Woods still comfortable with the Florida Gators

Defensive end Jordan Woods (6-3, 235, Ocala, FL Trinity Catholic) has visited the Florida Gators several times in the past but Saturday was different because it was the first time he visited the Gators with Jim McElwain as the head coach.

“It went very well on Saturday,” Woods said. “This trip was really about talking to the coaches and getting a feel for them. I just really wanted to know what the coaches was like because I have been there so many times that it could’ve felt very different but it didn’t. It still felt great there.”

Woods has a good perspective as to how McElwain’s staff differs from Will Muschamp’s staff and Woods thinks the Gators are in good hands.

“I think everybody is happy there now,” Woods said. “The trainers were doing competitions and were happy and that’s something that I hadn’t seen before. Everyone was just jumping around and excited and they were showing us videos on how coach [Jim] McElwain was going to change UF. I think he’s going to get Florida back.”

McElwain wanted to make sure that Woods knew his blueprint as to what he was going to do to help Florida improve.

“He basically told me to do the right thing,” Woods said. “He said he’s trying to build Florida back up. Florida is a brand that will never be bad but the past few years they haven’t been as dominant as they should be. He said they are going to build it up and win championships.”

The overall message that prospects have been saying is that McElwain doesn’t put pressure on kids and Woods says the same thing, as Florida outlined its plans for the defensive end.

“He told me whenever you want to be a Gator just let us know because we feel good about you,” Woods said of McElwain’s message to him. “Coach said it’s hard to tell where I’ll play in college because I’m gaining weight still. Some are telling me that I’ll play the 3 technique but I feel I can play defensive end or outside linebacker. Coach McElwain said that he would talk to me about it more.”

Saturday was also the first time for Woods to meet new defensive line coach Chris Rumph and the meeting went well.

“Coach Rumph is a very funny guy,” Woods said. “He says that he wants his teaching to be very easy and that he doesn’t want all of this complicated stuff. He said he just wants you to get to the quarterback or stop the run.”

Woods has been to Florida a lot and he has seen everything he needs to at Florida but he still says that he’s unsure of when he will make a decision.

“Whenever it feels right,” Woods said of when he will commit. “The new coaching staff at Florida is good and I like them so far. Right now I’m just weighing the pros and cons of each program.”

 

INSIDERS TAKE: I feel like Florida has the edge early on for Woods but Florida State and others are battling here as well. Getting Woods back on campus this spring and summer will only help the Gators out more.

Andrew Spivey
Andrew always knew he wanted to be involved with sports in some capacity. He began by coaching high school football for six years before deciding to pursue a career in journalism. While coaching, he was a part of two state semifinal teams in the state of Alabama. Given his past coaching experience, he figured covering recruiting would be a perfect fit. He began his career as an intern for Rivals.com, covering University of Florida football recruiting. After interning with Rivals for six months, he joined the Gator Country family as a recruiting analyst. Andrew enjoys spending his free time on the golf course and watching his beloved Atlanta Braves. Follow him on Twitter at @AndrewSpiveyGC.