Full Article
There are probably 400-500 undrafted rookie free agents currently in an NFL camp that would draw inspiration from the John Wolford story.
All they need is belief — a belief in themselves when no one would give them an opportunity, along with a relentless desire to keep working their football craft until a door to employment finally cracks open.
Wolford, the former Bishop Kenny and Wake Forest quarterback, refused to completely give up on his NFL dream. He was smart enough to have a backup plan, but he wasn’t ready to leave football until the game kicked him out for good.
Yes, he could have made a substantial income as a financial analyst on Wall Street after the New York Jets cut him just 10 days into his first NFL camp in 2018. But Wolford had too much fun playing football all those years, so he kept waiting for another chance.
Somehow, things have worked out quite nicely for Johnny Football. After leaving a bank investment company to pursue a football life line with the Arizona Hotshots in the defunct Alliance of American Football (AAF), where he started eight games before the league folded, Wolford now has a firm grip on the backup quarterback job with the Los Angeles Rams.
“I’m getting the first crack at it and I’m thankful they’re giving me that opportunity,” Wolford said Monday in a phone interview. “I’m just trying to prove them right.”
Unless things change drastically in the 19 days before the NFL season opener, the 24-year-old financial whiz is going to be the Rams’ No. 2 quarterback behind Jared Goff. His only other competition are undrafted rookies Bryce Perkins (Virginia) and Josh Love (San Jose State), neither of whom are getting nearly as many training camp snaps.
Bortles out, Wolford in
If the Rams were concerned about Wolford’s ability to handle being Goff’s backup, they probably would have already signed a veteran by now. Or never let former Jaguars’ quarterback Blake Bortles — last year’s No. 2 QB while Wolford was on the practice squad — walk into free agency and remain still unemployed.
“Based on how I performed in the fall as a scout-team guy, I had confidence that I was going to get a shot at the two spot,” said Wolford. “But you never know for sure. Things can change rapidly. I think I’ve had a good camp thus far.”
Indeed, the Rams’ conviction about promoting Wolford has been validated. He’s shown no sign of being overwhelmed over being one Goff injury away from a starting job. In Saturday night’s scrimmage, he threw touchdown passes to Nsimba Webster and former Florida standout Van Jefferson, plus had a 47-yard run off a scramble.
First-year offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell, after four seasons with the Washington football club, has no misgivings about having Wolford as the backup despite him going undrafted and never playing an NFL down.
“He’s prepared, he’s incredibly smart,” O’Connell said last week. “I’ve been real happy with how he’s progressed fundamentally and he’s throwing the ball really well.
“And you know, I don’t worry too much with John about the experience, just because I’ve seen him work already and just as you get in the meeting room with him, you know he’s prepared to be a professional quarterback and he operates every single day on that basis. And it’s our job to get him ready if he were called upon.”
The thought of that scenario playing out doesn’t faze Wolford in the least. He has enough familiarity with the Rams’ playbook and sees himself far enough along with his mechanics and footwork to take on a starting role if necessary.
“I feel ready. I have full confidence in my abilities if we had to line up and play a game next week [as the starter],” said Wolford. “I feel like I could get the job done. You get that confidence through preparation. If I get a shot in a year or three weeks, I’ll be ready when I get it.”
Wolford, at just 6 feet and 200 pounds, isn’t the bravado type. He never wants to come across as arrogant. He simply believes hard work can overcome any misgivings some might still have about his experience or the old standby — lacking the height of an ideal NFL quarterback.
“If you can keep turnovers to a minimum and make plays off schedule, you can have success in college and the NFL,” said Wolford. “I think height is overrated. Kyler Murray was the No. 1 draft pick and he’s shorter than Russell Wilson and Drew Brees.
“There’s a trend where [NFL] people are willing to not bypass quarterbacks that are shorter. I think that will continue to happen as the years go by.”
Driven to succeed
Those familiar with Wolford’s history understand to never count him out. From the time his high school career ended in a historic 74-73 regulation playoff loss to Clay — then being a four-year starter at Wake Forest and accumulating 8,794 yards and 59 touchdowns — Wolford has always been the ultimate gamer.
Even when preparing for this season amid a COVID-19 pandemic, he willingly pushed the envelope. Wolford and some Rams’ receivers, including Cooper Kupp, didn’t let Los Angeles County closing its parks deter them from getting in football workouts. They often drove north to Ventura County to find a high school or a grass field with enough space to play pitch-and-catch.
“It was usually hopping a fence [at a high school], that was the most common theme,” said Wolford. “Hopefully, a cop wouldn’t show up. There were a few times where we got kicked off, but in our minds, it was essential work.”
So did Wolford ever play the NFL card with the police, hoping that being with the Rams would grant them a free pass.
“No, we didn’t want to try and invoke special treatment,” he said. “We were trying to do our job, they were trying to do theirs. If we had more work to get in, we’d go find a grass field in a park somewhere.”
Besides, Wolford didn’t get to the NFL by the privileged route. The college finance major might know a little something about managing wealth, but he’s a blue-collar, get-your-hands-dirty guy when it comes to football.
He wants to ride this NFL train as long as possible before eventually moving back into the world of high finance. Wolford puts no limits on where football might take him.
Maybe he can become a long-term starter, something that never quite materialized for the only other NFL quarterbacks from Jacksonville area high schools – Sandalwood’s Rusty Smith (1 start), Nease’s Tim Tebow (14 starts) or Bartram Trail’s Nathan Peterman (4 starts), now the Las Vegas Raiders’ third-team QB.
All Wolford knows is he has the rest of his life to work on Wall Street if he chooses. The NFL could go away in the blink of an eye.
“You got to go all in,” said Wolford. “I’m a long shot, but if you can get the job done and earn the trust of the coaches, you can play in this league. All that matters is: can you do your job when you get on the field? I’ll keep doing it until they kick me off.”
For now, the Rams appear fully invested in John Wolford, who is showing every undrafted NFL rookie that persistence might be their greatest ally.
gfrenette@jacksonville.com: (904) 359-4540
