Woods not far off family tree

OKLAHOMA CITY - Some times as a recruiting analyst you tend to over analyze things and can’t see the barn because you’re standing in the field. That’s the case with Oklahoma City Millwood standout Donovan Woods (right).

No matter how much you scrutinize what position he’s going to play in college, the only thing that needs to be said is that he’s a future star.

Rivals100 originally ranked Woods as a four-star athlete, but after spending time talking to Woods over the summer he convinced us to move him to dual-threat quarterback.

That is the position he plays as a senior and after watching him play on Thursday night he does have some potential at the position.

But what he has even more potential at is being an amazing athlete.

After watching him take a bootleg for 70 yards on his team’s first possession on Thursday, there is no question that he has the ability to be ranked as a four stars.

In the open field, he is almost untouchable. Time after time, he would make defenders look silly with his ability to juke, jive, spin and then turn on the jets.

As a quarterback, he still has some room to go. He would look like a for sure star at the position on one play, but then the next play would overthrow wide-open receivers or overshoot the tight end on a rollout.

But that’s jus the little stuff.

When it comes to the big stuff, Woods has it and is taking it to Oklahoma State – the school he committed to early in the recruiting process.

He's got the talent to maybe be even better than his older brothers that are currently at Oklahoma State - including the one that might go in the first round of the NFL draft.

After seeing three-star tight end-linebacker Cory Muse (right) in action, there is no question why Oklahoma State and SMU offered him an early scholarship.

He looked lean, strong and was an impact on every play that he was involved with. The only way that opponents could stop him was by tackling him from his tight end spot. And even doing that illegal tactic was something that was difficult and some times took two players to do.

Muse said he is still committed to Oklahoma State, along with Woods, but said he’s still thinking about taking a few other visits, and the SMU coaching staff hasn’t given up on him at all.

With his strong performance, he might have just earned himself a spot in the Rivals.com Oklahoma Top 10 list.

Another thing fun about scouting games is the ability to go out and see young players in action. And Millwood has what is going to be one of the state of Oklahoma’s top linemen and one of the region’s top center prospects for the Class of 2004.

Get your pen and paper out fans and write down the name Major Connolly.

The 6-foot-3 (and still growing) and 280-pound center was the anchor of the Millwood line and was all over the field on defense. He was extremely strong for an underclassman and the entire group of linemen on both sides of the ball looked to him for leadership qualities.

Another junior to remember plays on what might be the worst team in Oklahoma and might get overlooked by coaches next spring is defensive lineman Darnell Jackson of Oklahoma City Northwest Classen. Classen didn’t win a single game last year and by the time five minutes had elapsed in the game against Millwood, Jackson’s team was down 19-0 because of three fumbles in a row and a little Donovan Woods magic.

But Jackson, all 6-foot-7 and 225 pounds of him, was about the only one on the Classen defense that looked like he knew where to go and how to put pressure on Woods. Jackson lined up at defensive end and showed a good motor to the ball. He is also apparently a good basketball player, so that might explain his solid footwork and ability to nimbly move in and out of would-be blockers.

Jackson still has a lot of filling out to do, but he’s a name to keep your eye on in the future.