Peyton Woodyard Commits to Oregon Ducks
Oregon is raiding the transfer portal for top talent. On Sunday, former Alabama safety Peyton Woodyard announced his commitment to the Ducks.
Woodyard is a former four-star recruit (93.60 per On3 Industry Ranking) that originally signed with the Crimson Tide as part of the 2024 recruiting class. The same system ranked him the No. 128 player nationally, the No. 7 safety and the No. 10 recruit in California.
He was one of three Southern California recruits that opted to play their college football for legendary head coach Nick Saban.
Listed at 6-foot, 200-pounds, the Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco standout garnered more than 35 reported scholarship offers during his rise to becoming a national recruit and an eventual Adidas All-American selection. He was also recognized as All-American Bowl’s Man of the Year during All-Star festivities in San Antonio, Texas.
Woodyard enrolled early at the University of Alabama last December under former head coach Nick Saban and practiced with the team during their college football playoff run. Following the retirement of the most successful coach in college football history, he evaluated his situation and decided that he wanted to look for a new home.
The coveted defensive back was at one point committed to the Georgia Bulldogs prior to flipping to Alabama, but he ended up wanting to return to the West Coast to continue his college career. He’ll return to the West Coast with four years of eligibility remaining.
Woodyard played his high school football with current Oregon defensive end Matayo Uiagalalei, and as a result Dan Lanning and the rest of the Ducks coaching staff were very familiar with him as a recruit. He was familiar with the Oregon program as well, taking multiple trips out to Oregon during his recruitment.
For example, the defensive back made the trip north to Eugene to open the Braves’ 2022 season against the Central Catholic Rams, a game St. John Bosco won 65-0.
Following his commitment, Woodyard is the 13th player from the transfer portal to commit to Oregon this offseason and the latest since former Michigan State defensive lineman Derrick Harmon joined the fold on Friday afternoon.
