Wake Forest Football: Sage Surratt could breakout in 2018 per HC
While meeting with the media at ACC Kickoff, Dave Clawson shared high hopes he has for one wide receiver entering 2018.
After the Coastal Division met with the media on Wednesday, it was the Atlantic Division’s turn on Thursday and that included Wake Forest and Dave Clawson. The Demon Deacons’ head coach was asked about Sage Surratt and mentioned he could see the redshirt freshman breaking out in 2018.
"Q. A year ago you talked a little bit about playing Sage Surratt as a true freshman. Speaks to how much depth you had at receiver that you didn’t need him. Talk about his prospects and what you expect out of him this year? DAVE CLAWSON: Yeah, we’re excited about Sage. I think the fact that we were able to redshirt him last year I think speaks volumes about the type of depth that we’ve been able to develop at Wake Forest. We’ve got 16 starters back from an 8-5 team that won a bowl game, and we were able to preserve a year of Sage’s eligibility. But he’s a guy that I think is capable of a breakout season. He’s one of the best athletes on the team. His hand-eye coordination is exceptional. He’s competitive. He’s smart. And we’re very excited to see what he can do this year."
Coming out of high school, Surratt was the state record holder in receptions (366), receiving yards (5,926) and receiving touchdowns (80). According to ESPN, Surratt was a three-star recruit and 98th at his position in his class. At 6’2″ and 185 pounds, his size, and his basketball background, should make life difficult for opposing defensive backs and give his quarterback a big target.
The biggest question for Surratt is how quickly he can get on the field in a crowded wide receiver depth chart. The Demon Deacons’ top two wide receivers from 2017, Greg Dortch and Scotty Anderson who combined for 98 receptions, 1,433 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns. These two should remain at the top of the depth chart and remain the team’s starters.
That third wide receiver position is the one Surratt should look to grab but there will be competition. His biggest competition will be senior Alex Bachman, who had 21 receptions, 365 receiving yards, and three touchdowns. Even though he had limited receptions, he did finish the year with the highest yards per catch average (17.4) on the Demon Deacons.
This depth at the wide receiver position will be a boost for an offense that will be without starting quarterback Kendall Hinton for the first three games of the year. The team will have Jamie Newman or true freshman Sam Hartman battle it out to replace Hinton this summer.
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It will be worth watching if Sage Surratt is able to have the kind of impact Dave Clawson believes he can this upcoming season.