The Oregon Ducks’ 2024 recruiting class was signed, sealed, and delivered, going down in school history as the best that was ever put together in Eugene.
And then another massive addition came.
Following the conclusion of spring ball, former Alabama Crimson Tide freshman safety Peyton Woodyard entered the transfer portal. He did so with a “do not contact” tag, and quickly ended up in Eugene with the Ducks.
Oregon defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi says that it’s the relationships build between staff and player that helped that process take place so quickly.
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“We had a great past relationship,” Lupoi said on Thursday. “Coming from St. John Bosco, that’s also Matayo Uigalelei’s school. We’ve got a great relationship with that coaching staff a lot of respect there for Jason Negro and Chris King there and Coach Lowe. They do a hell of a job.”
As a former 4-star recruit who was rated as the No. 116 overall player in the 2024 class, the Ducks tried hard to land him out of high school. Instead, Woodyard chose Alabama but was forced to reconsider things after the legendary Nick Saban announced his retirement.
He stuck it out with former Washington coach Kalen DeBoer for the spring season but ultimately knew that Tuscaloosa was not where his heart was.
“We felt like we ended at number two in the process there in the recruitment,” Lupoi said. “I’m assuming he went through spring and, for whatever reason, felt like his heart wasn’t there. And when the transfer portal opened, he went into that portal. We obviously reached out to his coaches in school and wanted to reinforce that he has a home here.”
Now, Woodyard ends up back on the West Coast close to his home, and playing alongside his former high school teammate, Uiagalelei, with whom he won a state championship with at St. John Bosco.
The depth chart is relatively stacked at the safety position, with guys like Kobe Savage, Tysheem Johnson, and Brandon Johnson projected as the starters in 2024. But Woodyard has the talent to contribute, and he could contribute as soon as this year if all goes well.
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