Dave Clawson is turning the keys of his defense over to a familiar face from Wake Forest’s past, and now its future.

Brad Lambert is the Deacons’ new defensive coordinator, returning to the same program where he was previously defensive coordinator for three seasons and was an assistant coach for a total of 10 years.

“With his experience as a head coach and leading some of the top defensive units in the country, he will come to Winston-Salem and make an immediate impact on our program,” Clawson said through a news release. “His background at Wake Forest will help him hit the ground running as he builds great relationships with our players and gets on the recruiting trail.”

Most recently, Lambert was Purdue’s defensive coordinator this season. The Boilermakers were 34th in the country in scoring defense (22.4 points per game).

Lambert was on Jim Grobe’s staff at Wake Forest for 10 seasons, from 2001-10, first as a linebackers coach and then as defensive coordinator for his final three seasons.

“Wake Forest is a special place and I am fired up to return to Winston-Salem and build off the sustained success Coach Clawson, his staff and the student-athletes have achieved,” Lambert said via news release.

Lambert left to be Charlotte’s first football coach, getting the program off the ground and eventually into the FBS ranks. He was fired after the 2018 season and spent the 2019 and ’20 seasons at Marshall, and this past season was his first at Purdue as defensive coordinator.