Aiden Hall probable for Wake Forest vs. SMU Saturday
TLDR: Wake Forest linebacker Aiden Hall is listed as probable for Saturday's trip to SMU, a second injury break for the 8-1 Demon Deacons on top of Gio Lopez coming back at quarterback.
The Thursday night availability report landed, and the Hall news came out of it fast.
More good news for wake forest: linebacker Aiden Hall is now listed as probable
Note the "more." Earlier in the week the Wake headline was Gio Lopez. The quarterback hurt his leg against Virginia on October 31 and sat out the Merrimack game. Jake Dickert said this week that Lopez would be "ready to go Saturday," with his practice reps built up a little more each day. Having the QB back was the big one. Getting Hall back too means the defense isn't going to Dallas short a linebacker.
Hall's status had been murkier. Early in the week Dickert would only say the staff was monitoring him and expected him to do more in practice as the week went on. That's coach-speak for "we'll see." By Thursday night the beat was reporting the needle had moved the right way.
Probable is not a lock, but it's about as close as an injury report gets 2 days before kickoff. A linebacker who "trends positively" on Thursday is usually out there on Saturday, even if he's on a pitch count.
He'll be needed. Wake is 8-1 and 5-1 in the ACC, coming off a 77-0 win over Merrimack that told you nothing about the next 3 weeks. SMU is 7-2, 5-2 in the league, and has never lost an ACC game at Ford Stadium since joining the conference in 2025. Both offenses are among the most explosive in the conference, with Kevin Jennings running the SMU side. Having all of your linebackers available isn't a luxury in that game.
The stakes are high for both sides. Wake is in position for an ACC title game rematch with Miami if it keeps winning. SMU has to win out and get help, with Notre Dame up next on November 21. Kickoff is 11 a.m. CT on ESPN. Watch the pregame warmups for both Hall and Lopez, because Dickert's team is getting its key pieces back at the right time.
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