Coveted 4-Star WR Rejects Two Major College Football Programs in Recruitment Update

A pair of Power Four programs missed out on the commitment of this 2027 four-star wide receiver prospect.

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Eli Woodard became the latest 2027 blue-chip wide receiver to announce a college commitment on Tuesday. The four-star prospect from Temecula, California, chose Miami over a pair of in-state powers in California and UCLA.

Woodard's commitment to Miami marks his second commitment to a school within the last year. He previously committed to USC on Feb. 10, a commitment he held for just over three months.

A look at Woodard's recruiting profile

Rivals ranks the 5-foot-11, 180-pounder as the No. 23 wide receiver, No. 16 prospect in California and No. 156 overall prospect in the class of 2027 in its industry rankings.

In his previous three seasons of varsity football at Chaparral High School, Woodard logged a combined 88 receptions for 1,656 yards and 24 touchdowns. He also competes in the 100 and 200-meter dashes for Chaparral's track and field team.

247Sports director of scouting Andrew Ivins called Woodard a "deep threat that can stretch defenses and flip the field with his long speed" and described him as "quick to step on the pedal when he gets a clean release" in a scouting report from February.

How does Woodard's commitment impact Miami's 2027 recruiting class?

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Miami currently holds the third-best class nationally, per Rivals' industry rankings. Of their 20 commitments, 15 of the Hurricanes' pledges are from blue-chip prospects, and three of those blue-chips are five-star prospects.

One of those five-star commitments came from wide receiver Nick Lennear on March 5. Rivals considers Lennear the No. 4 wide receiver prospect in the class of 2027.

The Hurricanes are well-stocked on blue-chip talent at linebacker, in the trenches and in the secondary, but Lennear was their only pledge at wide receiver before Woodard announced his commitment. Ah'Mari Stevens, a four-star wide receiver local to the Hurricanes, flipped his commitment to LSU on April 17.

Impact of Woodard's decision on UCLA and California

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The Bruins and Golden Bears received the final two of Woodard's three official visits this summer. Both programs offered him in the months after they hired their new coaches for the 2026 season.

Woodard would have been a higher-ranked commit than any of UCLA's current wide receiver commitments, but Bob Chesney's staff has done well to address the position. No. 25 wide receiver Matthew Gregory and No. 55 wide receiver Kingston Celifie both rank as blue-chip prospects, and UCLA holds commitments from a pair of three-stars in Rob Larson and Michael Farinas.

Nearly half of California's 10 blue-chip commitments are from wide receivers. No. 15 wide receiver Charles Davis, No. 22 wide receiver Demare Dezeurn and No. 30 wide receiver Zion White comprise three of the Golden Bears' four highest-rated commitments. Additionally, four-star athlete Elyjah Staples projects as a wide receiver at the next level.