Apr. 6—GRAND FORKS — The UND football program went to familiar territory to land a commitment from Brody Woods.
Woods, a 6-foot-5, 225-pound prospect who projects as an edge in Eric Schmidt's defense, hails from Cold Spring, Minn., a town that has been good to the Fighting Hawks in recent years.
Cold Spring also produced former UND standout tackle Matt Waletzko of the Dallas Cowboys, former UND linebacker Matt Koshiol, current tackle Jacob Lopau and 2025 safety recruit Grant Tylutki.
Woods is one of UND's five commitments so far for the 2026 recruiting class.
"I was pretty confident I was going to go to one of the Dakota schools, and I've gone to junior days and gamedays at all of them," Woods said. "UND's was just by far my favorite in every way. They have great new coaches. They're super good at what they do, and they're real people I can trust.
"They also prioritize edges there, which is really cool. Schmidt is a big edges guy, so it felt like he wanted the best for me there. They were my first offer, so it was perfect that it worked out that way. They built a really good relationship and it helps Grant Tylutki is going there because he's someone who I have looked up to for a long time and that's pretty special."
Woods said he also spoke with other Cold Spring-UND connections.
"I talked to Lopau and others who have gone there, and they say how much they love it," Woods said. "Those are people who can be real and don't have any reason to lie."
Woods started to get in the varsity mix as a sophomore at Rocori High School, then started at defensive end and tight end as a junior.
Rocori competes at the Section 8AAAA level in Minnesota.
Woods also plays AAU basketball for the Minnesota Comets and is a teammate of fellow UND commit Brady Goihl of Melrose. In the spring, Woods competes in track and field, competing in the high jump, discus, 200 and 400 meters.
"First of all, it's a real big relief," Woods said of his commitment. "I've been told for a while now I'd make it to the Division I level, but it has been a goal for so long. I'm very happy about that. Now it's just nice that I can just get to work. If I waited out all summer, I'd go to eight or so camps and those take a lot of time and you have to miss lifting."
UND 2026 prep recruiting class
1. Brooks Hendrickson, Mount Horeb (Wis), QB
2. George Rohl, Ellsworth (Wis), TE
3. Jackson Stein, Lake Mills (Lakeside Lutheran), Wis., OL
4. Brody Woods, Cold Spring, MN, DL
5. Brady Goihl, Melrose Area, MN, OL
