Stanford running back commit Justus Woods enjoyed a lot about his visit to Stanford for the Big Game, including how the Cardinal offense finished the game. Stanford lined up with extra linemen and kept the ball for the final 7:25 of the 17-14 win.
“They’re massive,” he said of the Cardinal line. “It was a definitely a running back’s dream when I saw that drive.
“That was my first Big Game and it was definitely amazing. It was really, really hyped and just to see it come down to the wire like that was pretty exciting. To see them win The Axe and see the crowd go crazy, it was an amazing experience. I’m glad that I was able to attend.”
Woods has lost track of how many times he has visited Stanford, and each trek out to The Farm helps him feel more comfortable on the campus several thousand miles from his home in Charlotte, North Carolina. And Woods communicates with his future coaches often, especially running backs coach Ron Gould.
“We talk on the phone almost every week,” Woods said. “We talk about things going on in my life with school and stuff outside of football. In terms of football he tells me about the different things going on there at Stanford -- what they’re doing and the type of drills they run. I feel like the more I talk to him the more I feel comfortable and the more reassurance I have with everything that’s going on.”
When they do talk football and Woods’ development the advice from the Stanford coaches is to not add weight until he’s on campus. In the meantime they want him to focus on improving his speed and adding versatility to his game.
“Coach Gould said he sees me in a lot of different roles,” Woods said. “He says he sees me in the passing game some, so I have been working on my pass catching a lot. He sees me in the power set … just mainly a mix of a lot of things but not necessarily one specific package or situation."
Woods’ high school switched to a spread offense two years ago and it forced Woods to develop his receiving skills.
“It didn’t come naturally to me,” he said. “I had to work at it and I’m still working on it, but I feel like I’ve improved a lot and my stats show that. I’m still trying to become the best route runner and receiver that I can be so I can be a threat in all situations.”
As a junior Woods caught 25 passes for 293 yards and scored six touchdowns. His senior season he caught 22 passes for 305 yards and had four touchdowns.
He also had 1,279 yards rushing this year on 176 carries and scored 20 touchdowns on the ground.
During the visit Woods met fellow 2018 commits Ethan Bonner and Jacob Mangum-Farrar for the first time. Bonner and Mangum-Farrar are from Texas.
“It was awesome talking to them and their families about their seasons, what’s going on and how we’re excited to meet everybody else,” he said. “It was a good talk.”
The recruit Woods spent the most time with was un-committed linebacker Dax Hollifield, the No. 169 overall Rival recruit and a top target for the Cardinal since the start of the 2018 recruiting cycle. Hollifield is also from North Carolina (Shelby).
“I’ve been to a lot of the (same) schools … and I just saw something about Stanford,” Woods said. “I think he knew that, too. We talked about distance (from home) because ... that’s the biggest thing for him as it was for me. I definitely shared with him how the pros outweighed the cons. The university, and the education you’ll get, and the type of football you’ll be playing is definitely a special place.”
“Just the type of people Stanford recruits, it’s a special breed. I think that it’s an honor to get to meet all these different types of people and they stuff going on outside of football -- different aspirations, different dreams. That shows in the locker room and through talking to the players.”
