Woods Commits To Rutgers

Paul Woods and his family have a lot to celebrate this week.

Tuesday marked his mother’s birthday and Wednesday is his parents’ 17th wedding anniversary. To go on top of all that Woods officially made his commitment to continue his football and academic career at Rutgers University.

He announced his decision Tuesday afternoon at Canisius High School in front of family, friends and teammates.

Afterwards Woods said that he felt like a heavy weight had been lifted off his and his family’s shoulders.

“Coming from Buffalo it’s very hard to get recruited. You have to either go out and see these coaches or keep sending them your highlight tape,” Woods said. “It was a hard journey but we got it done.”

Before announcing his decision, Woods spoke about the sacrifices that both his parents have made in order to make this moment possible.

One of the main reasons Woods chose to announce his decision on Tuesday was because it was his mother’s birthday.

Woods also thanked his older brother Rashad who has been always been someone to lean on. He is currently in Japan serving in the Navy.

“My brother wants me to be the best I can be,” Woods said. “He always told me to stay focused and everything would fall into place. I’ve stood by that.”

The Canisius senior also made sure to thank his father for all the trips made to camps across the country and long nights spent sending film to college coaches.

Paul Woods Sr. was incredibly proud of his son.

“The last 10 years have been a journey,” Woods Sr. said. “I’m very excited about his commitment.”

As a junior, Woods led the Crusaders with 35 catches, 684 yards and eight touchdowns. The last three touchdowns came in Canisius’ 50-44 win in the NYSCHSAA Championship game against Cardinal Hayes back in December.

Woods had a total 11 offers from Big Ten, ACC, SEC and MAC schools. Last week, the wide receiver cut the list down to Temple, Cincinnati, UB and Rutgers.

Ultimately, Woods decided that the coaching staff at Rutgers was the best fit.

“They have an excellent coaching staff. I have a great bond with them,” Woods said. “I went to their camp and it was a great atmosphere.”

Woods is part of a talented football class of 2018 out of WNY. The class has already seen D-I commitments from Jalin Cooper and Matt Myers, and there is expected to a few more before the season begins.