New Jersey cornerback Eli Woodard has officially announced (via twitter) that he will be a Buckeye, becoming the 4th commitment in Ohio State’s 2013 recruiting class.
This comes as little surprise to fans who have followed Woodard’s recruitment. He has been a huge Buckeye lean for at least the past year, and probably a lot longer (see picture to the right).
At 6’1″ 185 (ignore picture to the right), Woodard possesses ideal size for a corner, and the way he hits is extremely reminiscent of a certain other New Jersey recruit that fans may be familiar with.
That player was Malcolm Jenkins, and you have to imagine watching Jenkins play in the Horseshoe had an influence on Woodard as he was coming up through the ranks.
The comparisons are inevitable given the common stature, home state and playing style.
With what Woodard has already shown on the field in high school (see highlights below), hopefully the comparison with Jenkins will prove to be spot on in the coming years in Columbus.
Rivals and Scout both rate him as a four star player, with Rivals ranking him as the 28th best overall player in the country.
He chose the Buckeyes over offers from Alabama, Notre Dame, Michigan, Miami (FL), Nebraska, and Wisconsin among others.
Woodard joins fellow corner Cameron Burrows to form just about the best start to the 2013 secondary class possible.
If Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes can continue this early momentum, there is little doubt the secondary class, with Woodard and Burrows as the foundation, will form one of the best groups in the country in 2013.
Junior highlights below.
Welcome to the Ohio State family, Eli!
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