FRIDAY PETER WOODS UPDATE
By: Paul Strelow
Not out of the woods yet, we first teased exactly one month ago today.
But almost there.
It's decision day for Alabaster (Ala.) Thompson four-star defensive lineman
Peter Woods, whom we have long cast as arguably the biggest fish on the Clemson recruiting board.
Woods (6-2, 265), ranked No. 57 nationally by
Rivals.com, is not only a five-star talent, in this observer's standing estimation.
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But his value and profile are magnified by his presence in the Alabama Crimson Tide's back yard -- a target at the top of the board for Bama.
So a guy everyone truly wanted, but also with a much greater degree of difficulty in attaining if you're not the Tide.
Clemson and Bama are two of his four stated finalists, joined by Florida and Jackson State.
Woods has been publicly pegged as a foregone conclusion to the Tide for the majority of his recruitment.
His high school's other big-name prospects --
Taulia Tagovailoa and last year's mutual Clemson target, defensive end
Jeremiah Alexander -- have all matriculated to Alabama. The Tide typically get the in-state prospects
Nick Saban wants. Moreover, Woods is known to have grown up a Bama fan amid a pro-Tide family.
Yet as we framed for subscribers last month, when faith and family are priorities in a recruitment, Clemson has a real chance.
Two years ago, the Tigers attracted Woods and his parents to the
Dabo Swinney Camp to begin their potential courtship. As we frequently wrote, we considered Clemson to be Bama's greatest threat for Woods on culture and relationships.
Todd Bates played a huge hand in getting the Tigers in the competition. Then the lead recruiter torch passed to new defensive tackles coach
Nick Eason, who had already been chasing Woods for Auburn.
Eason's recruiting body of work on Clemson's behalf has already spoken for itself. It might be about to shout for those in the back who still haven't heard.
We know that Swinney has also been heavily involved personally in this pursuit.
Woods was a headliner for the Tigers' major official visit weekend to kick off June, and let's just say our information indicated the weekend could not have gone better from Clemson's standpoint.
But a month is a long time to go when someone with Bama's muscle and shadow looms over the shoulder.
Top 60 recruit Peter Woods of Alabaster (Ala.) has offered no hints about his college choice as his announcement draws closer.
Woods was a no-show for his Florida official visit and didn't wind up arranging one with Bates and Oklahoma.
Then the last weekend in June, Woods did travel to Tuscaloosa but it didn't amount to a recruiting visit with Tide coaches involved, another telling sign.
We informed readers in our June 24 mailbag that Bama was starting to figure out the increased threat Clemson presented.
In today's climate, we would simply tell you that can yield aggressive attempts to persuade a prospect to enhance his earnings potential.
Based on our returns the last 24 hours, such an approach has only strengthened Clemson's cause.
Woods, whom we'll finally unveil as a
projection to Clemson by Tigerillustrated.com, will announce his decision in a school ceremony set to begin at 7 p.m.
His college choice isn't expected to be revealed for 45 minutes to an hour, which is an awful long time for build-up.
But what a celebration and crescendo it could turn out to be.
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