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Another Woodson is headed to Ann Arbor.
Thirty-one years after his father donned the Maize and Blue, Charles Woodson Jr. committed to Michigan. The defensive back from Orlando, Florida, tallied 73 tackles, two interceptions and eight pass deflections last season and chose the Wolverines over other programs such as Texas A&M and Ole Miss.
The younger Woodson is rated as a three-star recruit as part of the Class of 2027, according to 247 Sports. He is also rated as one of the top 100 safeties in his class by 247 Sports.
Woodson’s father, Charles Woodson, played for Michigan from 1995 to 1997 and is arguably the greatest player in program history. Woodson, who was primarily a defensive back who also played snaps as a wide receiver and returner, began his career at Michigan by earning Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors in 1995. He capped it off with a Heisman Trophy, the first major defensive player to win the award, an undefeated season and a national championship victory in 1997 before declaring for the NFL Draft.
The elder Woodson was selected 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 Green Bay Packers, winning the Defensive Player of the Year award 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 junior Woodson will head to Ann Arbor as part of Michigan’s 2027 class along with four-star offensive tackle Jakari Lipsey, four-star running back Recarder Kitchen and four-star wide receiver Quentin Burrell. As of Friday, that class is ranked 19th in the country, according to 247 Sports.
Michigan’s class of 2027 will also be head coach Kyle Whittingham’s first full recruiting class since becoming the Wolverines’ head coach in December. Whittingham was hired a few weeks after Sherrone Moore’s abrupt firing and joined Michigan after he announced his retirement from Utah.
As the winningest coach in Utah football history, Whittingham hopes his success in Salt Lake City translates to Ann Arbor, looking to get the Wolverines back into the 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.
