Another Woodson is making his way to Ann Arbor.
Thirty-one years after his dad donned the Maize and Blue, Charles Woodson Jr. has committed to Michigan. The defensive back from Orlando, Florida, notched 73 tackles, two interceptions and eight pass breakups last season and chose the Wolverines over other programs like Texas A&M and Ole Miss.
The younger Woodson is rated as a three-star recruit as part of the Class of 2027, per 247 Sports. He’s also rated as one of the 100 best safeties in his class by 247 Sports.
Woodson’s father, Charles Woodson, played for Michigan from 1995-97 and is arguably the greatest player in the program’s history. Woodson, who was primarily a defensive back who also logged snaps at wide receiver and returner, started his career at Michigan by winning Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors in 1995. He capped it off with a Heisman Trophy — the first primary defensive player to win the award — an undefeated season and a national championship win in 1997 before declaring for the NFL Draft.
The elder Woodson was drafted fourth overall by the Oakland Raiders in the 1998 NFL Draft and had a successful professional career. He recorded 981 solo tackles, 65 interceptions and 20 sacks in his 18 seasons in the league between the Raiders and the Green Bay Packers, winning Defensive Player of the Year in 2009 before winning the Super Bowl a year later. In 2021, Woodson was officially inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He now works for FOX Sports as an analyst on “FOX NFL Kickoff.”
The younger Woodson will head to Ann Arbor as part of Michigan’s 2027 class alongside four-star offensive tackle Jakari Lipsey, four-star edge rusher Recarder Kitchen and four-star wide receiver Quentin Burrell. As of Friday, that class ranks 19th in the country, per 247 Sports.
Michigan’s 2027 class will also be head coach Kyle Whittingham‘s first full recruiting class since he became the Wolverines’ head coach in December. Whittingham was hired a few weeks after the abrupt firing of Sherrone Moore, joining Michigan after he announced his retirement from Utah.
As the winningest coach in Utah football history, Whittingham is hoping his succes success in Salt Lake City will translate in Ann Arbor, seeking to bring the Wolverines back into College Football Playoff conversations. The Wolverines return sophomore quarterback Bryce Underwood, wide receiver Andrew Marsh and running back Jordan Marshall ahead of a loaded 2026 conference slate, with road games at Ohio State and Oregon, and home games against Oklahoma and Indiana.
