Former Bishop Kenny star John Wolford is set to make his first NFL start on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals. Wolford has never played a snap in the NFL, but his coaches and teammates are confident he can step up.
“John’s done a great job preparing himself all year,” Rams Head coach Sean McVay said. “If you watch the way that he’s worked at it, I know there’s confidence from coaches and from his teammates and guys will need to rally around him. But we’re excited about the opportunity that John will have to lead the offense this week.”
Wolford’s journey to the NFL has been a long one, but it all started at Bishop Kenny High School where Wolford was a walking highlight reel.
In the final game of his high school career, Wolford rewrote the record books in a 74-73 loss to Clay. That night, Wolford was responsible for 10 touchdowns.
Current Bishop Kenny head football Coach Tim Krause was the Crusaders’ offensive coordinator then and said that Wolford just didn’t want to lose.
“The biggest thing that stands out to me is his mindset,” Krause said. “As competitive of a person as he is, even on the last drive, he was asking to be put in on defense. He was just so gung-ho about our team being successful.”
Sunday will be a huge opportunity for Wolford that will come with a lot of pressure. The Rams need to win to make the playoffs.
Wolford will be the third quarterback to make his first career start in a season finale with a playoff berth on the line, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. But despite the big stage, Wolford’s coaches and teammates believe he has what it takes to be successful.
“It is hard to explain to people, and it comes across as cliché sometimes, but he is the total package when it comes to a human being -- intelligent, competitive, hard-working,” Krause said. “I think every piece of what he does shows that he is going to be successful. I don’t think there is any doubt if he had walked away from football a year or two ago when he was thinking about it -- had an opportunity to go work in banking -- he would be a billionaire at this point.”