Football Recruiting
Report
Thursday, September 26, 2013
By Sammy Batten |
|
Another Florida QB plots a
course to ECU
Bishop Kenny star Wolford
brings sterling credentials
By
Sammy Batten
©2013 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
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.''
E-mail Sammy Batten
PAGE UPDATED
09/26/13 11:12 AM.
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