Justin Scott Worley (born November 20, 1992) is a former
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...
quarterback
The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
. Worley played
college football for the
Tennessee Volunteers
The Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Volunteers are the 20 male and female varsity intercollegiate athletics programs that represent the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers compete in Division I of the National Collegi ...
.
Early years
Worley attended
Northwestern High School in
Rock Hill, South Carolina
Rock Hill is the largest city in York County, South Carolina and the fifth-largest city in the state. It is also the fourth-largest city of the Charlotte metropolitan area, behind Charlotte, Concord, and Gastonia (all located in North Carolina, ...
, where he played
high school football
High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...
and was teammates with wide receiver
Cordarrelle Patterson
Cordarrelle Patterson ( ; born March 17, 1991), nicknamed "Flash", is an American football player for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). A versatile utility player, he plays running back, wide receiver, return specialist ...
. As a sophomore, Worley helped lead Northwestern High School to the state championship game against town-rival
South Pointe High School.
Regarded as a three-star recruit by the
Rivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel.
History
Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...
recruiting network, Worley was listed as the 24th-ranked pro-style quarterback in his class. He was selected as the national high school
Gatorade Player of the Year in 2010.
College career
Worley played backup to
Tyler Bray
Tyler Ian Bray (born December 27, 1991) is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. After playing his college football at the University of Tennessee, he declared himself eligible for the 2013 NFL Draft, in which he went undrafted. ...
during most of his first two seasons (2011–2012) at Tennessee and only started nine times before the 2013 season. Once the 2013 season started, Worley was named the starter for most of the time when he was healthy.
2011 season
On October 22, 2011, Worley was pushed into action against #2
Alabama Crimson Tide
The Alabama Crimson Tide refers to the intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I as a me ...
in relief of quarterback
Matt Simms. Worley did not record any meaningful statistics except one rush for no yards in his first appearance for the Vols in the 37–6 defeat at
Bryant–Denny Stadium
Bryant–Denny Stadium is an outdoor stadium in the southeastern United States, on the campus of the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. It is the home field of the Alabama Crimson Tide football team of the Southeastern Conference (SEC).
Open ...
. After a 14–3 home loss to
South Carolina
)'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
the next week at
Neyland Stadium
Neyland Stadium ( ), is a sports stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. It serves primarily as the home of the Tennessee Volunteers football team, but is also used to host large conventions and has been a site for several National Foot ...
, Worley recorded his first career victory with the Volunteers against
Middle Tennessee
Middle Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions of the U.S. state of Tennessee that composes roughly the central portion of the state. It is delineated according to state law as 41 of the state's 95 counties. Middle Tennessee contains the ...
. In the 24–0 home victory over the Blue Raiders, Worley threw his first career collegiate touchdown to wide receiver
Da'Rick Rogers
Da'Rick Jamal Rogers (born June 18, 1991)
, UTSports.com. Retrieved: February 7, 2013. is a form ...
. Worley's last appearance in the 2011 season came in a 49–7 loss to #8
Arkansas
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...
at
Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Worley had 208 yards passing and one interception in the defeat. Quarterback
Tyler Bray
Tyler Ian Bray (born December 27, 1991) is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. After playing his college football at the University of Tennessee, he declared himself eligible for the 2013 NFL Draft, in which he went undrafted. ...
returned from injury to finish out the 2011 season for the Volunteers.
2012 season
In the 2012 season, Worley did not appear much as he did in the 2011 season as Bray was the starting quarterback for all of the season's games. In the 2012 season, Cordarrelle Patterson, who Worley was teammates with in high school, joined the Volunteers after transferring from
Hutchinson Community College
Hutchinson Community College (HutchCC or HCC) is a public community college in Hutchinson, Kansas, United States. It serves nearly 5,000 credit students every semester.
History
The college was established in the spring of 1928 as Hutchinson Ju ...
. On September 8, 2012, against
Georgia State, Worley came into the blowout 51–13 home victory to finish the game in relief of Bray. Against #1
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County
, LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham
, area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...
, Worley relieved Bray in the 44–13 defeat at home. In the penultimate game of Tennessee's 2012 season against
Vanderbilt, Worley made his last appearance of the season after Bray got benched by head coach
Derek Dooley, who would be fired after the game. Worley recorded 51 passing yards and interception in the 41–18 defeat at
Vanderbilt Stadium
FirstBank Stadium (formerly Dudley Field and Vanderbilt Stadium) is a football stadium located in Nashville, Tennessee. Completed in 1922 as the first stadium in the South to be used exclusively for college football, it is the home of the Van ...
.
2013 season
Going into the 2013 season, Tennessee had a new head coach,
Butch Jones
Lyle Allen "Butch" Jones Jr. (born January 17, 1968) is an American football coach who is currently the head coach at Arkansas State University. Jones previously served as a special assistant to the head coach and offensive analyst at the Univ ...
. Bray left Tennessee to enter the
2013 NFL Draft
The 2013 NFL Draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall ...
, and Worley was named the starting quarterback over
Nathan Peterman
Nathan Michael Peterman (born May 4, 1994) is an American football quarterback for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Pittsburgh following a stint with Tennessee and was selected by the Buffal ...
,
Joshua Dobbs
Robert Joshua Dobbs (born January 26, 1995) is an American football quarterback for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Tennessee, and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fourth rou ...
