MORGANTOWN — This time four months ago, Charles Woods was one of several veteran WVU cornerbacks at the top of the depth chart expected to battle it out during spring practice and fall camp, vying for playing time when the Mountaineers start the season at Pitt.
Then the NCAA Transfer Portal began to take its toll on the room.
First it was Jackie Matthews moving to Mississippi State, then it was Daryl Porter heading to Miami, ending with Nicktroy Fortune winding up at University of Texas at San Antonio.
Woods went from being one of the guys to being the guy at cornerback, easily the top option at the position with beaucoup youngsters vying for the other spot opposite Woods.
According to head coach Neal Brown, there may not be a better corner to lead a inexperienced group than Woods.
“Charles Woods is going to be one of the top corners in the Big 12. He’s solidified himself as one of the anchor points of our secondary,” Brown said.
But it wasn’t always that way for Woods. Coming out of high school in Texas, he did not pass the eye test at 5-foot-10 and just 150 pounds, forcing Woods to head to FCS Illinois State.
Even if it wasn’t exactly what he wanted at first, Woods was told to bide his time and an opportunity would come along. After putting together an All-American campaign in 2019 at Illinois State, he decided it was time to swim in a bigger pond, ending at WVU prior to last season.
“That put a chip on my shoulder; I wanted to prove everybody wrong. I could play with the best and the elite college players,” Woods said.
“I had doubts coming in at first. A lot of people were saying there’s a big difference between FCS and FBS ball, saying the speed is way faster,” he said. “But once I started to get into summer workouts and the fall camp, I started realizing it’s the same, just more elite athletes. I adjusted quickly.”
Even though the game was slowing down for him, the opportunities to get on the field were not picking up. Woods played behind the aforementioned corners during the first half of the season, but a season-ending injury to Fortune in the TCU game in mid-October opened a window for Woods.
He ended the season as one of the best players on the back-end of the Mountaineers’ defense during the second half of the year, finishing with two interceptions and four pass breakups.
WVU will rely on Woods to continue his upward trend, while the other cornerback spot could be filled by freshmen or senior Malachi Ruffin.
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