Wake Forest names transfer Robby Ashford its starting quarterback for opener against Kennesaw State

Wake Forest will start transfer Robby Ashford at quarterback in Jake Dickert's coaching debut against Kennesaw State on Friday.

Dickert announced Ashford's starting status Monday, following after a camp competition that featured another transfer in Deshawn Purdie.

“We’re just really confident in this decision,” Dickert said during his game-week news conference. “I want to make sure everyone understands that. I thought our timeline was right, I thought we gave every person an opportunity in that room and I thought Robby won the job.”

The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Ashford is entering his sixth college season in a well-traveled career, with stops at South Carolina, Auburn and Oregon. He has started 11 games in the Southeastern Conference.

Ashford spent last year with the Gamecocks, making one start while appearing in eight games. That followed a two-year stay at Auburn, the standout stretch coming in 2022 when he started nine games and threw for 1,613 yards with seven touchdowns while running for 710 yards and seven scores.

He began with the Ducks in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, redshirting the first year and then not seeing action in the next.

“Robby right now, there’s a tough physical guy in there,” Dickert said. “There’s a guy that plays with a chip on his shoulder. There’s a guy that has always competed, no matter what situation we put him in. And excited for him to take the next step.”

Purdie started six games as a true freshman at Charlotte last year, throwing for 1,802 yards and 10 touchdowns.

When asked about the quarterback competition last week, Dickert quipped the Demon Deacons would “keep everybody guessing” before revealing the Week 1 starter after having a mock game Sunday.

Dickert, who turned 42 on Saturday, took over in December after Dave Clawson unexpectedly stepped down following last season. Dickert had spent three-plus seasons as head coach at Washington State, winning eight games last year before his cross-country relocation.

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