The 2019 Rutgers Football roster currently contains 12 scholarship wide receivers with two other receivers set to join the team this summer. With so many wide receivers, it makes it harder for guys to stand out with the limited number of reps. However, redshirt freshman wideout Paul Woods was able to make the most of his reps and has been a standout performer for the Scarlet Knights this spring.

“Spring camp has been going great,” Woods told TKR. “We have a lot of receivers in the room right now, so we just hold each other accountable for everything we do. It isn’t too tough when you’re not getting reps with all of these receivers on the team. As a unit we grew a lot this spring and we all continue to help one another out to become the best that we can be.”

Last season, Woods was dinged up quite a bit and ended up being a limited participant in practice for just about the entire year. Although he missed time, Woods feels that despite being injured, that he was still able to learn a lot both on and off the field.

“It was frustrating to deal with injuries last season,” said Woods. “But I had my brothers here to help push me to get better, while I continued to heal up. I just had to focus on getting better and transitioning that to the field. Since I wasn’t getting any reps, I was just sitting back and still learning last year. I sat back and watched guys like Bo Melton, Everett Wormley and learned routes, watched film and did whatever I could to get better. I also spent a lot of time in the weight room last season. I came in at 152-pounds, and now I’m currently up to 173-pounds.”

The wide receiver group as a unit struggled last season only putting up a total of 607 receiving yards as a whole. This season the group has been working hard to get better in every single way.

“Right now we are just in the playbook a lot,” he said. “We are just trying to learn all of the plays, and put it all out on the field. Going into this year we have bonded more as a unit and are looking to make a lot more big plays on the field.”

Chris Nalwasky contributed to this article.