The Wake Forest Demon Deacons in the ACC aren't widely known for invading the state of Virginia for talent. However, if you look at the roster for Dave Clawson and his Demon Deacons, there are currently 10 players from the Commonwealth. It's a list that features ballyhooed Northern Virginia names such as QB's Mitch Griffis (Broad Run) and Billy Edwards (Lake Braddock), WR Taylor Morin (Westfield) and DB Nick Anderson (Centreville).
Landing a speedster from a smaller Class 2 school? Pretty unheard of, yet the Demon Deacons beat out Vanderbilt out of the SEC, West Virginia from the Big 12 and ACC foe UVA for services of King William running back Demond Claiborne. Claiborne announced his decision on social media on his mother's birthday.
“It’s always good to have a kid like that when you start off,” said King William Head Football Coach Scott Moore, who was hired in May of 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. His Cavaliers went 4-0 during a shortened season, which included a forfeit victory over Mathews that didn't field a team. Unfortunately, they were unable to face Amelia in the postseason.
“Last season was an odd season to come in and we only got three games in because we had a positive COVID test that knocked us out of the playoffs. I’m excited for Demond and that we have a kid like that we can build our program around.”
Claiborne marks the 10th commitment in the Class of 2022 from Wake Forest and second at his position, joining Mocksville, NC tailback Tate Carney, who's rated a 3-Star by Rivals. He's also the second prospect from the state of Virginia to verbal, joining Broad Run 3-Star QB Brett Griffis.
Clocking in a 10.61 time in the 100-meter that ranks tops in the entire state, Claiborne brings versatility and home-run ability to the Demon Deacons that could certainly figure into the aspect of special teams in addition to lining up in the backfield.
“College coaches all mention the fact that he has good hands, can catch the ball and he’s the kind of kid you could put him in the slot if you so desired, but also put in the backfield and let him run. He’s so versatile that there are so many things he can do," Moore commented.
"We had him returning punts and kicks, too. Whenever he gets his hands on the ball, he’s a threat to score, so I can see why 15 colleges offered him.”
In a shortened junior season, Claiborne racked up 522 yards on 42 carries, an incredible average of 12.4 per attempt.
"It’s even more insane when you think that we had big leads and pulled our starters most of the time in the second half. In the Franklin game and the West Point game, we pulled our starters at the end of the second quarter. Against Southampton, we played them a little bit into the third quarter," Moore noted.
"He really only played the first halves of those games, so that makes it even more impressive what he did. I wish we could’ve played 10 games to see him realize his full potential."
This coming season as a senior, Claiborne should get a chance to put up even more astonishing numbers and do so while knowing his future at the next level is secure. His presence has also had a major effect on the King William community and some of the younger players coming up through the program.
“My defensive coordinator and I went down to the Middle School this spring after our season ended and met with 7th and 8th graders because we can have 8th graders play J.V. Those are our rising eighth and ninth graders. We had 35 kids, which is a pretty good turnout for a school our size," Moore pointed out.
"I think that’s a direct result of just seeing that Demond has gotten all this attention and all these scholarship offers. I think there are a lot of kids that are looking to play football that might not have been before.”
