Wide receiver Sage Surratt signs with the Detroit Lions while quarterback Jamie Newman agrees to a deal with the Philadelphia Eagles.
The #ProDeacs family grew on Saturday when wide receiver Sage Surratt signed with the Detroit Lions and Jamie Newman inked a contract with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Surratt is the first Wake Forest player to sign with the Lions since linebacker Brandon Chubb was with the franchise from 2016-18. Newman is the first Demon Deacon to head to Philadelphia since linebacker Jaboree Williams was with the franchise in 2018.
The Demon Deacons wide receiver NFL corps continues to grow as Surratt becomes the fifth wide receiver in the last three seasons to be with an NFL franchise. He joins Alex Bachman (New York Giants), Greg Dortch (Atlanta Falcons), Kendall Hinton (Denver Broncos) and Scotty Washington (Cincinnati Bengals) who were all on the same roster during the 2017 and 2018 seasons.
The Wake Forest NFL quarterback fraternity added its second member as well this weekend as Newman joined former Demon Deacon teammate John Wolford (Los Angeles Rams) in the league on Saturday.
Free Agent Success in 2020
John Wolford
In week 17 of the 2020 NFL season, quarterback John Wolford was promoted to starter ahead of the Rams’ regular season finale against the Arizona Cardinals. He threw for 231 yards and ran for an additional 56, helping Los Angeles to an 18-7 win.
He became the first NFL player in the Super Bowl era to throw for more than 200 yards and rush for over 50 in their debut.
The following week, Wolford was once again named the starter for the Rams’ Wild Card Playoff matchup with the Seattle Seahawks. When he took the opening snap, he became the first Wake Forest quarterback to start in an NFL playoff game.
Kendall Hinton
After resigning with Denver’s practice squad in early November, rookie wide receiver Kendall Hinton was training every day in anticipation for his NFL debut.
Just over three weeks later, his promotion to the Broncos active roster went differently than anyone might have planned. On Saturday, Nov. 28, Hinton signed for the following day’s contest with New Orleans. He was not going to be running routes, but instead lacing it up as the starting quarterback.
It was a position he had not taken a snap at since 2018 as the Wake Forest quarterback against Clemson. Less than 24 hours after being elevated to starter, he took 24 snaps under center in one of the more improbable debuts in NFL history.
Essang Bassey
Despite going undrafted, Essang Bassey signed with the Denver Broncos on April 25, 2020 and went on to become the only undrafted free agent to make the Denver Broncos opening day 53-man roster.
Over the course of the 2020 NFL season, Bassey established consistency early and often. Appearing in nine games as a rookie, he tallied a season-high five tackles in his career debut against the Tennessee Titans in Week 1.
In Week 12, he recorded his first career interception versus the Saints, returning a Taysom Hill pass for 26 yards. For the season, he totaled 23 tackles, including 21 unassisted.
Coach Clawson on Surratt
“Sage Surratt is an outstanding young man that was extremely productive for our program. His route-running ability and his tireless work ethic will make it an easy transition for him when he gets to the Detroit Lions. Sage is an incredibly intelligent young man and I am excited to watch him walk across the stage as a Wake Forest graduate this month, earning his degree in economics. In my seven years at Wake Forest, it is hard to find a young man with better character and determination than Sage.” – head coach Dave Clawson
More on Surratt
Before a season-ending injury as a redshirt sophomore, Surratt was one of the most explosive players in the country. In those nine games in 2019, he led all Power-5 receivers with 1,001 receiving yards while totaling 11 touchdowns.
He earned both Maxwell Award and Biletnikoff Award Watch List honors ahead of the 2020 season.
Surratt recorded four games of 150 or more receiving yards in his final season as a Deac. No other Wake Forest player has ever had more than two in a season or four in a career.
Surratt had one of the most explosive receiving games in Wake Forest history when he went for 196 yards against Louisville. The game ranks third in the program's history just trailing John Henry Mills 230-yard performance against Duke in 1990 and Wayne Baumgardner's 271-yard outing against South Carolina in 1980.
He finished his career averaging 111.2 receiving yards per game, eighth best in conference history.
After his career finished at Wake Forest, he accepted an invitation to the Senior Bowl. He was also one of three Demon Deacons to receive an invitation to the NFL Combine.
Coach Clawson on Newman
“Jamie Newman is a graduate of Wake Forest University and did a great job during his four years here. He came in as a developmental guy for us and he got better every year. We appreciate everything Jamie did for our program and I know the Philadelphia Eagles are getting talented player and good person. He’s a big, strong, can run and can make every throw. I look forward to following his career at the next level.” – head coach Dave Clawson
More on Newman
Throughout his Demon Deacon career Jamie Newman was praised for his big arm and ability to push the ball down the field.
His redshirt junior campaign in 2019 put Newman on the map as not only one of the best quarterbacks in the ACC but the entire country.
He finished second in the ACC in total offense yards per game at 286.8, fifth in the ACC in passing yards per game at 239.0 and fourth in passing efficiency with a 145.3 rating. His 227.9 career total offense yards per game is school record and 19th in ACC history and 286.8 season total offense yards per game is second-best
The Graham, N.C. ended his career with 142.7 career passing efficiency, ranking 18th in ACC history. He set a school record by throwing a touchdown pass in 12 consecutive games including the final four games of 2018 and the first eight games of 2019. Additionally, his 32 TDs responsible for in 2019 were second-most in a season.
