Demond Claiborne

Former running back at Wake Forest. 2025: 905 rushing yards, 10 rushing TD, 28 catches.

RB · Wake Forest · Sr. · #1

5′10″ · 195 lb · Aylett, VA

CFB Index 53 · #109 of 326 RBsHigh confidenceAll-ConferenceDrafted by Minnesota — Rd 6, Pick 17, #198 overall

The numbers

905

rushing yards · 2025

10 TD · 5.1 per carry · 28 catches

Backed by 10 car · 193 yds · 3 TD -- top 1% rushing yards game. -- Best game: 193 rush yds, 3 TD, -2 rec yds, vs Western Carolina

The play that turned itSwung Miami from 11% to 65% to win.Wake Forest at Miami · 42-14

His career numbers, season by season

The story

Former running back at Wake Forest. 2025: 905 rushing yards, 10 rushing TD, 28 catches.

Signed as a 4-star recruit to Wake Forest in 2022.
Drafted round 6 by the Minnesota in 2026.

His career, year by year

How he plays

Does a little of everything without one standout trait.

TD rate: 79th percentile.

The full scouting read

How it ended

Four seasons at Wake Forest, 2,596 rushing yards — drafted at #198 overall by Minnesota.

His career

He arrived as a blue-chip recruit and played like one.

The week the volume broke through — put up 193 yds vs Western Carolina.Western Carolina · W 42-102025

20224 games

Signed with Wake Forest4-star out of King William

202412 games

The role got bigger.

All-ACCthird

202512 games

All-ACCsecond

2026

Drafted by Minnesotaround 6, pick 198

Career arc

Recruit

★★★★

#329 national

CFB

College

Wake Forest

2022–2025

NFL

NFL Draft

R6 · #198

Minnesota · 2026

Trophy case · Confirmed honors

What the selectors said

6 honors · 1 category

🎖

ALL-ACC · 2ND TEAM

All-ACC 2nd team (2025)

Coaching lineage · 2022–2025

2 coaches

2022–2024

Dave Clawson

Wake Forest

2025

Jake Dickert

Wake Forest

era →

Coaching transition mid-career: Dave Clawson → Jake Dickert. Worth noting in scheme + development context.

Where He Ended Up · NFL

Minnesota2026 NFL rookie season

#198Rd 6 · Pick 17

Minnesota2026 NFL rookie season

View college career stats ↓

2025 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2022Wake Forest8-5HC: Dave Clawson · Balanced

2023Wake Forest4-8HC: Dave Clawson · Run-leaning

2024Wake Forest4-8HC: Dave Clawson · Balanced

2025Wake Forest9-4HC: Jake Dickert · Balanced

Where this profile ranks vs the RB cohort

Box-score + play-by-play EPA percentiles

53Rotational starter #109 of 326?

High confidence13 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: long run (96th percentile). Strength: rush tds (89th percentile). Concern: success rate (9th percentile).

Real play-by-play efficiency

TD rate#95 / 456 · 79th pct

4.7%

Explosive rate#160 / 456 · 65th pct

7.7%

Yards / carry#163 / 456 · 64th pct

5.3

EPA / carry#287 / 456 · 37th pct

0.06

Success rate#414 / 456 · 9th pct

34.3%

Box-score rates (8)

Long run#13 / 349 · 96th pct

Rush TDs#33 / 349 · 89th pct

Carries#40 / 349 · 88th pct

179

Receptions#39 / 338 · 88th pct

Rush yards#51 / 349 · 86th pct

905

Rec yards#91 / 338 · 73rd pct

140

Yards / carry#139 / 349 · 58th pct

5.1

Fumbles lost#199 / 201 · 1st pct

Season trend

Last seasonThis season

EPA / carry

42nd → 37th percentile

Success rate

44th → 9th percentile

Explosive rate

27th → 65th percentile

Yards / carry

33rd → 64th percentile

TD rate

52nd → 79th percentile

Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season. Most bars are box-score rates; EPA / success-rate bars are computed from real play-by-play (offense only — no defensive EPA model exists yet).

Situational

Situational · Carry shape (PBP, full season)

Yardage DNA

169 carries

18%

Stuffed (≤0)

37%

Grind (1–3)

31%

Chunk (4–9)

14%

Explosive (10+)

Splits & context

Splits · Per-game

2025 season · 12 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	YDS/g	YPC	TD/g
Home7g	82.0	6.4	1.1
Road5g	66.2	4.5	0.4

First half vs Second half

	YDS/g	YPC	TD/g
Weeks 1-76g	89.8	7.9	1.3
Weeks 8+6g	61.0	3.3	0.3

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Jake Dickert

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2025

All-Conference

Picked for an all-conference team by at least one selector.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

53 · #109 of 326 RBs

Former four-star. Now #109 at the position.

