Wrote this story on senior offensive lineman Cody Woodiel for Sunday. Woodiel is slated to start at left guard next Saturday at UAB. This story is in the Sunday print edition of the Dothan Eagle. It's on dothaneagle.com HERE.
BY DREW CHAMPLIN | dchamplin@dothaneagle.com
TROY – Cody Woodiel had more opportunities to keep playing baseball out of Hernando High School in Hernando, Miss., but followed his dreams for his bigger love – football.
Woodiel, now a senior offensive lineman for Troy, garnered more interest as a 6-foot-5 pitcher/first baseman, but not as much in football, where he played tight end and defensive end in high school.
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| Cody Woodiel |
But he went to Northeast Mississippi Community College in Booneville, Miss., before coming to Troy after a year and a half. Now, he’s literally eaten his way into becoming Troy’s starting left guard. The Trojans open the season at UAB on Saturday at 11 a.m.
“Coach (Richard) Shaughnessy got me on a real good strength plan and good meal plan and I just ate,” Woodiel said.
Woodiel played tight end at Northeast, but Troy coaches felt like he’d eventually help out on the offensive line. He got to Troy in the spring of 2011 weighing around 255 pounds. Last year, he started out at tight end and got up to near 270, but dropped that weight. He played sparingly, just eight games, but moved to the offensive line late in the year.
“He’s done a good job in the weight room and in the dining hall getting to where he is now,” Troy offensive line coach John Schlarman said. “He’s taken a lot of pride in it.”
This spring, Woodiel took advantage of his offseason. While most people drink a Slim-Fast milkshake to lose weight, he added a milkshake after a meal, which included plenty of protein.
“That gave me an extra thousand calories,” Woodiel said. “That was pretty fun.”
Now, Woodiel is in the 280-pound range and has thrived at left guard during preseason practices. The tight end position is clearly in the rear view mirror.
“He’s really bought into making that transition from tight end to offensive line where some guys may not have,” Schlarman said. “He’s really bought in and embraced it and I think that’s why he’s where he is today.”
Woodiel excelled at baseball and football at Hernando High, but said he was recruited more as a baseball player. He actually spent his freshman season as a pitcher at Northeast, but hung up the spikes after that.
“I was a guy just hanging out in the bullpen,” Woodiel said. “Football’s just a lot more fun to me. I like it more. My degree field is in education, and I want to coach when I’m done playing.”
Woodiel chose Troy over offers from Arkansas State and Ohio. He committed to Troy before the 2010 New Orleans Bowl, but Ohio wanted to bring him in for a visit. After watching the Trojans beat the Bobcats 48-21, he decided not to take a visit up north and signed with Troy shortly thereafter.
Coaches originally thought Woodiel would be a tackle, but figured out he’d help the team more as an inside player. Woodiel’s emergence at left guard has allowed the team to shift Kyle Wilborn from guard to center.
“He’s physical, so that’s a big part of it,” Schlarman said. “He plays physical. He’s good in the run game.
“There’s a lot of change going on in there and you’ve got to be able to process it and figure it out and not go to the wrong guy. He’s a real intelligent guy so he’s been able to figure all that out.”
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