Bama flips No. 6 safety Woodyard from Georgia

Tom VanHaaren, ESPN Staff WriterAug 8, 2023, 02:02 PM ET
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- ESPN staff writer
- Joined ESPN in 2011
- Graduated from Central Michigan

The back-and-forth battling for recruits between Georgia and Alabama continued Tuesday with ESPN 300 safety Peyton Woodyard flipping his commitment from the Bulldogs to the Crimson Tide.

Woodyard, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound defensive back from St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower, California, is ranked No. 107 overall in the 2024 ESPN 300 and is the sixth-ranked safety. Alabama now has 12 ESPN 300 commitments in its class, while Georgia drops to 19 but still has the top-ranked recruiting class.

Despite the decision, Woodyard, who had committed to Georgia in January, said there are no ill feelings.

“I talked to all the Georgia coaches, and it’s all love,” Woodyard told ESPN. “They have nothing but love for me, and I have nothing but love for them, and they said they’re still going to recruit me to the end. I have nothing but good things to say about Georgia, as well.”

Woodyard took an official visit to Alabama on June 23, and that is when Woodyard thought he would end up making a switch.

“I felt like I’ve always had a relationship with Coach [Holmon] Wiggins and since [Travaris Robinson] took over, I’ve always had a great relationship with him,” Woodyard said. “I feel like on the official visit, at the end of it, throughout the visit, my family had a look on their face and I had that look, too. I kind of already knew after that visit that Alabama will be the place I would end up at.”

He didn’t make the flip right away, though, and was weighing the pros and cons of each school.

“They see me in that safety role, free safety, just being able to play down and cover tight ends and slot receivers,” Woodyard said of Alabama. “Do a little bit of everything — kind of like a Minkah Fitzpatrick role.”