Wood chooses Irish over Wolverines, Yellow Jackets, and Rebels

Jason Pughe

www.athletevault.com

Updated June 27, 2009...

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The talented 5-11, 170 pound CB from Apopka High School (FL) informed Notre Dame Head Coach Charlie Weis on Friday that he was ready to commit to the Irish. Wood chose Notre Dame over schools like Georgia Tech, Michigan, NC State, and Ole Miss. Many considered Michigan the front runner for most of Wood’s recruitment, so what made him choose the Irish?

“The campus is great at Notre Dame and they have a small population of 9,000 people,” Wood said. “The coaches are really cool and I also have a great opportunity at getting on the field early.”

I’ve had the unique opportunity to know the Wood family over the last two years. What most people don’t realize is that the Irish made a tremendous recruiting effort to get Lo Wood. From the beginning, Michigan was going to be a tough team to beat for Wood’s commitment. In the end however, Notre Dame was the right fit.

“It was a pretty hard decision because both schools were right there,” he said. “Michigan was my first big offer, so it was pretty hard. I just had to really look into it to see where I fit in the best. Notre Dame is the best school for me, so I picked them.”

During the recruiting process, Michigan QB Coach Rod Smith and Notre Dame Defensive Coordinator Corwin Brown are two coaches that established a great relationship with Wood. What made this decision even tougher for Wood was that each school had personal link to him and his family.

For example, Michigan had the most links with former team mates Jeremy Gallon, and Ricardo Miller both headed to Michigan. In addition the father of Mike Jones, Aaron Jones is a close friend of Lo Wood’s father. For Georgia Tech, Lo’s close friend and former team mate Embry Peeples had a great season for the Yellow Jackets last year. At Ole Miss, the DL Coach Terry Price recruited Wood heavily when he was at Auburn. The only link Notre Dame had was Coach (Corwin) Brown being a former team mate of Aaron Jones when they played together for the New England Patriots. Make no mistake about it though; Brown played a big role in Wood’s decision.

“Coach Brown would always talk with me about what was going on with my life and grades,” Wood said. “He didn’t want to just talk to me about Notre Dame. He definitely played a big role in my decision.”

The thing that has always impressed me about Wood is his ability to show up in big time settings. He has been a varsity starter at the 6A level in Florida since his freshman year. His sophomore year at Dr. Phillips, he effectively shut down Byrnes High School (SC) WR Ricco Sanders. Sanders ended up signing with Mississippi State as a class of 2009 recruit, but he was unable to register a reception against Wood. In the summer of 2008, Wood attended Florida’s Friday Night Lights camp and was one of the top CB’s in attendance despite being an underclassman. Finally, in the 6A state playoffs this past season against Sanford Seminole High School; Wood contained Florida signee Andre DeBose.

Notre Dame is getting a talented CB that has great technique and a knack for showing up in big games. In addition, they are getting a quality young man that will be a great representation of what Notre Dame Football is all about. Two years from now, Wood’s step-brother Isaiah Myers at Olympia High School in Orlando, Florida could be a WR that is commanding the same kind of attention. Myers made a splash this spring in Olympia’s spring game against Spruce Creek.

Check out junior highlights on Lo Wood:

http://www.athletevault.com/Videos/LoWood2AV.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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