In-State Defensive Lineman Jaren Woods Signs With Baylor Bears
After committing to Baylor in June, three-star defensive lineman Jaren Woods signed with the Bears on National Signing Day Wednesday.
Woods, a 6-foot-5, 278-pound prospect out of La Grange (TX), held offers from Texas, Auburn and TCU, among others. He has experience playing on both sides of the line, but is expected to play defense for the Bears.
In high school, Woods was a force to be reckoned with. But his senior season was cut short by a broken leg sustained in the first half of La Grange’s week one loss to Bellville. As a junior, he racked up 61 tackles, six tackles for loss, one sack, two pass deflections and numerous pancake blocks.
Woods doesn’t just play football; he’s an all-around athlete. He runs a 4.71 40-yard dash at 278 pounds and throws shot put and discus, qualifying for the Class 4A region meet in the former and advancing to the Class 4A state meet in the latter.
Entering National Signing Day, Woods was one of 22 hard commits for the Bears, including five other defensive linemen: Trey Wilson (Garland Lakeview Centennial, TX), DK Kalu (Missouri City Ridge Point, TX), Trent Thomas (Fort Bend Marshall, TX), Brendan Bett (Killeen Ellison, TX) and Jerrell Boykins Jr (Hutchinson Community College, KS). They’ll join a position group preparing to replace long-time contributors like Siaki Ika, who’s expected to enter the NFL Draft.
Before the signing window opened on Wednesday, Baylor’s recruiting class ranked No. 25 in the 247 Sports Composite. That’s third-best among new Big 12 teams, behind only TCU (No. 18) and Texas Tech (No. 24).
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