Duke Adds Grad Transfer From Michigan

On National Signing Day, Duke coach David Cutcliffe said that the Blue Devils were still looking to add help on the offensive line and secondary.

He took care of one of those needs two days later, when former Michigan Wolverine safety J’Marick Woods signed a grant in aid to join the program.

Woods, who played 27 games over the past three seasons at Michigan, will enroll in January as a grad transfer and be eligible immediately. He’ll have two seasons of eligibility.

Cutcliffe also said on Signing Day that he doesn’t “shop” for transfers and wouldn’t be reaching out to any players that enter the transfer portal.

“Unless I’ve been involved with someone, unless I know someone, I don’t take just (anyone),” he said. “I’m not into the transfer portal. I don’t go shop it. Don’t look at it. I really don’t. I have no desire to do it. When I know someone and they contact us, it’s a different story … if I recruited them in high school.

Woods fits that bill. Duke offered him a scholarship as a high school junior, in October 2015 and recruited him as part of the class of 2017, when he was a 6-foot-3, 205-pound 3-star from Florence, Alabama. He was the No. 383 prospect in the class of 2017 and the No. 28 safety. He eventually took official visits to Arkansas and Mississippi State before enrolling at Michigan.

He would have been the third-rated recruit in that Duke class, behind DE Drew Jordan and TE Jake Marwede. Duke took four safeties that year—Michael Carter II, Damani Neal (who just graduated early), Marquis Waters and Lummie Young.

At Michigan, Woods had 26 tackles and one blocked punt. He entered the transfer portal in October, preserving this season as a redshirt year, since he’d only appeared in three games.