta love a good underdog glow-up.
But here’s the kicker: Wake Forest’s got some serious celebrity muscle backing them up. John Currie didn’t hesitate to bring receipts while flexing their legends: “One, we have passionate wing foresters, but we also win a lot. We’ve been all these bowling games and won national championship, went to the College World Series. And then you got guys like Tim Duncan, right, who’s watching our game, you know, he especially likes when we beat Stanford in tennis or basketball or whatever, because his daughter goes to Stanford. We got Chris Paul, who grew up in Winston, Salem, who’s, you know, easily the most recognizable Wake Forest alum in love in the world.”
Duncan, apparently, loves to watch Wake Forest stomp on Stanford, especially since his daughter goes there. And Chris Paul? You know he reps Wake Forest harder than anybody. Both Duncan and Paul balled out for the Demon Deacons before making it big—Duncan dominated the paint in the ‘90s before becoming an NBA legend with the Spurs, while CP3 ran the show in the early 2000s, breaking ankles and setting the stage for his Hall of Fame-worthy career. Toss in some reverence for the late, great Arnold Palmer, and you’ve got a school history worth bragging about.
Wake Forest’s legendary 2021 season
Their 2021 season was a straight-up Cinderella story—if Cinderella was out there putting 40 points on everybody and strutting around like she owned the place. The Demon Deacons rolled through the regular season with an 11-3 record, swiping the ACC Atlantic Division title and throwing down like they had something to prove.
Head coach Dave Clawson had his squad playing out of their minds, especially quarterback Sam Hartman, who went beast mode that season. The Greek-god looking QB threw for over 4,200 yards and 39 touchdowns. Their offense was one of the nastiest in the country, and they kicked off the season by smacking around teams like Florida State and Army. They were riding an eight-game winning streak before things got rocky.
Sure, November hit them like a brick wall with a 58-55 shootout loss to North Carolina and a 48-27 thumping from Clemson. But you can’t keep a good squad down. They bounced back by shutting down Boston College to claim the division title. And even though Kenny Pickett and Pitt served them a fat L in the ACC Championship Game, Wake Forest didn’t leave the season empty-handed. They ended things on a high note, wrecking Rutgers 38-10 in the Gator Bowl when Texas A&M dipped out thanks to COVID.
The 2021 season wasn’t just another good year. It was the type of year that makes everyone sit up and pay attention. And even though 2024 was rough with a 4-8 record and Dave Clawson stepping down, Wake Forest has the receipts to prove they’re not just some flash-in-the-pan program. They’ve got the fans, they’ve got the history, and they’ve definitely got the fight.
Now, with names like Tim Duncan and Chris Paul repping the brand, and a fanbase that’s growing faster than anybody in the Power Five, it’s clear Wake Forest isn’t here to be anyone’s punching bag. The Deacs are on a mission, and they’ve got the swagger to back it up. The ACC better start paying attention, because Wake Forest ain’t playing around…when it comes to their fan base.
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