Jayden Woods woke up on a late-June Sunday with a feeling he couldn’t explain.
After taking official visits to Wisconsin, Penn State, Purdue and Tennessee, the major four-star defensive end prospect planned to make a college decision last week near July 4. But he sped the timeline up, knowing he had already found his future home in Happy Valley.
“I can’t even explain how. I just knew,” Woods said. “I took a day to make sure I wasn’t second guessing myself or anything. I went and I texted all the coaches, I let my family know and I ended up posting it like two days later.”
The nation’s 18th-best edge prospect and Kansas’ fifth-best prospect overall, Woods made his Penn State commitment official on Wednesday, June 26, helping boost the Lions’ 2025 recruiting class to its current ranking at 10th nationally. His pledge was also part of a major run for coach James Franklin and Co. on edge recruits, picking up fellow four-star defensive ends Max Granville and Cortez Harris in the same week.
“Coach Franklin called me a couple minutes after I texted him. He stepped out of a golf tournament, said he was fired up,” Woods said. “Coach [Deion] Barnes and Coach [Torrence] Brown called, too. Coach [Tom] Allen. It was just really good.”
With Woods hailing from Mill Valley High School in Shawnee, Kansas, Penn State’s pursuit of the star pass rusher went a bit outside of the Nittany Lions’ typical recruiting footprint. The staff first extended a scholarship offer to Woods over the phone before getting a chance to see him in person.
Mill Valley coach Joel Applebee said first-year offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, having served as Kansas’ lead recruiter in the area at his previous gig, helped facilitate the start of Woods’ recruitment. He followed Woods from the four-star’s freshman year and checked back in shortly after taking the Penn State job.
“[Kotelnicki] had high energy, and he was a very positive person. So right away, he started building really good relationships with a lot of people and did a tremendous job,” Applebee said. “He’s one of the better recruiters that I’ve met.”
Woods then got the chance to connect more closely with defensive line coach Barnes, who helped seal the deal alongside graduate assistant Brown — both former Penn State defensive linemen. He also said he connected closely with current Penn State defensive ends Dani Dennis-Sutton and Joseph Mupoyi. When Barnes visited Mill Valley, he and Woods talked for a full 20 minutes about pass rushing, giving Woods confidence he’d be developed into a “great player.”
“Back in January, Coach Barnes told me that I was the first edge that he came out to see. That just meant a lot to me. He told me that I was a priority for them at that position,” Woods said. “Then I took a visit up there in March and just loved the place. Loved all the players, too.”
Woods’ father played one season at Kansas State when Franklin served as the Wildcats’ offensive coordinator, but despite those paths having crossed, Woods said the connection didn’t factor much into his decision to commit to Penn State.
“I think it’s just a cool connection to have. My dad can tell me how Coach Franklin is. He told me he’s the same guy he was back in K-State.”
On the field, Woods racked up 71 total tackles to go along with seven sacks as a junior. He’s a versatile edge at 6-3 and 240 pounds, with Applebee planning to use him off the ball at times this season and on both sides of the defensive line.
Woods said he’s been practicing at middle linebacker this summer, though he’ll be a true edge rusher at Penn State. His athleticism has translated off the gridiron, too, as Woods was a state champion in discus and shotput as a junior and a state wrestling qualifier as a sophomore.
A first step off the ball and hand usage in pass rush are among the strengths Woods sees in his own game, while the chance to practice off the ball this summer has helped him make more plays in space and watch plays develop.
Applebee, though, added that Woods’ intangibles are part of what makes him a highly touted prospect. Woods began asking to stay after practice every day as a sophomore, with two or three other players joining him. Heading into Woods’ senior year, Applebee has 20-30 players taking extra reps alongside Woods each day.
“I’ve always described Jaden as one of the most focused kids I’ve ever been around at that age. Everything he does has a purpose. On top of that, he’s a great teammate to his peers,” Applebee said. “He’s a big-time leader in our program. His work ethic is good. He’s got a great character, not only in football, but in the classroom and in our community. He’s very well respected.”
Woods plans to early enroll at Penn State in January after signing with the Nittany Lions.
“He’s just one of those kids,” Applebee said. “He’s got that ‘it’ about him.”
