Colorado University Athletics
Brooks: Wood's Transfer Offers Solid Upgrade At QB
September 08, 2011 | Football, B.G. Brooks
BOULDER - Rip Scherer needed one telephone call to confirm the caliber of quarterback who was about to land on Colorado's doorstep. It was placed to former University of Texas offensive coordinator Greg Davis, a longtime friend of Scherer's, and it concerned Connor Wood.
Davis, a member of Mack Brown's Texas staff since 1998 as well as a Brown staffer at two schools (Tulane, North Carolina) before that, and former Longhorns quarterback Major Applewhite, now a UT assistant, had recruited Wood out of Houston's Second Baptist High School.
It wasn't an easy sell for the Texas twosome; the Horns faced big-time competition. By National Letter of Intent Day 2010, Wood had narrowed an impressive list of suitors (CU wasn't among those recruiting him) to a well-heeled final three: Texas, Oklahoma and Stanford.
At the time, signing with Texas seemed right. A couple of weeks ago, when the 2011 depth chart was released, what had seemed right in the winter of 2010 was reevaluated.
Wood, who redshirted in Austin last season, found himself behind junior Garrett Gilbert, the incumbent starter, and sophomore Case McCoy, younger brother of former UT QB Colt McCoy, on the UT three-deep chart. It wasn't the position he envisioned or was willing to accept.
A "lot of different things" factored into his decision to ask Texas for a release from his scholarship with the intent to transfer, Wood said. "But just the fact that how the depth chart came out, I felt like at this point in my career I would look at different places...step back from the situation (at Texas). I just felt like I needed a change and thought this was a better situation for me to play."
Wood not only stepped back from the situation in Austin, he stepped away. He and his parents visited Boulder and CU's practice on Monday night, Aug. 29, as the Buffs were preparing for their Sept. 3rd opener at Hawaii. Later that week, the Woods visited Baton Rouge, La., and LSU, which was preparing for its opener against Oregon in Dallas. CU and LSU were the only finalists in Wood's "second round" of recruitment.
Former CU assistant Les Miles, now the Tigers' head coach, and LSU quarterbacks coach Steve Kragthorpe "couldn't have been nicer and more welcoming to me and my family, letting us come to practice and sitting in their offices," Wood said. "Great, great guys."
But three days earlier, he had gotten the same vibe visiting with new CU coach Jon Embree, offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy and Scherer - the Buffs' QB coach. Another factor in the Buffs' favor: Wood and his family were more familiar with Colorado than Louisiana; his father has Aspen roots and the family frequently returned to the state for both summer and winter vacations.
Then there was the climate...early September in Colorado just might be more agreeable than in Louisiana - or in Texas, for that matter. "Got to love this mountain air... it's a lot different from Austin," Wood said with a laugh late Tuesday afternoon after his first practice in a CU uniform.
But it wasn't the rarefied air and low humidity that wooed Wood. Sure, the environment was a plus, but "coach Embree, coach Scherer and coach Bieniemy are all excellent coaches," Wood said. "They've got a lot of experience in the NFL. I just want to be part of a building program here. It was the right fit for me and my family."
If Wood had a history with the state, he initially knew very little about the CU coaching staff, except for receivers coach Bobby Kennedy and assistant trainer Adam Holliday. Kennedy had been on the Texas staff for seven seasons as receivers coach, and for the past six as assistant recruiting coordinator. Holliday spent three years on the Texas training staff before coming to Boulder last August.
"I contacted (CU) knowing coach Kennedy was here," said Wood, who was born in Wichita, Kan., and moved to Houston with his family at age nine. Wood's father, Jeff, is a former professional race car driver who was the Formula Atlantic Rookie of the Year in 1977. An older brother, Jeff II, was a quarterback at Texas A&M (2006-09).
Shortly after Wood's telephone call to Kennedy, Scherer contacted his old friend Greg Davis for a scouting report. Scherer called Davis "one of the best in the business" and noted that Davis "recommended (Wood) very highly. That was enough said. And coach Kennedy was with him (at Texas) and had a lot of input there. So having those two resources, we had a better picture of what we were getting.
"I think he'll be good. He's got a sharp football mind. He studies the game, knows the game. He handles himself like a quarterback. He's obviously going to be on the scout team (this season), but just watching him throw the ball a little bit, he can grip it and rip it."
Spend a little time with Wood and Scherer's early observation of him "handling himself like a quarterback" becomes apparent. He's well-spoken and poised. And at 6-foot-3 and just over 220 pounds, he looks the part, which Kennedy could vouch for when Wood arrived in Austin.
"When he came in (to Texas) he wasn't ready to be the guy, but you could tell he had talent," Kennedy recalled. "It helps that I had some background with him...when you don't know what you've got and are going on what people say, that can be dicey.
"But I think he's a talented guy that wants to compete for a job. He's got an arm and can make all the throws. And I know for a fact that he studies and is very bright - a really good student (two-time member of UT's Athletic Director Honor Roll). I think he's a good player; he was recruited by a lot of good people out of high school... he had 'em all after him."
Here's why: A four-year starter in high school, Wood accounted for 3,337 yards (2,669 passing) and 32 touchdowns (19 passing) as a senior. ESPNU rated him the nation's No. 14 quarterback in 2010 and Rivals.com ranked him the sixth-best pro-style QB. He played in the 2010 Army All-American Bowl, but football wasn't his only high school sport. He was a three-year letterman in basketball, a two-time letter winner in golf and also earned a letter in track and field.
Wood will spend this semester as a walk-on, then go on scholarship and have three years of eligibility remaining after he sits out this season per NCAA transfer rules. His time won't be wasted this fall. He'll practice with the scout team, running the offenses of CU's opponents to give the Buffs' defense the best possible "look" of what will be encountered on Saturday.
"That's the best place to learn and stay sharp," he said. "You're actually playing against some good teammates...you see how plays translate to what we do. It makes you think, makes you ad-lib."
By the time spring practice begins, Wood believes he will know CU's West Coast, pro-style offense. "Right now, it's the time constraint," he said. "I'm not going to play, of course, but I'm learning it right now. I was doing Texas' offense a week ago. Now, it's a new offense, new coaches, a new language. That's the tough part - finding your way around, getting your feet on the ground with the offense. You do that in the meeting room and by watching film."
Starting quarterback Tyler Hansen is in his final season, so next spring Wood will be competing against Nick Hirschman, now a redshirt freshman; true freshmen John Schrock and Stevie Joe Dorman; and junior Brent Burnette. CU is expected to sign a QB in the Class of 2012.
Wood said he felt comfortable in his first CU practice, but added because he's sharing scout team "reps" with Dorman and Burnette, "I'm just watching and listening to the calls and the audibles. So I'm sitting back and observing. But overall, football is football, and it translates from one team to the other. I just have to play my game."
His game made him a top national recruit two winters ago, and it's why CU sees him as such an unexpectedly nice addition now. In college football, shifts happen, sometimes for the best.
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
