Four-Star Safety Peyton Woodyard flips from Georgia to Alabama

Four-star safety Peyton Woodyard of Bellflower (CA) St. John Bosco flipped his commitment from Georgia to Alabama Tuesday afternoon.

The 6-foot-2, 198 pounder had been committed to the Bulldogs since January.

“The relationship I have with coach Saban and T Rob is great along with the aspect of Alabama being my dream school. My family is from Alabama so it’s always been in my blood. I feel like through prayer and long talks with the family this is where I’m truly supposed to be.”

Alabama’s track record for developing and producing NFL DBs played a key role in his decision as well.

“Coach Saban has done a great job with DBs and it’s evident and that’s something that definitely played a role in me picking alabama. Specifically the safety position, from Minkah Fitzpatrick, Brian Branch to Eddie Jackson. I feel no one does it better than Bama.”

The Golden State safety joins coach Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide’s Top 5 class in the 2024 team rankings. He is accompanied by five-star quarterback Julian Sayin, five-star athlete Jaylen Mbakwe, and others.

Peyton Woodyard Recruiting Profile

Woodyard ranks as the No. 86 player in the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He also tabs in as the No. 4 safety and the No. 9 player in the state of California.

He currently has an On3 NIL Valuation of $145K. The On3 NIL Valuation is the leading index that sets high school and college athletes’ projected annual value (PAV). The NIL valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time.

Personal Life (via On3)

“Peyton Woodyard is a winner on and off the field, according to Bellflower (California) St. John Bosco coach Jason Negro. “I think he’s a phenomenal human being,” Negro told DawgNation.com. “That’s what the first thing is. The character he is going to bring to a program. The leadership he is going to bring, and he is a championship-type caliber player. It makes me feel good that our guys are trying to pick the most elite programs in the country to go play college ball for and compete against. I think that’s what his mindset is.” 

“Woodyard developed into a leader for Bosco, one of the elite high school programs in the country, during the 2021 season. In 12 games, he racked up 62 tackles and forced one fumble. He then stepped things up even more in his junior season with 53 tackles, seven pass deflections, one interception and playing some on offense and even on special teams. “He’s very versatile,” Negro said. “He can play all three downs on defense. First, second and third. He can play the single-high safety. He can play the two-high safety. He can play in the box. He’s physical. He can cover slots in the nickel. There’s a lot of versatility to his game.”