Charles Woodson is not only one of the most decorated college football players at Michigan, but in the history of the sport. His 1997 Heisman Trophy season — which coincided with a national championship for the Wolverines — is still one of the more impressive ever, beating NFL Hall-of-Fame players in Peyton Manning and Randy Moss for the most coveted award in college football. That wasn’t enough, as he also was a first-round NFL draft pick and is an NFL Hall-of-Famer himself.
When his son, Charles Woodson Jr., earned his offer from the Wolverines, it seemed like a “when, not if” situation regarding a future commitment to Michigan. Well, the “when” was answered on Friday afternoon, as the younger Woodson announced his pledge to the program.
Woodson (5-foot-11 and 155 pounds) was originally offered by the previous Michigan coaching staff last summer. Once Kyle Whittingham and company came to town, it took them a bit to get things going, but safeties coach Tyler Stockton and the rest of the coaching staff were able to seal the deal.
247Sports’ Andrew Ivins scouted Woodson last September and had this to say in his evaluation:
-Smart safety with best-in-class type of bloodlines that made noticeable strides between sophomore and junior campaigns.
-Darts forward with conviction in run support taking sound angles to the football despite not being the largest defender at this stage.
-Flashes solid range from a single and two-high look.
-Shows promising awareness in both zone and man coverage as he gets to the catch point and will play through hands.
-Lack of testing data and speed markers is not ideal, but closes gaps in pads and has ripped off long runs in the return game.
-Should be viewed as a potential starter at the Power Four level based on what he put on tape as an 11th grader. Must add some mass in coming years, but the ability to process on the backend is encouraging.
In addition to Michigan, Woodson also had offers from Florida State, Oregon, Texas A&M, Arkansas, Iowa State, Ole Miss, Virginia Tech, Louisville, Kentucky, Vanderbilt and more. Woodson is the 10th overall recruit to join Michigan’s 2027 class and the second safety, as he joins three-star Maxwell Miles in the secondary.
Woodson — who is ranked No. 617 overall on the Rivals Industry Ranking — compiled 73 total tackles, eight pass breakups, two interceptions, one fumble recovery and one kick return touchdown as a junior at Lake Nona High School in Orlando, Florida. Check out his best highlights from last fall in the video below.
