Updated: March 10, 2025
Twitter: @CoachChrisWoods
Chris Woods joined Ohio football at the program's linebackers coach in March 2025. Woods brings with him over 30 years of coaching experience at both the collegiate and professional levels, experiencing success as a coordinator, head coach and analyst. He came to Ohio by way of the United Football League, where he served as the linebackers coach.
Previously, Woods served as the linebackers coach and interim defensive coordinator at Temple (2022-25), where he mentored three all-conference athletes, one All-American and two NFL Draft signees. The 2024 inside linebackers finished top of the American Athletic Conference in tackles. Prior to Temple, Woods was a senior defensive analyst at Kansas (2020-22), where he assisted the defensive staff in scouting, practice preparation and evaluation. Additionally, Woods filled in as linebackers coach in the 2020 season finale.
Woods arrived at Kansas from the XFL, where he served as the defensive coordinator for Bob Stoops and the Dallas Renegades (2019-20). Prior to that, Woods served as the defensive coordinator and interim head coach at Texas State (2018-19), coaching two all-conference linebackers who finished as the top two leading tacklers in the Sun Belt Conference. In his first year, Texas State developed one of the FBS’s most-improved defenses.
Prior to his time at Texas State, Woods served on the staff at Oklahoma as a defensive specialist (2015-18). He joined the Oklahoma staff after spending three seasons at Holmes Community College in Mississippi (2012-15). While there, Holmes had its first winning season and best conference finish since 2000, garnering Mississippi Coaches Association Staff of the Year & Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference Coach of Year recognition. He also was the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Columbia (2011).
Woods was a defensive line coach and special teams coordinator at Bryant College from 2008-10, highlighted by the 2010 campaign when Bryant finished 7-4 and led the Northeast Conference in scoring defense. Bryant ranked second in both passing and total defense in 2009.
Woods also has experience as a head coach, which spanned three seasons at Stonehill College (2004-06) and three seasons at Mansfield (2000-03). He was named the AFCA Region II Coach of the Year and Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 2003 after leading the Mountaineers to their first winning season since 1975 and their highest win total since 1946 (8-3). Other stops in his career include Harvard (2007), Wittenberg (1996-2000) and Plymouth State (1994-95).
A native of Milton, Mass., Woods earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology and anthropology at Davidson. He and his wife, Stephanie, have two children, Braden and Hannah.
