From Virginia to Logan: Eli Wood chases one more shot at the next level

Eli Wood, from Lynchburg, Virginia, has been catching passes since he was six years old. Now a graduate student, he’s hoping his final college season, this time in an Aggie uniform, builds toward a shot at the NFL. 

 “I’ve just been playing since I was six, and since then, my passion for the game has grown,” Wood said. 

 Wood spent four seasons at the University of Virginia from 2022 to 2025, appearing in 35 games with two starts, catching 19 passes for 220 yards and two touchdowns over his career. He was part of a Cavaliers program that, under head coach Tony Elliott, won a school-record 11 games in 2025. The season was the most successful in program history, capped by a victory over the University of Missouri in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl. 

 Wood’s biggest moment came in the Atlantic Coast Championship Game against Duke University, when he caught an 18-yard touchdown with 22 seconds left in regulation to force overtime, a game Virginia ultimately lost. He also had a career-high four receptions for 71 yards against Missouri in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl and scored on a 3-yard run at the University of California, Berkeley, part of a senior season in which he caught 16 passes for 205 yards and two touchdowns while appearing in 14 games. 

 “I’m grateful for my name at Virginia and being able to play for coach Tony,” Wood said 

 Wood was a standout at E.C. Glass High School in Lynchburg, where he caught 50 passes for 1,020 yards and 14 touchdowns his senior season, earning Seminole District Player of the Year honors and a spot on the Virginia High School League Class 4 First Team All-State. He was also recognized twice for his classroom work, receiving ACC Academic Honor Roll honors in 2022 and 2023.  

 Football for Wood has stayed a family affair — his older brother, Sackett Wood Jr., played tight end at Virginia from 2020 to 2024. Sackett graduated from Virginia with a bachelor’s degree in media studies this spring and is now pursuing a master’s degree in sports management at Utah State. 

 After four years in Charlottesville, Virginia, Eli chose to spend his final season of eligibility at Utah State, a decision he said came down to the coaching staff he found in Logan. 

 “I was really excited to come here and play for coach Bronco,” Eli said  

 Utah State head football coach Bronco Mendenhall, who coached at Virginia himself from 2016 to 2021, guided the Cavaliers to their first Orange Bowl appearance before departing and joining the University of New Mexico and eventually Utah State. Wide receivers coach Skyler Ridley said Eli’s experience has been valuable for a receiver room that includes several younger players. 

 “He’s a huge impact on our room from a leadership standpoint, from experience,” Ridley said. “We have some younger players, and the moments that he’s been in already this season, throughout his career, has helped elevate the younger guys, both in their process, their preparation, their knowledge of the game.” 

 Ridley said Eli’s experience and the demands that come with being one of the older players in the room have shaped how he approaches each practice. 

 “The maturity has been one of the things that has really impacted our team and our room because of the experiences he’s had throughout his career. The amount of banked reps, the situations he’s been in, it’s all helped prepare him and our team for the moments we’ve had and the moments to come this season.” 

 Mendenhall agreed with the sentiment. 

 “It’s great to have that example because, man, his daily work habits and practice, and just his mindset is phenomenal,” Mendenhall said. “We need others to emulate that and catch up as fast as we can, so we have more options.” 

 Eli’s teammates elected him a captain this season, a distinction Ridley said reflects the respect he has earned in the locker room. 

 “I think it says a lot that his teammates voted him a captain, just from the amount of respect that he’s earned through his work ethic and his attitude,” Ridley said. “He is a joy to be around. He’s got a great personality, makes it fun, loves to compete. He’s an ultra-competitor, which, as a coach, that’s the type of guys that you want to have in your room. He’s got great relationships, not just in the receiver room, but throughout the team, and that’s something that he’s earned through the work that he’s put in from the time he got here in January.” 

 Eli said he was drawn to Utah State’s culture under Mendenhall and wanted a role he had to earn rather than one handed to him. 

 “I know that I’m only on the field if I deserve it and I’m not if I don’t,” Eli said  

 Mendenhall echoed Eli. “Just the way he’s wired is a perfect fit for me and our program,” Mendenhall said. 

 Ridley said he trusts Eli in any moment the offense needs a big play, pointing to a play Eli had already made for the Aggies through the season’s first two weeks. 

 “I trust him in any situation,” Ridley said. “He’ll make a big play like he did.” 

 Eli said he plans to pursue a shot at the NFL once his time at Utah State is finished. 

 When asked what his favorite team was, Eli said the Washington Commanders.  

 The Aggie coaching staff has also enjoyed working with Eli as he’s been on the team.  

 “He’s a really good player. He’s tough. He’s physical. He makes contested catches. He’ll run. He’ll walk. He’ll tackle on special teams, and so he’s carrying disproportionately the load, I would say, production-wise offensively,” Mendenhall said.