Former Finance Intern an Unlikely Pro Football Star in Alliance of American Football Debut

Ex-Wake Forest and Jet quarterback John Wolford threw four touchdowns in his first AAF start.

Quarterback John Wolford #7 of the Arizona Hotshots throws a pass during the second half of the Alliance of American Football game against the Salt Lake Stallions at Sun Devil Stadium on February 10, 2019 in Tempe, Arizona.  (Photo by Christian Petersen/AAF/Getty Images)
Quarterback John Wolford #7 of the Arizona Hotshots throws a pass during the second half of the Alliance of American Football game against the Salt Lake Stallions at Sun Devil Stadium on February 10, 2019 in Tempe, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/AAF/Getty Images)
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In his debut in the Alliance of American Football, former Wake Forest and New York Jets camp quarterback John Wolford took off.

And that was quite the turn of events considering he was out of football not that long ago.

Wolford, a finance major who took an internship at a private equity fund in North Carolina after he graduated, threw for 275 yards, four touchdowns, and completed four two-pt conversions as the Arizona Hotshots rolled to a 38–22 win over Salt Lake Stallions.

Two of Wolford’s TD passes went to receiver Rashad Ross who had a team-best 103 yards.

“It’s exciting. You’re part of a start-up, everything is a first,” Wolford said of his team’s AAF debut. “Every pass is the first pass, the first completion, the first touchdown. So it’s fun. I thought the league has done a great job so far. Everything is extremely well run and we had some good football tonight so it’s something to be proud of.”

A four-year player in college, Wolford threw for 3,192 yards and 29 touchdowns to set single-season records in his senior season at Wake Forest.

In his final game for the Demon Deacons, the Belk Bowl, Wolford earned MVP honors after throwing for 400 yards and four touchdowns in a 55-52 win over Texas A&M.

The Hotshots will take the field next against the Memphis Express on Saturday.

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