Humbled D.J. Woods learns from mistakes and grows
UC senior leading returning receiver in Big East


The Enquirer/Cara Owsley
UC wideout D.J. Woods caught 57 passes for 898 yards and scored eight touchdowns in 2010.

Written by
Bill Koch
bkoch@enquirer.com

WEST HARRISON, Ind. -- D.J. Woods had no idea how much he didn't know when he showed up at the University of Cincinnati with an attitude three years ago.

He talked back to coaches, didn't show up for treatment and irritated upperclassmen, which is never a good idea for a freshman.

"I was immature," Woods said. "The upperclassmen put me in my place. They kind of humbled me. I would walk around with my chest out all the time, when in reality I had a lot of learning to do about how everything works."

It took players like Armon Binns, Marcus Barnett and Tony Pike to let Woods know he wasn't as special as he thought he was. The cockier he got, the less they had to do with him. "The biggest thing for me was (their) silence," Woods said.

But that's part of Woods' past as he prepares for his senior year as the leading returning receiver in the Big East Conference after he caught 57 passes for 898 yards and scored eight touchdowns in 2010. Only Binns had more receiving yards in the Big East.

Now the 6-foot, 180-pounder is an elder statesman at UC, the veteran member of a receiving corps top heavy with underclassmen.

"He's grown up a lot from a mental standpoint," said quarterback Zach Collaros. "He's much more reliable now. He's done a great job of giving the younger guys somebody to look at as far as how to model themselves on how to practice. We've got some pretty good receivers, but D.J., he's our guy."

Woods, from Strongsville, Ohio, originally committed to Nebraska, but changed his mind after Bill Callahan was fired as head coach. Largely due to the persistence of then-UC receivers coach Charley Molnar, he signed with UC.

During a routine physical before the start of practice, doctors discovered that he had immune thrombocytopenic purpura - or ITP - a condition in which the blood has a lower number of platelets than normal. He was held out of practice early in camp over fears of what might happen if he got hurt.

"I didn't know the severity of it," Woods said. "With me getting hit, something could go wrong internally. I didn't really have time to think about it. I was just thinking about getting on the field, winning games and playing fast. The only thing that was on my mind was the next play, making sure that I knew what to do as a freshman."

Medication brought the condition under control and Woods caught 14 passes for 168 yards during UC's Orange Bowl season. In 2009, he caught 51 passes for 540 yards and four touchdowns.

He ranks eighth all-time in career receptions at UC with 122, 10th in receiving yards with 1,706, and 12th in touchdown receptions with 12.

In an otherwise excellent season last year, Woods had a major problem holding onto the ball. He fumbled six times, losing five, including a crucial fumble of a punt late in the Oklahoma game. He responded by carrying a football with him everywhere he went on campus and is determined this year to hold onto the ball.

"I'm my worst critic," Woods said. "I'm just so hard on myself because I know I'm better than that. It hit me real hard. I told myself I'm not going to fumble no more. I told myself from now on I'm going to work like no other senior has worked before."

So far, he has made good on that promise. "He's had a great camp," said UC coach Butch Jones. "I can't say enough about how much he's developed himself."

The immature kid who ticked off the seniors as a freshman began training camp with a new perspective.

On July 23, Woods became a father with the birth of his son, Trey. Having that new responsibility, he says, has made him even more focused as he looks to his future - and to his son's.

"He's my world," Woods said. "He's my everything. He's just a month old, so being out here it's kind of hard. But at the same time I'm doing this for him.

"Everything in my life now is for him.

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20110...t|Sports|p