The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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WHERE ARE THEY NOW? sive end nationally and the No. 40 overall player in the class of 2001 by Rivals.com — recorded 42 sacks in two seasons on the Cleveland Glen- ville High School varsity team, and had an opportunity to play at Ohio State if he wanted to. But Woods shunned the in-state schools, which also included offers from Cincinnati and Ohio, to play for Michigan be- cause of a desire to escape the inner city. "I feel like staying in-state at a place like Ohio State would just be like going to school in the hood be- cause it's downtown Columbus. I wouldn't be able to get away from all the bad stuff that went on here, the cops, the gun shots, the drugs," he said. "So I didn't even entertain the idea of going to Ohio State. "I went up to Michigan right after their spring game, and Larry Foote was the only player that was there. I talked to him for a while, and I knew then that was the school for me. "He was from Detroit, and he was escaping a lot of the same things. He said Ann Arbor was so differ- ent, and the trouble that was around him in Detroit couldn't follow him to Michigan." Woods enrolled at Michigan as a 6-5, 215-pound freshman and was happy to redshirt his first year so he could focus on the weight room, the classroom, film study and develop- ing friendships with his teammates. He gained 20 pounds before the 2002 season, and then tallied seven special teams tackles. In the spring of 2003, Woods was approached by the U-M coaching staff, telling him he would play out- side linebacker. "They were trying to teach me cov- erages and responsibilities, but I'll be honest, I didn't really learn that stuff until I got to the NFL and guys like Mike Vrabel and Roosevelt Col- vin really took the time to teach it to me," Woods said. "In college, that first year, I was playing off raw tal- ent. I understood my assignment, but I didn't really understand the entire concept of what we were trying to do defensively. "I was blessed enough to have physical talent, and I delivered." Woods recorded at least one tackle for loss in nine of the Maize and Blue's 13 games, finishing with 13 on the year, including a team-high seven sacks, in helping to lead the Wolver- ines to a Big Ten title and a spot in the Rose Bowl opposite Southern Cal. Woods "I'm proud of my career. I'm thankful to Coach Carr for giving me the opportunity. I met Bo Schembechler. With- out all those people and the chance to go to Michigan, I wouldn't be the Pierre Woods I am today."