There’s a chance the son of perhaps the most famous Michigan football player of all time will also play for the Wolverines.
Charles Woodson Jr., son of Charles Woodson, the 1997 Heisman Trophy winner and star defensive back on the Wolverines’ national championship team under Lloyd Carr, has received an offer to play for his father’s alma mater.
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“Blessed to receive an offer from Michigan!!” he posted on social media.
Woodson Jr., a 5-foot-11, 170-pound safety in the 2027 class from Orlando, Florida (Lake Nona High School) announced that the Wolverines extended him a scholarship offer on Wednesday, June 4,. As expected, it sent a bit of a shockwave through the fanbase.
At this point, the rising junior is not quite as heralded as his father was − Woodson Jr. is a three-star prospect, ranked the No. 363 player in his class, No. 35 safety in the nation and No. 43 player in Florida per 247Sports composite rankings − however with his bloodlines, it’s not hard to believe once he grows into his frame that he could take a notable leap.
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The senior Woodson played three years in Ann Arbor (1995-97) before he left at the top of the mountain. He was a three-time All-Big Ten selection during his storied career, helped U-M go 12-0 in his final season and top Washington State, 21-16, in the Rose Bowl to earn a shared national championship with Nebraska.
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In what is still perhaps the greatest individual season for any U-M player in history, Woodson won the Jim Thorpe Award (best defensive back) Chuck Bednarik Award (best defensive player), Bronko Nagurski Trophy (best defense player per the Football Writers Association of America) and the Walter Camp Award (top college football player in the nation) in addition to beating out Peyton Manning for the Heisman Trophy (most outstanding player).
Until Travis Hunter this past season, who played significantly more at receiver than Woodson did, was the last primarily defensive player to win the Heisman Trophy.
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Selected No. 4 overall the following April by the Oakland Raiders, Woodson went on to be named NFL Rookie of the Year (1998) and more than a decade later was NFL Defensive Player of the Year (2009) as he became a nine-time Pro Bowler and a Super Bowl Champion with the Green Bay Packers.
Michigan’s Charles Woodson races away from Ohio State’s Scott Fulton during a second-quarter punt return for a touchdown on Nov 22, 1997 at Michigan Stadium.
Woodson Jr., per his stats on 247Sports’ site, had a nice sophomore season, recording 53 tackles, two pass breakups one fumble recovery and one interception. And while it may seem likely Michigan would offer someone with ties to its greatest player, that’s not the only reason he was offered a scholarship.
Many other programs are also reportedly after his services, such as Florida State, Texas A&M and Ole Miss.
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The Wolverines, who have seven pledges in the 2026 class, do not yet have any commits in the 2027 class.
Tony Garcia is the Michigan Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan football offers Charles Woodson Jr., son of Heisman winner