Sophomore Woodbey Racking Up Offers

Jaiden Woodbey holds 10 offers and counting.

by Lorenzo Reyna

​The world might have to start getting ready for Jaiden Woodbey - the future computer whiz and self-made business starter.

That’s only if football doesn’t work out for the rising Class of 2018 defensive back out of Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco. While Woodbey is known for locking up wide receivers and patrolling the secondary from his safety spot, the Passing Down alum recently said that he already has a future career in mind; one that could lead to a lot of dollar figures and perhaps becoming the next Steve Jobs or Bill Gates.

“I want to get into computer engineering and entrepreneurship,” Woodbey said. “They make a lot of money. I can also make my own stuff.”
Woodbey was one of several top recruits at Passing Down’s Southern California regional on March 20 in Fontana, as the 6-foot-2, 197-pound defender arrived with eight reported scholarship offers from different NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision teams. Oklahoma, LSU, Louisville, USC, UCLA and Arizona are among the programs chasing the Upland High transfer.

“They [the college coaches] tell me the amount of players they’ve produced at my position and the tradition, plus the titles they’ve won and the academics,” Woodbey said.

But Woodbey isn’t just looking for a place where he can shut down wide receivers. He’s looking for the university that can eventually help turn him into the planet’s latest successful business owner and computer technician.

“I’m looking for a top entrepreneur program and looking for engineering,” Woodbey said. “I think I can develop a career there.”
He gained his interest in entrepreneurship through his parents. Mom runs a daycare center. Dad owns a hair shop. Both, Woodbey said, are responsible for instilling his work ethic.  

“I look up to my parents because they’re hard workers,” Woodbey said. “They wake up at 3 or 4 a.m. sometimes and they stay there until noon or 3 p.m. They’ve led the way for me.”

He was one of the standouts leading the way for Ground Zero Panoramic. Playing alongside heralded recruits Stephen Carr, Thomas Graham and Olaijah Griffin, Woodbey had his territory on lockdown. His hip angles and wingspan helped spearhead a stacked GZ Panoramic secondary that swatted passes, forced interceptions and limited scoring outbursts. Woodbey also has seen action at wide receiver while in shoulder pads and helmet, utilizing his frame and physical nature to beat opposing cornerbacks for the football.

With nearly 10 offers before his junior year, is Woodbey going to announce his commitment soon?

“I’m letting the process play out. I’m just taking in everything right now,” Woodbey said.

And, while he’s a national recruit who has the goal of one day developing
computer products under his own company name, Woodbey said he believes he has room for improvement on and off the field.

“It feels pretty good and a humbling experience to know where I’m at. I still got a lot of work to do, though,” Woodbey said. “I’m not a finished product yet.”