St. Frances (MD) four-star Blake Woodby pulled the trigger on his verbal commitment to Ohio State last October, becoming the first Panther to commit to the Buckeyes, but he’s kept his recruitment slightly open through the spring.
“I’m locked in as of now but I tell everybody that I’m going to make the best decision for me and my family at the end of the day. If there’s an opportunity that I feel is more of a blessing for me and my family, I’m going to go in that route and I don’t really care if anybody agrees with that,” Woodby told IBG. “I know as long as God is happy with me then I’m going to make the best decision.”
Oregon, LSU, Penn State and Virginia Tech are among the double-digit schools to offer, but Maryland is among the schools staying in contact with the hometown team entrenched on Woodby’s shortlist. Cornerbacks coach Aazaar Abdul-Rahim has been tracking Woodby ever since he began training with Justin Winters, former Maryland analyst and current St. Frances defensive coordinator, in middle school and the relationship between them carries weight in Woodby’s recruitment.
“I talked to Aazaar all the time. He was my second offer in eighth grade so I talk to him frequently. Coach Justin [Winters] was at Maryland and they were real close so I got a good relationship with him. He came down here to watch some good ball, just seeing us move. But not even just talking football, he’s a good person at the end of the day so keeping in contact with him is good.”
Woodby has been a frequent visitor in College Park this calendar year, so it’s no surprise that Maryland was the first stop for him when the dead period was lifted last month.
“Talking about home is always going to be home. Coach Locks, his pitch to me was being able to do it at home, being able to get success at home in the Big Ten, my hometown. It’s not really a pitch, it’s just the truth. Being able to put my team on the map as far as my hometown team and try to get my hometown guys with me that went to St. Frances, that go to St. John’s, that goes to DeMatha.”
Maryland will get another chance to pull off the local flip during official visit season as Woodby irons out a date. “Maryland is definitely getting an OV. I might take one to Auburn, Alabama.”
As for the Buckeyes, Woodby looks to return to Columbus in June.
“I’ll be figuring out my OV date. I just got my NCAA number, so just getting those situated then figuring out a good day. I think I’ll go down when all the commits go down so I think it’s the last week in June. I’ve been keeping in touch with them, talking with them more consistently. Just trying to get down there more so I can start learning the scheme and get acclimated because I’ll be there in January.”
As for Woodby’s current plans, he’s shifted his attention to becoming a senior leader for a St. Frances team that has rebuilt the trenches with young talent.
“My biggest goal as far as development, I put on 15 pounds so I’m 188 so that was pretty much it. Just knocking some of the rust of, keep perfecting my craft, keep staying sharp. My goals are for the team, not really individual because my accolades will come with the team success. No true individual goals, just being able to be the best player I can possibly be and get prepared for the next level.”
Blake Woodby is rated a four-star prospect and a 90 overall by On3, checking in as the seventh-best player in Maryland.
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