Football recruiting: Treasure Coast all-state OL Alex Woods verbally commits to SMU

Alex Woods is heading to Dallas.

The Treasure Coast High School standout offensive lineman announced his commitment to Southern Methodist University on Saturday afternoon.

“For me, it really felt like home,” Woods said. “The community, coaches culture – they all greeted me with open arms. (SMU offensive line) Coach (Garin) Justice will really push me and make me into the best player I can be.”

A former defensive lineman, Woods moved to the offense last spring. The 6-foot-4 ½, 280-pounder had a breakout season in 2021 and helped Treasure Coast reach the state semifinals for the first time in program history.

In addition to earning first-team all-area honors, Woods was named to FloridaHSFootball’s Class 8A all-state second team.

“Last spring, we needed someone to replace (former all-state offensive lineman) Marquez Bargman,” Treasure Coast offensive line coach Kevin Davis said. “We graduated the entire offensive line in 2021. Looking through the players we currently had on the roster, I asked (Treasure Coast) coach (Irvin) Jones what he thought about moving Alex to offensive line. I was shocked that he was receptive to it. So, we moved him in the spring and Alex bought in and never looked back. I told him I felt he could be a big-time player on that side of the ball. He was. He had a great junior season. He made the all-area team and became the anchor on the offensive line.”

Woods is rated a three-star recruit, the No. 82 offensive tackle in the nation and the No. 129 recruit in Florida on the 247Sports composite. Woods' 6-foot-11 wingspan make him an intriguing prospect as it could allow to play multiple roles on the offensive line.

Woods saw his recruiting take off in the spring as he picked up more than 10 offers, including a handful of Power 5 offers. He took an official visit to Troy earlier this month, but felt his connection with Justice made SMU the right fit.

Justice coached Woods’ older brother, Antonyo at FAU. Antonyo Woods earned all-conference honors in 2017 when he helped the Owls go 11-3 and win the Conference USA championship.

“I picked SMU knowing coach Justice, how he coached my brother," Alex Wood said. "When I went up there for an official visit, coach Justice showed me clips of the development of players from past teams. It really stood out, him showing how players were before and after he coached them. When he talks about developing players, that’s what he actually does. I feel like he does a great job at that. The relationship I have with him and the offensive coaching staff was really good. I really felt at home. I had a real good connection.”

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Football: Treasure Coast all-state OL Alex Woods commits to SMU