, and
Riley Ferguson
Riley Logan Ferguson (born January 19, 1995) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at Memphis.
Early years
Ferguson attended David W. Butler High School in Matthews, North Carolina. He had 2,173 passing yards a ...
after training camp. During the 2013 season, he was able to achieve some success but his personal achievements did not lead to overall team success. In the season opener against
Austin Peay at home, Worley had a solid outing with 104 passing yards and three touchdowns in the 45–0 win. However, after a 52–20 win over
Western Kentucky
Western Kentucky is the western portion of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It generally includes part or all of several more widely recognized regions of the state.
;Always included
* The Jackson Purchase, the state's westernmost generally recogniz ...
at home, he was benched after a poor performance in Tennessee's 59–14 loss at
Autzen Stadium to
Oregon
Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...
for Nathan Peterman. Peterman started the next game against the
Florida Gators at
Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, but played poorly in the first half and was injured. Worley was put into the game in the second half of the 31–17 defeat, and he was named the starter once again after a decent outing against the Gators. One of his most notable performances in the 2013 season was against #6
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
, where Tennessee lost a narrow game at home by a score of 34–31 in overtime. He had a season-high 215 passing yards in the defeat. He had a solid performance against in a home game against #11
South Carolina
)'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
, where he led Tennessee to its first win over a ranked team in several years with a game-changing pass to wide receiver
Marquez North, which set up a
Michael Palardy
Michael Albert Palardy (born July 6, 1992) is an American football punter who is a free agent. He played college football at Tennessee and was signed by the Oakland Raiders as an undrafted free agent in 2014. He has also been a member of the ...
field goal as time expired to win the game by a score of 23–21. The next week, he sustained a season-ending thumb injury against #1
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County
, LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham
, area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...
at Bryant–Denny Stadium. Freshman Joshua Dobbs relieved Worley in the 45–10 loss and was later named the starter for the remainder of the 2013 season. Under Worley and Dobbs, Tennessee would finish 5–7 and not reach bowl eligibility, which was the third consecutive season that the Vols missed a bowl game.
2014 season
In 2014, Worley returned from his thumb injury was named the starting quarterback for the Vols for his senior season. The task was tough for Worley as Tennessee had to replace the entire offensive line from the previous season. He started in seven games in his senior season with the Volunteers. He started the season opener at home against
Utah State. In the 38–7 victory, he had 273 passing yards and three touchdowns. Worley would have solid outings over the next two weeks but with very different results. Against
Arkansas State
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...
, Worley had 247 passing yards and two touchdowns in the 34–19 home victory. Against #4
Oklahoma the following week, Worley had 201 yards passing and a touchdown, but suffered through five sacks, in the 34–10 defeat at
Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, also known as Owen Field or The Palace on the Prairie, is the football stadium on the campus of the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma. It serves as the home of the Oklahoma Sooners football tea ...
in
Norman, Oklahoma
Norman () is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, with a population of 128,097 as of 2021. It is the largest city and the county seat of Cleveland County, and the second-largest city in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area, b ...
. Against #12
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
two weeks later, Worley had 264 yards passing and three touchdowns in the narrow 35–32 defeat at
Sanford Stadium in
Athens, Georgia
Athens, officially Athens–Clarke County, is a consolidated city-county and college town in the U.S. state of Georgia. Athens lies about northeast of downtown Atlanta, and is a satellite city of the capital. The University of Georgia, the sta ...
. After a narrow 10–9 home loss to
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
and a 45–10 victory over
Chattanooga, Worley would play in the last game of his Tennessee career against #3
Ole Miss at
Vaught–Hemingway Stadium
Vaught–Hemingway Stadium at Hollingsworth Field is an outdoor athletic stadium located in University, Mississippi, United States (although it has an Oxford address). The stadium serves as the home for the University of Mississippi Rebels colleg ...
. Worley was injured in the 34–3 loss and was relieved by Nathan Peterman. Worley would have season-ending shoulder surgery from the injury he sustained in the Ole Miss game. His season totals were 1,579 passing yards, 12 touchdowns, eight interceptions, 62.3% completion percentage, and was notably sacked 29 times, of which some blame was given to the inexperience of Tennessee's young offensive line in the 2014 season. Tennessee finished the season with a 7–6 record with Peterman and Joshua Dobbs at quarterback. The team became bowl eligible for the first time since
2010. Before his injury, Worley's contributions played a role in helping Tennessee get in position to return to a
bowl game
In North America, a bowl game is one of a number of post-season college football games that are primarily played by teams belonging to the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). For most of its history, the Division I Bowl Subdivi ...
.
Statistics
Professional career
On November 24, 2015, Worley was signed as an undrafted free agent to the
Chicago Bears' practice squad. His contract with the Bears was terminated on December 8.
Personal life
After his stint with the Chicago Bears, Worley returned to Rock Hill and was employed by the Rock Hill
YMCA
YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams (philanthropist), Georg ...
. Worley's responsibilities are overseeing the youth sports programs, sports clinics, and the fitness room.
Justin's parents are Peyton Worley and Angela Worley. He has one younger brother, Matthew Worley.
References
External links
Collegiate statistics at Sports-Reference.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Worley, Justin
1992 births
Living people
Players of American football from Rock Hill, South Carolina
American football quarterbacks
Tennessee Volunteers football players