University of Nevada Las Vegas

UNLV: An honors candidate on and off the field for the Rebels ... The Preseason First Team All-Mountain West Selection by Athlon and Phil Steele is a Butkus Award and conference defensive player of the year candidate this fall ... Already became the first CSC First Team Academic All-America honoree in UNLV football history ... A team captain who is the Rebels’ 2024 nominee for both the AFCA Good Works Team and Danny Wuerffel Trophy for his community service ... A three-time  member of the UNLV Dean’s Honor List ... A 2024 MW Scholar-Athlete who earned his bachelor’s degree in kinesiology and is pursuing his graduate certificate as a senior ... Chosen to represent the squad’s defense at the annual Mountain West Media Days in Las Vegas in July.

2024:

• Named Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year (first Rebel in 17 years)
• Named First Team All-American by College Football Network
• Named First Team Midseason All-America – College Football Network
• Preseason Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year (first from UNLV since 2000)
• Named Walter Camp Foundation and Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week (Sept. 2)
• Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List member (first in UNLV history)
• Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List member (first from UNLV in 20 years)
• Turned in three QB sacks to help UNLV win season-opener at Houston
• Had a total of five passes defended in win at Utah State (three PBU and two INT)
• Recorded a critical interception that set up the Rebels in the redzone at Kansas
• Scored the first touchdown of his career by recovering a fumble in the end zone and added six total tackles, two TFL and one pass breakup against UNR.
• Finished with 14 total tackles against Syracuse, Boise State (Oct. 25) and San Diego State
• First finalist in UNLV history for NFF James Campbell Trophy (“Academic Heisman”)
• Semifinalist for Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award and Burlsworth Trophy (first in UNLV history for both)
• Preseason First Team All-America by Phil Steele
• Named Second Team All-American by The Athletic
• Named Second Team All-America by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA)
• Named Second Team All-American by Phil Steele
• Named CSC Academic All-District
• Named First Team Academic All-America by College Sports Communicators
• NFF Hampshire Honor Society
   

2023: Transferred from Arkansas and earned his first letter as a Rebel by starting all 14 games ... Finished second in the conference with 117 total tackles ... First Team All-Mountain West ... Named MW Defensive Newcomer of the Year by College Football Network ... Led the team with nine TFL ... Added four pass breakups ... Had 12 total tackles in his Rebel debut in the season-opener vs. Bryant ... Turned in a season-high 14 tackles in a win over CSU ... Grabbed his first career interception to keep UNR out of the end zone in the win over the Wolf Pack ... Posted 11 TT, including half a sack in win over Wyoming ... Had another 11-tackle game with two TFL vs. SJSU ... Had a key seven-yard sack to help UNLV win at Air Force ... Had nine TT including a three-yard sack in the MW Championship Game vs. Boise State ... Enrolled at UNLV in January and took part in his first spring practice with the Rebels.

ARKANSAS: Spent three seasons at the SEC school located in Fayetteville … Appeared in 28 games overall and made 16 total tackles while appearing on both defense and special teams. 2022: Appeared in all 13 games for the Hogs as a sophomore and totaled seven tackles, including four solo … Had at least one tackle in six games ... Turned in two TT and a pass breakup in the team’s Liberty Bowl victory over Kansas … Also posted a tackle in games vs. Cincinnati, Alabama, Mississippi State, BYU and Auburn. 2021: Appeared in 11 games, recording seven total tackles with five solo stops … Tallied at least one tackle in five games … Made first tackle of the season in win over Rice … Totaled one tackle against Texas and LSU. 2020: Played in four games, seeing action at linebacker and on special teams in what counted as a redshirt season … Registered two total tackles … Made a tackle in his first career game against Ole Miss.

HIGH SCHOOL: A 2020 graduate of Little Rock Christian Academy … A three-year letterwinner for coach Eric Cohu … Also lettered in baseball for the Warriors … Helped LRCA to a 13-1 record and No. 5 state ranking, with the team’s only loss coming in the 5A State Championship game as a senior … Earned Arkansas Democrat-Gazette All-Preps second team honors after tallying 153 tackles, two sacks and four forced fumbles as a senior in fall 2019 … Came on the heels of a 14-1 season in 2018, ending the year with the 5A state title after a 52-38 rout of Pulaski Academy.

PERSONAL: Ernest Jackson Woodard was born in Memphis .. The son of Tacy and Ernie Woodard … Majoring in kinesiology.