Bethune-Cookman spring game: Raymond Woodie Jr. reunites with son; Transfers impress

DAYTONA BEACH — The question was, what is the dinner table like at the Woodie house these days?

“I don't see him,” Raymond Woodie Jr. said. “He runs from me. He thinks I'm too tough.”

Bethune-Cookman’s head coach was talking about his eldest son. Raymond Woodie III is one of the Wildcats’ newest players.

Woodie Jr. smiled, dropping his joke.

“Nah, he's with the fellas,” he said. “He's with the guys. I tell the guys all the time, ‘If you love somebody, you spend time.’ So he spends time with his teammates, which he should.”

Plus, dad sees son much more nowadays than he previously did.

For the majority of the last four years, Woodie Jr. and Woodie III lived almost three thousand miles apart.

Woodie Jr. served as an assistant coach at Florida Atlantic from 2020 to 2022. In 2023, he took over at his alma mater.

Woodie III played the 2020 season for Florida State before transferring to the University of California, Berkeley for the ensuing three campaigns.

But in December, Woodie III entered the portal again. He maintained one year of eligibility. And on Christmas Day, he announced his decision in a social media post.

He was joining his father and following in his footsteps in Daytona Beach.

“It was fun,” Woodie III said. “It's stuff I'm used to. I've been growing up with him all my life. He just holds everybody to that same standard — same standard he held me to growing up. It's just really cool to be down here and have a family affair for my last season.”

This happened once before — Woodie Jr. coaching Woodie III. But that was five years ago. Life has changed for both.

In 2019, Woodie Jr. worked as the linebackers coach at Florida State. Woodie III arrived in Tallahassee as a highly touted prospect. ESPN and Rivals rated the defensive back as a four-star recruit.

As a freshman, Woodie III played in six games. He made nine tackles, collected one sack and forced one fumble.

“It was almost like he was trying to figure it out when I had a chance to coach him at Florida State,” Woodie Jr. said. “It was like, ‘This is a big stage.’”

After that season, Woodie Jr. followed Willie Taggart, who had been fired by FSU, to Florida Atlantic. Woodie III stayed with the Seminoles for his sophomore year, the best of his career so far (25 tackles).

Then, he split, too, heading to Cal. He totaled 23 tackles in three seasons.

“Me going off on my own that last year at Florida State and going to Cal, I feel like it really helped me,” Woodie III said. “It helped me mature.

“Now, I'm coming back, and I'm that leader. I'm that guy that everybody is looking at to be a role model and show how things are supposed to be done. It's been really smooth.”

Woodie III knew a little bit about Bethune-Cookman before his December signing.

While he and his dad didn’t talk much Wildcats football last year, Woodie III watched all the games he could. He missed part of the Golden Bears’ season due to injury.

Since starting at Bethune-Cookman, he has seen his dad from a new perspective.

“It's definitely different,” Woodie III said of his father as a head coach. “For me, he'll just always be on me all the time. I'll be like, ‘Man, I'm doing good.’ He's still on me. Like, ‘I don't know if I can do this.’

"Now, I've matured. I know what the standard is. I know the little things the coaches are looking for. I try to be that role model for everybody else because I know a lot of the guys that are younger are looking at me to be that guy to teach them the ropes. My goal is, when I leave here, I left it better than I found it.”

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Woodie Jr. has noticed his son’s development, too.

“He's more of a pro because he understands what it takes,” he said.

Even if Woodie III isn’t always eating at Mom and Dad’s house, Woodie Jr. can still approve of how his son is spending his suppers.

Last weekend, after a team scrimmage, Woodie III and roommate Orin Patu welcomed some teammates to their place. They cooked dinner.

And while they ate, they put something on TV.

The practice film.

Spring game notes

For the second straight year under Woodie Jr., Bethune-Cookman’s spring game wasn’t a true game.

The Wildcats split into two teams Saturday at Daytona Stadium. The offense was maroon. The defense was gold.

They ran through a series of scenarios — goal-line plays, two-minute drills, some special teams reps, among other things.

The offense’s scoring system remained normal: six points for touchdowns, three for field goals, two for two-point conversions. For the defense, it received three points for a stop, three for causing a missed field goal and six for a takeaway.

The defense (gold) beat the offense (maroon) 68-38.

“Obviously, there are some positive takeaways and some negatives, of course,” quarterback Luke Sprague said. “I think the biggest thing is really just capitalizing, watching the film, just going over our mistakes and all the good things we did.”

Which offensive players stood out during spring practice?

The Wildcats rotated evenly at all positions throughout the afternoon Saturday.

Sprague, Tylik Bethea and Cam’Ron Ransom all saw time behind center. Bethune-Cookman featured running backs Mar’Kai Shaw, Terry Lindsey, UNLV transfer Courtney Reese and Darnell Deas, who has mostly lined up as a defensive back and return ace in his career.

But who impressed Woodie Jr. throughout the last four weeks?

The first two players he mentioned: Sprague and Bethea.

Sprague enjoyed the most success of any Wildcat signal-caller in 2023. He played in five games, completing 65% of his passes for a team-best 544 yards and four touchdowns. He battled injuries for portions of the year.

Bethea appeared in six contests. He connected on 51% of his attempts for 369 yards with two scores and two picks.

Woodie Jr. also acknowledged Maleek Huggins, a wide receiver transfer from Gardner-Webb.

Huggins has recorded a 4.4-second 40-yard dash. Last fall, he caught nine passes for 42 yards and returned 20 punts.

Which defensive players stood out during spring practice?

Woodie Jr. shouted out an entire group.

“I would say the whole secondary has been showing flashes and been pretty good,” he said.

But that remark came after the coach named two defensive ends: Patu and Dallaz Corbitt.

Both landed in Daytona Beach as transfers. Patu spent last season at Arizona, where he registered four tackles in three games. Corbitt was previously at UCF.

“They're coming off the edge,” Woodie Jr. said. “Then, it makes the secondary (better) when you get a pass rush.”

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When does Bethune-Cookman start its regular season?

The Wildcats will open their 2024 schedule Saturday, August 31 at the University of South Florida. The Bulls went 7-6 in 2023. The Wildcats were 3-8.

Kickoff time is still TBD.

“It's not going to be long,” Woodie Jr. said. “August 31 will be here before we know it.”

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Bethune-Cookman football: Raymond Woodie III playing under father