South Carolina native, younger brother of USC quarterback, named prospect to watch in freshman class

On Monday, Rivals’ Director of Scouting and Rankings Charles Power released his list of 50 players to watch for the class of 2029. One of just seven quarterbacks included was one with a significant tie to the South Carolina football program.

Bear Woods, the younger brother of current USC quarterback Cutter Woods, earned the distinction. He is the only Palmetto State product on Power’s watch list.

The left-handed freshman from Anderson (SC) Westside is already 6-4 and possesses a strong arm. He’s thin, but his frame has plenty of room to add good weight over his next three years at the high school level.

Picking up right where his older brother left off at Westside, Bear Woods took over the starting gig this fall. He threw for nearly 3000 yards and led his Rams squad to the Upper State Championship Game.

Woods steps up in the pocket well and is athletic enough to make plays outside of the tackle box, as well. He’s not a runner, necessarily, but he has enough functional athletic ability to throw on the move and to make short gains on the ground.

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Bear has been on campus at USC multiple times, both as a tagalong during Cutter’s recruitment and now as the Gamecock target. He already has a couple of Division-I offers from Eastern Michigan and Appalachian State. Current App State head coach Dowell Loggains recruited Cutter to the Gamecocks when he was the OC in Columbia.

Because he is a class of 2029 prospect, Woods doesn’t have any official recruiting rankings. However, he made a list of just 50 total names to watch for his cycle. Many players on these early watch lists for Rivals have wound up as blue chip prospects.

Woods projects to be a highly-recruited player, much like his brother. At this point in time, it appears that South Carolina could eventually be part of his process.

Captain Munnerlyn Jr., son of former USC defensive back Captain Munnerlyn, also made the watch list as a safety.

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