Trevor Woods fought to stay after hearing Deion Sanders' "Louis Luggage" speech

The Buffs defensive back is one of a few players left from last year

Trevor Woods stepped to the podium on Tuesday to speak to the media and the first 15 seconds of that press conference showed why he's revered by his teammates.

Although it’s not easy to hear, the background noise you might not be able to make out is Trevor's CU teammates, most of which represent the "Louis Luggage" Prime brought in after the fact. All of them shouting things like "I know him" and "is that Trevor Woods"?! 

There’s a little ‘razzing’ going on there, but Trevor Woods is one of the few hold overs from the one-win 2022 Colorado Buffaloes team. When Deion Sanders made it clear he was bringing in some dogs and you better be ready to compete, Woods understood the assignment.

“I was ready to compete with whoever. Whoever he brings in, it doesn’t matter,” Woods said.

The 6-foot-2, 205-pound safety from Katy, Texas enters the 2023 fall camp with almost 100 tackles and an interception prior to Prime’s arrival in Boulder. From Spring ball through now, Trevor has done nothing but compete. No matter who he’s up against and has endeared himself to the current CU roster.

Woods would even go on to mention in his press conference that all his teammates respect him and the other holdovers for sticking it out and competing. Without a true depth chart on the books, he remains in the “possible to start” range.

Woods mentioned how his game has evolved since Coach Prime and Coach Kelly joined CU's staff, along with the differences in defensive schemes. But that's what you get in a defensive minded such as Kelly. A more nuanced approach and layered scheme with more stunts and even added techniques for man coverage.

When asked about Shedeur Sanders, Woods did not say a lot, while at the same time, saying a lot. Long before Woods spoke on Tuesday, it's been apparent that there is a healthy, friendly, but very serious rivalry between the offense and the defense. Trevor confirmed that when speaking about Shedeur's fire when it comes to the QB position. 

Beyond the typical trash talking, Woods admits he and Sanders will try to ‘trick’ each other. A game within the game if you will. Woods added some detail to the idea that “Shedeur is accurate”. It suggests Sanders is very hard to pick off and takes “calculated risks,” as opposed to being more on the reckless gunslinger side of the QB spectrum.

Shedeur wasn't the only Sanders' player reporters asked about. One question revolved around Shilo Sanders and what he brings to the DB room. Trevor was all smiles at the mention of Shilo’s name. While Trevor did not mention much on the field, he did shed some light on the more leadership-based elements that Shilo adds. That Includes getting all the DBs and LBs together after practice and lift sessions to go over film as a group. Further adding to the narrative that this ‘team’ seems to be coming together as a team, on schedule.

“The Standard” made its way into the press conference, which should be a mainstay for the foreseeable future. Wood’s answer to what the standard is, was different from previous answers. “We all compete and whoever’s on top and doing all the right things, that’s the standard," Woods noted. 

The concept of the standard is very black and white. There's right and there’s wrong. Whoever is doing everything right, all the time is abiding by the standard.

For the second time on Tuesday, Demouy Kennedy’s name came up under the heading of “who has been impressive?” For Woods, it comes down to grasp of the defense. It seems that Kennedy's name is on everyone’s mind when it comes to understanding Coach Kelly’s defense. There was also a lighthearted chuckle from Woods when he was asked about the other, new players and learning their names.

“I’m learning basically everyone's name now, at least on defense," Woods said.

It wouldn’t be a defensive back at the podium if the talent of the wide receivers was not mentioned. Woods was asked which receiver is the toughest to cover. Travis Hunter or Xavier Weaver are the names most would expect to hear. However, due to where Woods fits schematically, he mentioned he’s rarely lined up against either Hunter or Weaver. If you’ve been following the CU journey since January, it should not be shocking to hear that Trevor’s answer was almost declaratively, “Jimmy Horn Jr.” There is talent all over this roster. Much more than was in Boulder a year ago.

There are multiple position groups of interest whose depth chart is still unknown. One of the more intriguing rooms will be that safety room. Woods is among seven names in the room that should be interesting to follow in the coming weeks. One way or another, the safety position feels poised to be a stout and deep unit.