Spring Tour Stop No. 16: Woodie brings total package to Florida High

Raymond Woodie III just wrapped up his first full spring at Florida High, and he's already making a big impression on his new team.

Florida High coach Jarrod Hickman said the four-star defensive back is so impressive that he has drawn some comparisons to former Florida High and University of Alabama star Ronnie Harrison.

"Raymond is very similar to Ronnie athletically, and with his footwork and ball skills," Hickman said. "They are both dynamic. Ronnie is more physical in how he plays at this stage, but they are quite similar in what [they] bring to our defense."

Although he has only coached him for a few months, Hickman raved about how well Woodie soaks up information. The coach also has been impressed by Woodie's natural leadership skills.

"He's non-stop with his work ethic, and that goes for football and in the classroom and off the field," Hickman said. "He's a tremendous kid."

While being the son of a former college football standout and current Division-I assistant coach might suggest that Woodie has been focused on football from a young age, the 2019 prospect said that was never the case. According to Woodie, he played soccer and basketball, ran track and even did some swimming.

"My dad made me play soccer early on because he wanted it to help me with my footwork," Woodie said. "I didn't start playing football until seventh- or eighth-grade year. But soccer translated really well in football with my footwork."

When it came to football, Woodie thought his game really started to take off during his sophomore season when he made the move to defensive back from quarterback. He has been playing mostly cornerback since arriving at Florida High.

Although he has the versatility to play several positions at the next level, most colleges seem to prefer him as a safety. And the four-star prospect said his father's knowledge has certainly been a key to his success.

"He's tough on me. Real tough," Woodie said. "He knows my potential and wants me to live up to it, and he pushes me. He knows how good I can be. At first when I was little, I was like, 'Man, he's on me hard.' But then I started listening, and he really knows his stuff. And my game started really developing. He's developed a lot of guys, so that kind of coaching and teaching really helped me grow very quickly as a player."

Woodie said his father does a good job of leaving football on the field.

"He's still intense at home, but he's a big family guy and we have a lot of great times together," he said. "We do have a lot of fun at home."