Fayette High School defensive standout Jacob Wood inked his commitment to play football next season at Graceland University in Lamoni, Iowa. The defensive back signed his letter of intent, surrounded by family, coaches, and teammates, at a ceremony held in the high school gym on Friday.

“I feel like I have momentum,” Wood said moments before making his commitment official. “I finished a lot stronger than where I started, and I have a lot more wits about me. The coaches want to help me do a bunch of off-season stuff to get ready for the next level, so I feel like I’m ready for the jump of going to college.”

Wood finished his senior season as one of the best defensive ends in the area. “As a defensive end, people often ran away from him,” said Fayette coach Kole Hinton. Wood finished his final season with 47 tackles, of which 32 were solo, and 12 tackles for loss. He also forced a fumble and made two fumble recoveries.

Wood also dominated on special teams as a junior and senior, blocking kicks and punts. “I like to make an impact anywhere I can play,” he said.

Like at most small schools, the Falcons play on both sides of the ball. Wood also served as one of Fayette’s offensive linemen. But it is because of his defensive skills that Graceland recruited him. And he said that’s what he likes playing the most. 

“I wanted to stick to defense,” he said. “I talked to the defensive coordinator, and he told me that I’d be playing strictly off the edge. And I was so happy about that because my whole career I haven’t been much of an inside guy. I love rushing off the edge. That’s my thing.”

Wood looked around at different schools, including Central Methodist University and Missouri Valley College in Marshall, but settled on Graceland because he likes their coaching staff best. “They have a really good energy about them. You go in there, you talk to them, immediately, you can tell they know what’s going on. And Coach [Patrick] Ross has turned around plenty of programs.

“They have a pretty open D-line where they graduate a lot of people, so it seemed like the best place to go.”

After three winless seasons in a row and two one-win seasons before that, Graceland has been steadily improving every year over the past three seasons. The Yellowjackets finished 7-4 overall in the fall and 5-1 as a contender in the Heart of America Athletic Conference.

Playing for a Heart team in the NAIA means Wood could get a chance to play against CMU in front of friends, family, and former coaches and teammates. The Yellowjackets defeated CMU 62-12 last season in Lamoni, but so far, no matchup has been scheduled for 2025.

Wood credits his many high school coaches over the last four years, especially those linemen and defensive backs coaches. As a freshman, he had an immediate connection to his offensive line coach, Micah Brimer.

“Jacob was an amazing player to coach,” said former Falcons offensive line coach Micah Brimer. “He works hard and has a motor that never stops. Jacob was an absolute force on defense, and teams had to account for him. Offensively, he was an exceptional blocker on the offensive line. He does all the things coaches ask of him, and I am extremely proud of the player and young man that he has become.”

His motor is one attribute that cannot be ignored. Coach Hinton said that Wood’s drive and tenacity will serve him as he competes for playing time as one of the smaller defensive backs in the NAIA.

“He has a love of football that can get him to places others can’t get to. He understands that he is undersized and has to rely on his motor and his tenacity. He works his butt off, and he has the drive. We want to thank him for the two years we had him. I wish we’d had him longer. He laid the foundation of what it means to work hard. We will definitely miss his tenacity on the field.”

Wood also credits FHS assistant coach Leon VanDyke for pushing him to work hard in the classroom and reach out to college teams.

“He’s another dude I connected with immediately, and he is the one that helped me get started going to college,” Wood said. “He helped me start emailing coaches, connecting to schools.”

Another former Falcons’ coach, Andy Bentley, also made an impact, as did current defensive coordinator and strength and conditioning coach Trenton Byers.

“Coach Bentley is a teacher here for me, so he helps me in the classroom, and he was my D-line coach for the first three years. So, I learned almost everything from him. Coach Byers, the last two years I’ve been playing, he’s been my O-line coach. He is like my best friend. He’s our weight room coach. He’s always pushing me to be better. He knows what’s best for me.”

Wood will attend a special camp in July for new players to mix with some veteran Graceland starters before starting full practices in August.

When not on the field, he plans to major in pre-athletic training, with an eye on one day pursuing a master’s degree.