EXCLUSIVE: Oregon names Raymond Woodie Special Teams Coordinator
It has been an eventful week for the Oregon football team. The additions of Joe Salave’a and Mario Cristobal were roundly greeted with feelings of shock, awe, hope and excitement all wrapped up like a Christmas gift.
Last week, Duck Sports Authority told you that David Reaves, despite having been listed as the tight ends coach at South Florida, was likely to be named tight end coach and passing game coordinator/co-offensive coordinator for the Ducks. With the addition of Cristobal, that came to fruition.
There was still one position left to fill and today that announcement was made. In an exclusive, Duck Sports Authority has learned that Raymond Woodie, who has been an assistant for new head coach Willie Taggart since Western Kentucky, will be named to the staff this week. He will serve as the Special Teams Coordinator while also helping defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt with the linebackers.
Woodie was an integral component in rebuilding both Western Kentucky and South Florida. At WKU, Taggart and Woodie went from 2 wins in their first season to consecutive 7 win campaigns. Woodie then returned with Taggart to his native South Florida where the team went from 2 wins in the first year to 11 last season.
Woodie has a strong history working with linebackers and special teams. The 2015 season saw middle linebacker Auggie Sanchez lead South Florida with 117 tackles, tied for the second-best season total in program history, and earn second team all-conference honors. Woodie also took over direction of the USF special teams and guided the Bulls to ranking #3 in kick returns (28.23 YPR), #22 in punt returns (12.61 YPR), #32 in punting (43.2 YPP), and #43 in kick return defense (20.22 YPR). The unit had two All-Conference performers in Rodney Adams (KR) and Mattias Ciabatti (P) who was also named to the Ray Guy Watchlist. Adams (6th/29.1) and D'Ernest Johnson (16th/26.8) both ranked among the top kick returners in the nation with Adams earning all-conference honors as a returner. Meanwhile Tajee Fullwood ranked 26th in the nation in punt returns at 10.4 yards per return.
Taking over a 4-2-5 defense following Tom Allen’s departure, Woodie’s 2016 defense at USF ranked #14 nationally in takeaways with 11 fumble recoveries (#22) and 15 interceptions (#20). They also ranked #18 by taking three of the turnovers back for touchdowns.
Woodie is known as an exceptional recruiter with strong connections in the state of Florida. He was instrumental in securing three top recruiting classes at Western Kentucky and was named the 2012 Sun Belt Conference Recruiter of the Year having landed an impressive 7 of the 13 Western Kentucky signees. Overall, Woodie coached or recruited six players that earned All-Sun Belt Conference awards, including defensive end Quanterus Smith, who was named the 2012 Defensive Player of the Year for the Sun Belt Conference.
Rivals named him the top recruiter in the AAC for the 2014 season. Woodie recruited 8 of the 9 USF players who earned All-AAC honors in 2016 (Marlon Mack, D'Ernest Johnson, Rodney Adams, Deadrin Senat, Mitchell Wilcox, Deatrick Nichols, Dominique Threatt, and Auggie Sanchez). He also discovered two star prospect Forrest Lamp at Western Kentucky. Lamp was named an All-Conference performer and an Associated Press, USA Today, and Pro Football Focus All-American. Lamp is a projected third round draft pick. To this date, from WKU and USF, Woodie has coached/recruited 9 players who have played in the National Football League.
Woodie was a long time High School football Head Coach and Athletics Director in the Tampa Bay area garnering over a decade of experience. He will arrive in Eugene with his wife Stephanie, his daughter Alanah, and his sons Raymond and Kayden.