NEW MARKET — One of the greatest players to don a Southmont football uniform has found a new home.
Wyatt Woodall officially put pen to paper Monday and signed with Marian University to continue his academic and athletic career as a linebacker with the Knights.
For Woodall and the Mounties, this past season was one for the history books as the Mounties made it to the semi-state and were one of the final four teams standing in Class 2A.
On the offensive side, Woodall ran for 1,350 yards and 23 touchdowns. Defensively, he was in on nearly every single tackle for the Mounties as the senior was second in the state in tackles with 197.
“I was hooked on Marian since the first day I got on campus,” Woodall said. “It’s perfect for me and everything I need. The coaching staff really made me feel at home and took me under their wing. Since the summer really, I felt like that was the place that I was destined to go to.”
The Knights have been a powerhouse program at the NAIA level, consistently being one of the higher ranked teams in the country.
Southmont coach Desson Hannum noted what a proud day it was for the Mountie program and for Woodall for seeing all his hard work pay off.
“This is a culmination of four years of hard work for Wyatt,” Hannum said. “In every aspect of doing what needs to be down to play at the next level, he’s done it. As a program we’re extremely proud of him for getting to do something that he’s wanted to do for quite some time. He’s been a phenomenal representation of our program and we know he’s going to go do great things in life.”
The Knights also will provide Woodall with a chance to go in and compete at a high level from day one. While there’s no guarantee of a starting spot right away, Woodall knows he’ll get to make a name for himself.
“There’s so many talented guys at Marian and they’re a phenomenal program,” Woodall said. “I’ll get to go in and learn from some amazing guys and I’m going to go in day one and work my tail off like I have my entire career. Wherever that takes me we’ll see”
Woodall’s signing with the Knights is yet another Mountie to commit to playing football at the next level. He joins Carson Chadd (Wabash) and Kion Cornelius (Indiana Wesleyan) from two years ago along with offensive lineman Will Cody (Trine). Woodall’s signing is yet another example of how the Mountie program under Hannum is providing the opportunity to play at the next level.
“It starts with that hard work and that’s what all of those guys did,” Hannum said of his college players. “It’s a great example to a lot of our younger guys who maybe are thinking about playing in college that it can be done. It doesn’t come easy obviously but if you can get noticed on the field if can help with your schooling and the door is always open for whoever wants to put in the work.”
