Woods has local leader

Although he missed half of his junior season, there is still no question that Encino (Calif.) Crespi defensive back E.J. Woods is one of the elite players in the West region. The athlete has one local school on top but said he would love to hear more from a certain Midwest power.

Woods, 6-1, 195 pounds is a very talented athlete who could play running back or safety at the next level. We had a chance to see him play in person a year ago against state power Ventura (Calif.) St. Bonaventure and were very impressed with him running the ball but it's at safety where most feel he'll end up.

As a junior, Woods rushed for 438 yards and five touchdowns to go with 47 tackles, four sacks and one forced fumble. We love him on film and feel he has the size, speed and hitting ability to make a big time college safety.

On the recruiting front, Woods said he has offers from UCLA and Oregon and could be close on a few more.

"Mississippi and LSU are both close," Woods said. “I'm also hearing from Michigan, Texas, Washington and Nebraska and I would really like to hear more from Ohio State.

"I grew up a fan of Ohio State and loved them my whole life. I was raised there before moving out here and I'm really hoping they start recruiting me. I just talked to my coach who said they called about me so hopefully that means they'll start recruiting me.

"Right now, I really like UCLA a lot, they're my top school but I still want to wait things out. I just want to see who else is interested in me and make sure I've looked at all my options before committing anywhere.

"Along with UCLA, I also have Oregon, Ole Miss, Washington and Texas in my top five but like I said, if Ohio State started recruiting me, they would jump way up there."

Woods will attend the NIKE Camp at USC and said he also plans to attend team camps at UCLA, Oregon and Ohio State.