Jelani Woods finds home after move to tight end

INDIANAPOLIS — Virginia tight end Jelani Woods, who played at Cedar Grove High School, started his college career at Oklahoma State as a quarterback.

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He was moved to tight end at the end of his redshirt freshman season.

“It was kind of an easy switch,” said Woods, who’s now 6-foot-7 and 275 pounds. “I felt I had the tools to be a successful tight end. I talked to my coach. It was probably a 30-minute talk. I talked to my parents, and I was fine with it. I ran with it.”

“It was kind of an easy switch. I felt I had the tools to be a successful tight end. I talked to my coach. It was probably a 30-minute talk. I talked to my parents, and I was fine with it. I ran with it."

- Virginia tight end Jelani Woods, who’s now 6-foot-7 and 275 pounds

He was 6-6 and between 225 and 230 pounds as a dual-threat and pro-style quarterback in high school.

He graduated from Oklahoma State and is two classes from earning his master’s degree in higher education from Virginia. He wanted to play in Virginia’s offense and show that he could catch passes and was more than just an in-line blocker.

He led Cedar Grove to its first state championship with a 13-2 record as a senior in 2016.