Josh Woods (American football)

Woods was born and grew up in Baltimore, Maryland. He attended KIPP Baltimore (KIPP Ujima Village Academy) through eighth grade, and high school at the McDonogh School. He played both cornerback and wide receiver for the Eagles and was named first-team All-Metro by the Baltimore Sun and first-team All-State as a senior after making 35 tackles with four interceptions on defense catching 35 passes for 800 yards and 10 touchdowns on offense as McDonogh went 11-0 and won its first MIAA state championship. All 4 years in high school, Josh was an academic all american. He maintained a grade point average of 4.267 upon graduating high school.^[1] Rated a three-star recruit, Woods committed to play college football at the University of Maryland over offers from Virginia and Delaware.^[2]

Woods played four seasons for the Maryland Terrapins as a defensive back. He was used primarily on special teams during his freshman and sophomore seasons, playing in 14 total games and making two tackles. Woods became a key member of the Terrapins secondary as a junior, playing in ten games with five starts while making 41 tackles (one for loss) and breaking up two passes.^[3] As a senior, Woods made 62 tackles (4.5 for loss) with four passes broken up and two interceptions despite missing two games due to injury.^[4]

In his college career, Woods appeared in 34 games with 14 starts at safety, recording 107 total tackles, two interceptions, eight pass breakups, and one forced fumble.^[5]