S Charles Woodson Jr. to carry on family legacy at Michigan

Charles Woodson Jr., a three-star safety in the Class of 2027 and son of Michigan legend Charles Woodson, will carry on the family name with the Wolverines.

He shared a message announcing his commitment to Michigan on Instagram on Friday.

The younger Woodson plays at Lake Nona High School in Orlando. The 247Sports composite also lists him as the No. 49 player in talent-rich Florida and No. 82 at his position.

He had 21 offers, two-thirds of them from power-conference programs.

247Sports called Woodson an "impact player" at Lake Nona. As a junior in 2025, he made 73 tackles, broke up eight passes and intercepted two, and made one fumble recovery. On special teams, he returned a kickoff for a touchdown.

Woodson Jr. has a lot to live up to at Michigan.

His father played in Ann Arbor from 1995-97 after being named Ohio's Player of the Year as a high school senior.

The starting cornerback in 1995, he had a team-leading five interceptions and was named Big Ten Freshman of the year and first-team All-Big Ten.

As a sophomore, and at the request of head coach Lloyd Carr, he added in some plays at wide receiver but remained known as a cornerback. That season, he set the Michigan record for pass breakups (15) and gained 316 yards receiving and rushing on offense. He earned Associated Press first-team All-America honors.

In 1997, Woodson led Michigan to an undefeated regular season and its first national championship (shared with Nebraska) since the 1948 team -- and the last one until Jim Harbaugh's 2023 team won the College Football Playoff title. Woodson won the Heisman Trophy ahead of Peyton Manning of Tennessee. Until Travis Hunter, a two-way player at Colorado who won the Heisman in 2024, no defender had been honored since Woodson.

He went on to a Pro Football Hall of Fame career with the Raiders and Packers, playing 18 seasons.

--Field Level Media