WOODLAND HILLS, Calif.—One of the top defensive line prospects in the country, Antwann Woods has an innate ability to fire off the line and create havoc in the backfield.
That said, William Howard Taft coach Matt Kerstetter noticed last season that come the fourth quarter, Woods’ first step began to fade.
That really wasn’t much of a surprise since he also was playing right tackle at a standout level.
The solution was simple: Eliminate offense from his responsibilities.
This season at the Woodland Hills, Calif., school, Kerstetter is going to have the 6-foot, 290-pound Woods play exclusively on the defensive line. He is expecting a fresher Woods throughout the game—and much more eruption.
“He’s completely aware that if we free him up with offense, we expect him to dominate in a way we haven’t seen before on defense,” Kerstetter said. “He has an amazing motor. He’s every college recruiter’s dream.”
Although he was receiving looks from numerous schools, Woods preferred to stay close to home and verbally committed to Southern Cal.
Woods is hard to push off the ball, especially with his stocky build that provides him with good leverage. For being around 300 pounds, he’s incredibly quick, one of his top attributes. He frequently draws two or three blockers in an attempt to neutralize him.
Even then, it rarely works.
“He’s a good football player, a strong kid with a good work ethic,” Kerstetter said.
Typically, Kerstetter relies on a middle linebacker to be in charge of the defense and make the calls. That won’t be the case this season. With Woods back, he will be the eyes and ears on the field for the coaching staff.
“It speaks volumes of him,” Kerstetter said.
In a pinch, though, Woods may be called upon to help on the offensive line again. Kerstetter is hoping to avoid that, but Taft is so banged up—and Woods is so good, so adept—Kerstetter may have to alter his plans.
“I don’t want to have him do that, but he knows the offense and the assignments so well,” Kerstetter conceded. “He actually coaches the offensive linemen up now in practice—and then kicks their butts. He’s a heck of a football player. He really is.”
