Clawson: ‘It was time’ to step aside and make Wake Forest football coach ‘somebody else’s job’

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Emotions bubbled up repeatedly for Dave Clawson, leaving him choking back tears as he explained why it was the right time for him to step down as Wake Forest’s coach. But I just looked at kind of where the industry is right now, and I just felt like it was time.” And so, the 57-year-old Clawson took a similar route as another Atlantic Coast Conference coach of similar age — Virginia’s Tony Bennett in men’s basketball — in stepping away from the sport years before a projected retirement window. Asked about the parallel to Bennett’s exit, Clawson recalled a “very frank discussion” he had with the former Virginia coach outside an elevator last year during league meetings as they reflected on a “more transactional” time in college coaching. “So a lot of the things Tony said certainly resonated with me.” By Tuesday, Clawson said he felt as if it was “somebody else’s job” as he shifts into an advisory role to athletic director John Currie. It’s not why I got into coaching.” Clawson’s tenure included guiding Wake Forest to 11 wins and a trip to the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game in 2021, as well as cracking the top 10 of the AP poll in 2021 and 2022 amid a run of six straight bowl appearances.