DB development attracts Woodson to Pitt
Cole Woodson took multiple official visits throughout the month of June. He toured Duke, Pitt, Virginia Tech, and Virginia in that order. The 6-foot and 190-pound safety out of Haymarket (Va) processed all that information, but kept coming back to his trip to Pittsburgh the weekend of June 13th.
Woodson had the strongest connection with the Pitt coaching staff and when it came time to make his decision, it was those bonds with assistant coaches Archie Collins and Cory Sanders that separated the Panthers from the rest.
“I think I had a really good relationship with Coach Sanders and Coach Collins from the very beginning,” Woodson told Panther-Lair.com ager his decision. “They really recruited me hard and I think there’s great opportunity for development and still get a solid education.”
He appreciated that the Pitt coaches had a vision for him, which is to play safety in this defense once he arrives in Pittsburgh. Not every school had a direct plan for him during the recruiting process, but the Panthers sold him on being a fit in their scheme.
“They had a clear plan for where they see me playing,” Woodson explained. “I think after being around other coaches, some of them couldn’t articulate that as much. Talking on the phone every other day just football and not football, so seeing them as coaches and men really helped me have a closer bond with them and make this decision.”
The development is probably the biggest key for Woodson, however. Pitt has had a defensive back drafted for five consecutive years and that pipeline still looks strong with Sanders and Collins running things.
“That was something that really stood out to me a lot,” Woodson said of Pitt’s NFL pipeline. “I mean, that’s my dream to play in the NFL. The fact that they’re up there with Georgia with active DBs really caught my eye.”
Woodson is a native of Virginia and lives about 40 minutes outside of Washington D.C. He knows moving to Pittsburgh will be an adjustment, but is looking forward to the change of moving into a city environment.
“The city is really nice,” said Woodson. “The campus is in Oakland and it’s pretty nice. Pittsburgh is a good city, but besides that it was really a hard decision so just seeing it again on my official and then going home and talking with my parents really just helped.”
Pitt had to withstand official visits to Virginia and Virginia Tech after visiting Pittsburgh. While the home state love was there, he felt a deeper bond with the coaches at Pitt.
“Not saying Virginia and Virginia Tech didn’t want me, because they do, but I just felt like I was really wanted by Pitt,” said Woodson. “I have a strong connection with the coaches there and I felt like development-wise, they had more to offer.”
Woodson became the third commitment of the day for Pitt’s 2025 recruiting class following defensive end Denim Cook and fellow safety Joshua Guerrier. From Woodson’s visit weekend, four of the seven prospects on campus are now committed. That weekend helped him develop some friendships already with the fellow commits.
“It’s pretty good,” Woodson said of the connection among the recruiting class. “I’m really close with Shep (Turk) and then he was on my OV with me, but it’s good. Obviously, I just committed, but I’m already talking to all the other commits.”