Wake Forest's mission on defense won't change under Jay Sawvel

Since Dave Clawson became Wake Forest head coach, he has had a steady, reliable defense lead the way.

So when he went looking for a new defensive coordinator to replace the departed Mike Elko, he wanted somebody who could step right in and provide the same leadership. Former Minnesota coach Jerry Kill had the perfect guy in mind: his longtime assistant Jay Sawvel, who coordinated a Gophers defense that ranked in the top 25 this past season.

Kill vouched for Sawvel. Clawson made a few other calls and then reached out to Sawvel, who was let go at Minnesota with the entire staff under Tracy Claeys. Sawvel agreed to meet Clawson in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The day he was offered the job was…