As Mike LaFleur adds the final pieces to his coaching staff, the team's tradition of hiring a Bill Bidwill Coaching Fellow also continues.

The team on Wednesday announced the hiring of Wendy Laurent as the 2026 fellowship recipient. This will be the fifth stop on the 31-year-old Laurent's coaching journey, having spent the 2025 season at Ohio State as an assistant tight ends coach. He was on the Cardinals' 2025 training camp staff as part of the Bill Walsh Coaching Fellowship.

Laurent's arrival marks the eighth person to be awarded the Bill Bidwill Coaching Fellowship, an opportunity intended to increase diversity and provide NFL coaching experience. The team launched the fellowship in 2015.

Pass game specialist Connor Senger, who had multiple offensive coordinator interviews this past cycle, began his NFL coaching career as part of the fellowship in 2022. Including Senger, four of the eight fellows have been promoted to full-time assistant coaching roles within both the NFL and NCAA ranks.

Prior to Ohio State, Laurent was the tight ends coach at Dartmouth College for three seasons. His playing career ended at Penn State, where he was a center on a Nittany Lions squad that had Saquon Barkley in the backfield. A 2016 graduate, Laurent appeared in 34 games.

The fellowship typically leans towards offensive minds, and with LaFleur at the helm, it's no surprise to see the trend follow. There were three fellows on the coaching staff this past season.