FSU DB Jaiden Lars-Woodbey Transfers to BC
Ever since Jeff Hafley took the head coaching job at Boston College last year, he’s shown that he can make a splash in the transfer pool. He did it again on Tuesday afternoon.
Florida State defensive back Jaiden Lars-Woodbey announced that he will be transferring to BC, providing a boost to a BC secondary that allowed an average of 40 fewer yards per game through the air in 2020 than it did the previous season, clocking out at 83rd nationally in pass defense.
The 6-foot-1, 225-pound versatile safety/linebacker is currently a redshirt sophomore and, because of the NCAA’s blanket COVID-19 waiver, has three seasons of eligibility remaining. That said, he’s coming in as a grad transfer so, although he’s immediately eligible, the likelihood of him remaining in the college ranks for three years is slim.
He also had serious interest from Washington, Texas, and Notre Dame.
Lars-Woodbey is a former five-star recruit from Bellflower, California. He shined at St. John Bosco, becoming the No. 29 overall player in the Class of 2018, the No. 4 player in the Golden State, and the No. 3 safety in the country. He had offers from an assortment of top-tier Power Five schools, including FSU, Notre Dame, Oregon, Florida, and Ohio State.
Ultimately, Lars-Woodbey chose FSU, where he was instantly inserted into Willie Taggart’s defense. In fact, he became just the ninth true freshman to start an FSU season opener since 1999. Lars-Woodbey went on to start all 12 games and was a bright spot on an otherwise disappointing 5-7 Seminoles team that missed out on the postseason for the first time since 1981.
Lars-Woodbey racked up 58 tackles, including 4.5 behind the line of scrimmage, in addition to tallying one sack, eight pass break-ups, three quarterback hurries, and one forced fumble. Following the 2018 season, he was named an ESPN Freshman All-American.
He suffered a season-ending leg injury four games into the 2019 campaign but came back this year and registered 28 total tackles, the fifth most on the team. Between defense and special teams, he piled up 436 snaps in 2020—on the defensive side of the ball, 75% of those came in or around the box.
All in all, he finished his Seminoles career with 22 starts. He’s the latest FSU 2018 recruit to jump ship. As of Dec. 2, 11 of the 21 recruits in Taggart’s first class had either departed or entered the transfer portal, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
Lars-Woodbey could play either outside linebacker or safety for Hafley and defensive coordinator Tem Lukabu. Hafley often had five defensive backs on the field this season, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see Lars-Woodbey slide in as a rover-like piece in the backend, who can move from the secondary to the second level mid-drive.
The former Seminole is highly respected for his intelligence, both on and off the field. He was an honor-roll student at St. John Bosco and was on the ACC honor roll in 2018 and 2019. Lars-Woodbey graduated from FSU in less than three years.
Bringing in Lars-Woodbey is the latest of Hafley’s moves on the transfer market. The 41-year-old head coach reeled in six notable transfers last season: quarterback Phil Jurkovec (Notre Dame), wide receiver Jaelen Gill (Ohio State), defensive tackle Chibueze Onwuka (Buffalo), safety Deon Jones (Maryland), defensive tackle Luc Bequette (California), and defensive end Max Roberts (Maine).
Gearing up for his second year at the helm, Hafley will sign a host of 2021 recruits during early signing day Wednesday, forming a BC class that, at the moment, ranks 35th nationally.