Woods sees three schools in one weekend
Talk about a busy weekend.
Marietta (Ga.) Walton tight end Bailey Woods got an up-close look at three Division I-A programs this past Saturday and Sunday, attending two Junior Day events and checking out a third campus.
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The 6-foot-5, 225-pounder attended the Georgia Junior Day on Saturday before heading to the research triangle of North Carolina to check out Duke and UNC on Sunday. He was part of the Junior Day event in Durham.
During his trip to Athens, he got to meet with Georgia quarterbacks coach Mike Bobo and tight ends coach David Johnson.
"They were both real nice," Woods said. "My dad had talked to them before and they are both really good guys.
"I got to meet coach Johnson during the summer when I was at UGA for camp."
Woods got a chance to get an up-close view of Bulldog football and the UGA campus.
"They took us on a tour of the campus and showed us the football facilities," he said. "The facilities are really nice. I got a chance to see them a little more than I did when I went to Athens for camp.
"The locker room and the weight room were both very nice."
So what were Woods' general thoughts about Georgia?
"Georgia is one of the best programs I am being recruited by now," he said. "It's close to home and the academics are pretty good. I like the coaches.
"The only thing that is holding them back a little bit right now is that they haven't offered me."
Woods added that he expects the Bulldogs to offer later in the spring. He also noted that UGA's recent tradition of producing great tight ends like Ben Watson, Randy McMichael and Leonard Pope was an attractive aspect of the school.
"That matters a lot," he said. "It says a lot about a program and the coaching you get when you go there."
Woods' next stop was Durham, N.C., and Duke where he attended the Blue Devils' Junior Day. He got a chance to witness Blue Devils basketball star J.J. Redick break the all-time Duke scoring record during the Devils' 92-71 victory against Miami (Fla.).
"The game was a lot of fun," he said. "The students and the alumni were both really into the game. It was one of the loudest places I have ever been."
While on campus, Woods met with Blue Devils recruiting coordinator Glenn Spencer, assistant Don Yanowsky and head coach Ted Roof.
"The coaches were really straightforward with me," he said. "They said that they planned to turn things around and told me about how they signed 26 players last year and how they had a high percentage of freshman playing."
So what were Woods' general thoughts about Duke?
"I think Duke is probably the No. 1 academic school on my list," he said. "So that's something that I'll consider. Let's say I just wanted to go with the best possible school, then Duke would be it.
"They are definitely among my group of favorites. Their coaches are the best ones that I have met so far."
After Duke, Woods took the short drive over to Chapel Hill to check out North Carolina.
"It wasn't their Junior Day, so it wasn't a typical recruiting trip like Georgia or Duke," Woods said. "We took a tour of the campus, talked to (Tar Heels tight ends coach John Gutekunst), (Tar Heels assistant Tommy Thigpen and the head coach (John Bunting).
"I got a lot of one-on-one time with them."
As is the case with most recruits who travel to Chapel Hill, the facilities at UNC stood out.
"Their football facility was probably the best one I've seen so far," Woods said. "The have everything everyone else has, plus more."
So what were Woods' general thoughts about UNC?
"North Carolina is probably the best all-around school I've been to," Woods said. "They have great academics and a good program. They recently hired the offensive coordinator from Fresno State to run their offense.
"I think he'll be pretty good considering he put up 42 points against Southern Cal this year."
Woods plans to go to Georgia Tech this weekend for Junior Day. He will see either Clemson (where he has already visited unofficially), Vanderbilt or Miami the following weekend and head to Auburn the weekend after that.
He will definitely return to Clemson on May 21 for the NIKE Camp.
Woods, who sites his speed and quickness as two of his strengths, has been timed as fast as 4.7 seconds in the 40-yard dash and 4.28 in the pro shuttle and figures to be one of the top tight end prospects in the Southeast for the Class of 2007.