Paul Woods knew the date he wanted to announced where he was verbally committing to play college football.
"It was because it was my mom's birthday today," Woods said with a smile. "So, Happy Birthday to her. It just came to me that I wanted to do it on my mom's birthday to make it a good present for her."
.@CanisiusHSFB commits to #Rutgers to continue football career @WKBW pic.twitter.com/OuLQ4P2JJm
— Nick Filipowski (@NICK_WKBW) July 11, 2017
Woods, who had nearly 700 yards receiving and eight touchdowns as Canisius won the Catholic State Championship, committed to playing for Rutgers, which is a member of the Big Ten Conference.
"I'm always ready for competition," he said. "I never back down from competition. I know I have to work for my spot. I'm just ready for what they put forward to me."
The announcement caps off a stressful few weeks for the incoming senior and his family. Paul's brother serves on the USS Fitzgerald, which collided with with a Japanese ship in June. Seven sailors died in the collision, but Paul's brother survived.
"He told me never to give up on anything I do," an emotional Woods said prior to making his announcement. "I love you and I'm praying you get home safe."
"I know my brother always wanted the best for me. He always wanted me to be the best I could be," Woods added. "He is just somebody I looked up to, to stay out of trouble and if I did that everything would work out."
