Israel Woolfork is in his second season with the Cardinals after being hired to coach quarterbacks on 3/1/23.
Under Woolfork, Arizona QB Kyler Murray returned from a serious knee injury suffered in 2022 and started the final eight games of last season, throwing for 1,799 yards and 10 TDs while rushing for 244 yards and 3 TDs. With Murray under center, the Cardinals had the 9th ranked offense in the NFL (362.8 ypg) and averaged 22.4 points per game.
In the 2024 offseason, Woolfork was selected to serve as the quarterbacks coach for the American team at the Senior Bowl. He was also selected to participate in the NFL's Coach Accelerator program in May of 2024 at the NFL's spring meeting in Nashville. The program was created to help promote greater diversity across the league.
Woolfork came to the Cardinals last year from Cleveland where he assisted Browns quarterbacks in 2022 under current Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing. He spent the 2022 season with Cleveland as the recipient of the team's Bill Willis Coaching Fellowship.
The Bill Willis Coaching Fellowship was created by the Browns as an opportunity for rising minority coaches with a focus on the offensive side of the ball. The fellowship was named after Willis, who along with Browns teammate Marion Motley, were two of the first African-American professional football players in the modern era. Willis played with the Browns from 1946-53 and was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1977. Woolfork started with the Browns in the 2021 offseason as part of the NFL's Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship and worked with Cleveland's tight ends.
Woolfork began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Miami (OH) University from 2013-14. He then coached running backs (2015-17) and wide receivers (2018-21) with the RedHawks prior to joining the Browns. RBs Alonzo Smith and Kenny Young broke multiple school records under Woolfork's tutelage. Smith finished his career ranked 8th all-time with 2,613 rushing yards and Young was 10th in school history with 3,259 all-purpose yards, 13th with 1,989 rushing yards and was one of only two players in school history with 1,900+ rushing yards and at least 100 receptions in his career.
Miami WR Jack Sorensen earned All-Mid-American Conference honors in both 2018 (third-team) and 2020 (second-team) while working with Woolfork. He was named the Offensive Player of the Game in the MAC Championship in 2019 after catching eight passes for 123 yards and a TD.
Woolfork played wide receiver at Grand Valley State University (2008-12). A three-year starter, he was a team captain as a senior in addition to earning all-conference honors. As a sophomore, Woolfork helped lead the Lakers to the D-II National Championship.
He graduated from Grand Valley State with a degree in Sports Leadership in 2013.
