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Another Florida QB plots a course to ECU
Bishop Kenny star
Wolford brings sterling credentials
By
Sammy Batten
©2013 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
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Fifteen minutes was
all it took for Mark Thorson to recognize there was something
special about John Wolford.
Wolford was just a
freshman, trying out for Thorson's varsity football squad at Bishop
Kenny High School in Jacksonville, FL, in the fall of 2010. He was well
known to Thorson because his older brother, Bobby, was already playing
linebacker for the Crusaders and because the younger Wolford had starred
in the area Pop Warner youth league.
"His physical abilities
were evident,'' Thorson said. "He was already a solidly built kid and he
ran well. His throwing mechanics were real polished.
"But what was maybe
surprising for a freshman was his poise and leadership skills. In the
first 15 minutes in the huddle, we knew he was on top of it and was
capable of leading our team.''
So, despite the fact two
seniors were trying out along with Wolford, Thorson decided to go with
the freshman as the starting quarterback. He hasn't regretted the
decision a single second since.
Wolford has quarterbacked
the Crusaders to a 29-10 record, three straight state playoff
appearances and broken a record previously held by Tim Tebow in just
over three varsity seasons. With that kind of resume, it's no wonder
East Carolina offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Lincoln Riley
dropped by Bishop Kenny last May to watch Wolford work during spring
practice.
Riley apparently liked
what he saw because East Carolina followed his visit with a scholarship
offer. Following visits to ECU's campus in June and for the Virginia
Tech game on September 14, Wolford decided to accept the offer on Sept.
19 and continue a program trend of drawing quarterback talent out of the
Sunshine State.
The Pirates beat out the
likes of Air Force, Akron, Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, Florida
International, Harvard, Idaho, Middle Tennessee State, Mississippi
State, Toledo and Western Michigan for Wolford's services.
"I went up there in June
and kind of sat on it (decision) for a while,'' Wolford said. "I went up
there and saw the Virginia Tech game and the atmosphere was awesome. But
choosing East Carolina wasn't just about going to the game. It was about
the whole visit up there. I met with some of the academic staff. I
really liked the campus life. I liked their offensive style. I loved
Coach Riley and (head) Coach (Ruffin) McNeill.
"So it wasn't just about
one thing. It was the whole package.''
Wolford will join Cape
Coral, FL, product and current true freshman quarterback Kurt Benkert at
ECU in the fall of 2014. They'll be trying to live up to some high
standards set by previous Floridians in Greenville.
Four of the top 10 career
passing yardage leaders in ECU history all hailed from Florida. They
are:
• JAMES PINKNEY
(2003-2006), Delray Beach | Pinkney's 8,173 career yards are second to
only David Garrard's 9,029 on the school list. He's also No. 2 in
completions (697) and is fourth in touchdowns (46).
• DOMINIQUE DAVIS
(2010-2011) Lakeland | In just two seasons, Davis rose to fourth on the
all-time passing yardage list (7,192) and to the top spots in
completions (727) and touchdown passes (62).
• JEFF BLAKE (1989-91)
Sanford | The quarterback who will forever be known for orchestrating
ECU's greatest win ever in the 1992 Peach Bowl against N.C. State ranks
sixth in all-time passing yardage (5,133) and completions (360), and
fifth in touchdown throws (43).
• TRAVIS HUNTER (1986-89)
Winter Park | Hunter is seventh in all-time passing yardage (3,928),
eighth in completions (280) and seventh in touchdown throws (32).
Wolford knows a thing or
two about putting up record-breaking statistics. A five-touchdown pass
performance in the second game of the 2013 season — a 45-18 win against
Wolfson — gave Wolford 96 career touchdown throws. The total surpassed
Tebow's previous Northeast Florida record of 95 set between 2003 and
2005 at Nease High School.
It was during his first
years playing organized football that Wolford made the drive over to
Nease High to watch Tebow played.
"Nease is about a 20- or
30-minute drive from our school,'' Wolford said. "He was a tremendous
high school player, but I don't think as a fifth- or sixth-grader I
really appreciate how good he was until I was much older.
"It's an honor to be
mentioned with a guy like Tebow, who is a class act and so loved in
Jacksonville.''
Hearing his name mentioned
with great players isn't new for Wolford. His older brother, Bobby, is
now the starting fullback at Boston College and his uncle Will played at
Vanderbilt and was a three-time All-Pro offensive lineman in 13 NFL
seasons.
Wolford kicked off his
football career playing tackle at the age of 5 and was a quarterback
from the very beginning.
By the time he reached
Bishop Kenny, Wolford was a confident player. But even he was surprised
to actually win a starting job on varsity as a freshman.
"I had come out at spring
practice when I was still in the eighth grade, and I trained with the
varsity during summer workouts,'' Wolford said. "But coming into
preseason camp I didn't know (if he would start). It was a goal of mine.
But there were two seniors guys there, too, and we all worked hard.
"But I give Coach Thorson
and Coach (Tim) Krause (offensive coordinator) credit. It took some
courage to start a freshman.''
Thorson said a
week-and-a-half into preseason practice he knew Wolford would be his
starter. And Wolford certainly got his Bishop Kenny career off to an
auspicious start when he tossed a 70-yard touchdown pass on his first
high school attempt in the opener against Orange Park.
Wolford would go on to
complete 125 of 188 passes for 1,750 yards and 17 touchdowns while
throwing just eight interceptions as a freshman. He also added 669 yards
and eight touchdowns rushing on 105 attempts.
"I've never seen anybody
close to that kind of poise and so ready to take on that task at that
age,'' Thorson said. "By the fourth game he was directing game-winning
drives. He led an 80-yard drive with a last-second touchdown throw to
win the game. That's when we knew he was special.''
Wolford followed up by
completing 152 of 241 passes for 2,669 yards and 35 touchdowns as a
sophomore (only three interceptions). He also rushed for 511 yards and
eight scores on 71 carries. As a junior in 2012, he completed 219 of 342
passes for 2,973 yard and 36 touchdowns (eight interceptions), along
with 655 yards and five scores rushing on 104 attempts.
The Crusaders are off to a
2-0 start this season as Wolford has completed 44 of 70 passes for 708
yards and nine touchdowns, while also rushing for 197 more yards. During
a 47-43 opening victory against Bartram Trail, Wolford led Bishop Kenny
from its own 35-yard line with two big runs into the opposition's
territory. He then tossed a 20-yard touchdown pass with 20 seconds left
to provide the game-winning points.
Wolford wound up with 407
yards passing and 135 rushing against Bartram Trail.
When asked to describe his
strengths as a quarterback, Wolford said, "It's not just one thing I do,
it's a lot of things.
"First, I'm going to be
one of the hardest workers you'll ever find. I also do all I can before
a game to prepare. Most games are won or lost before the ball is even
snapped. That's something I take pride in, knowing what the defense is
going to do. I will always be mentally into the game.
"I'm physical and I can
run the ball. But more importantly, I have a strong and accurate arm. I
can make all the throws on target and on time. I don't mean to sound
cocky, but I have confidence in my abilities.''
Although current ECU
starter Shane Carden will be a senior and Benkert likely a redshirt
freshman when Wolford arrives on campus in the fall of 2014, he still
expects to contend for playing time for the Pirates.
"I'm confident in my
ability to compete,'' Wolford said. "I know those guys are talented,
too. There would be competition anywhere I went at the college level, so
that's to be expected.''
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09/26/2013 09:57 AM |
