Peter Kaligis

Biography

With over 30 years of coaching experience, Kaligis joined Head Coach Jake Dickert’s staff before the 2025 season, leading the defensive tackles group for the Demon Deacons. In 2025, Wake Forest ranked among the ACC’s elite defensive units, finishing in the conference’s top five in both total defense and pass defense. The Demon Deacons allowed the fewest yards per play in the ACC, permitted the fourth-fewest touchdowns overall and held opponents to more than 100 fewer yards of total offense than the year prior. That consistency was highlighted by holding seven of 13 opponents to 14 points or fewer, the most such performances by a Wake Forest defense since the historic 2006 ACC Championship season. Kaligis spent three years on Head Coach Jake Dickert’s staff at Washington State after being named the assistant head coach/defensive tackles coach on Jan. 3, 2022. Kaligis and Dickert previous worked together from 2017-19 while both were on Craig Bohl’s defensive staff at Wyoming. In 2023, the Cougar interior defense made strides after beginning the year with the top six tackles combining for just 10 games played in a Cougar uniform. Despite that, the unit totaled 102 tackles, eight tackles-for-loss and three sacks. Against No. 19 Wisconsin, the Cougar defensive tackles led a defensive that held the Badgers to just 90 rushing yards, it’s second-lowest output of the season and 59.5 yards below its season average. In his first season coaching the defensive tackles, the unit combined f