Career stats

Season	Team
2025	Wake Forest	179	905	5.1	10	--
2024	Wake Forest	228	1,048	4.6	11	--
2023	Wake Forest	137	586	4.3	5	--
2022	Wake Forest	14	57	4.1	0	--
Career		558	2,596	4.7	26	--

Season	Team
2025	Wake Forest	28	140	5.0	0	--
2024	Wake Forest	23	254	11.0	2	--
2023	Wake Forest	3	35	11.7	0	--
2022	Wake Forest	1	-5	-5.0	0	--
Career		55	424	7.7	2	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 9 · 2025

W 13–12

vs SMU

73 rush yds (23 car)

A wire-to-wire battle — won by 1 at home.

With C. Joseph — 39 AVG · 5 IN 20 · 55 LONG · D. Purdie — 183 yds · 0 TD · 2 INT · QBR 11.4 · 3 rush yds (5 car)

Signature plays

Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|

The plays that mattered most

fact

Week 2 · Western Carolina · 2&12 · Q3 · EPA +7.14Demond Claiborne run for 85 yds for a TD (Connor Calvert KICK)
Week 7 · Oregon State · 1&10 · Q4 · EPA +5.34Demond Claiborne run for 66 yds for a TD (Connor Calvert KICK)
Week 11 · Virginia · 4&1 · Q2 · EPA -4.21(09:13) No Huddle #1 D.Claiborne rush right for 4 yards loss to the UVA05 fumbled by #1 D.Claiborne at UVA05 recovered by WFU #1 D.Claiborne at UVA05, End Of Play, TURNOVER ON DOWNS
Week 2 · Western Carolina · 1&10 · Q1 · EPA +2.90Demond Claiborne run for 33 yds for a TD (Two-Point Conversion failed)
Week 2 · Western Carolina · 1&10 · Q1 · EPA +2.84Demond Claiborne run for 34 yds to the WCU 41 for a 1ST down
Week 12 · North Carolina · 2&9 · Q2 · EPA +2.78(01:48) No Huddle-Shotgun #1 D.Claiborne rush middle for 12 yards gain to the UNC00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 01:47, 1ST DOWN #90 C.Calvert kick attempt good (H: #9 S.Racanelli, LS: #32 W.Cobb)
Week 5 · Georgia Tech · 1&10 · Q2 · EPA +2.74Demond Claiborne run for 27 yds for a TD (Connor Calvert KICK)
Week 2 · Western Carolina · 1&10 · Q1 · EPA +2.74Demond Claiborne run for 27 yds for a TD (Two-Point Conversion failed)
Week 5 · Georgia Tech · 1&10 · Q5 · EPA +2.70D.Claiborne rushed for 25 yards. TOUCHDOWN. The Replay Official reviewed the runner broke the plane and the play was upheld.
Week 9 · SMU · 4&2 · Q4 · EPA +2.66(09:09) No Huddle #1 D.Claiborne rush left for 7 yards gain to the SMU48 (#23 I.Nwokobia), 1ST DOWN

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2025 season · 12 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	CAR	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG	Note
Wk 1	W 10-9vs Kennesaw State	3	19	6.3	0	13
Wk 2	W 42-10vs Western Carolina	10	193	19.3	3	85	Season-high 193 yds
Wk 3	L 24-34vs NC State	12	35	2.9	1	8
Wk 5	L 29-30vs Georgia Tech	21	119	5.7	2	27
Wk 6	W 30-23@ Virginia Tech	7	29	4.1	1	11
Wk 7	W 39-14@ Oregon State	16	144	9.0	1	66
Wk 9	W 13-12vs SMU	23	73	3.2	0	17
Wk 10	L 7-42@ Florida State	14	27	1.9	0	9
Wk 11	W 16-9@ Virginia	25	75	3.0	0	12
Wk 12	W 28-12vs North Carolina	23	98	4.3	1	20
Wk 13	W 52-14vs Delaware	12	37	3.1	1	13
Wk 14	L 32-49@ Duke	13	56	4.3	0	14
Total		179	905	5.6	10	85