Former Lions linebacker Justin Woodley ‘21CC returned to Columbia as the linebackers coach ahead of the 2024 season. Woodley served as a defensive quality control analyst at Stanford in 2023.
In his first season back with the Lions, he was part of the Ivy League Coaching Staff of the Year, which helped Columbia secure its first conference title since 1961. The Lions’ linebacking core was led by second-team All-Ivy League selection Anthony Roussos, who led the team with 76 tackles. The unit also helped Columbia rank No. 2 in FCS in scoring defense (16.1 PPG) and lead the Ivy League in four different categories.
Woodley helped the Stanford defense find its footing, and the unit recorded one of its best defensive performances in years. The Stanford defense limited Washington State to seven points, marking the first time the Stanford defense has held a team to single-digit points since 2019. The defense limited Washington State’s offense to just four rushing yards. It was the second game of the season that Stanford limited a team to fewer than five rushing yards.
Woodley was previously on the Columbia football coaching staff as its defensive assistant in 2022. He was responsible for all defensive film, which included breaking down opposing offenses, creating the “self-scout” of Columbia’s offensive tendencies, and daily data entry. He also assisted with the development of the weekly game plan.
A passionate and spirited player, Woodley joined the coaching staff after playing five seasons for the Lions from 2017-21. While battling injuries throughout his career, he saw action in 22 career games with eight starts at linebacker, made 64 tackles (26 solo), 6.0 tackles for loss for 22 yards, had one sack for 11 yards, broke up four passes, recovered a fumble, intercepted two passes for 16 return yards, and scored a touchdown on a recovered blocked punt.
As a senior co-captain, Woodley played in eight games with four starts and was leading the Ivy League in tackles before an injury slowed him the rest of the way. He was a preseason Third Team All-Ivy League honoree by Phil Steele Magazine in 2019 and earned the Ken Germann Freshman Award for most accomplished and outstanding first-year player following the 2017 season.
Woodley is a December 2021 graduate of Columbia College with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology.
A Chula Vista, California, native, Woodley graduated from The Bishops School in La Jolla, Calif., where he was a three-time First Team All Coastal League selection, was named Defensive Most Valuable Player of the Coastal League in 2016, and was a two-time San Diego CIF All-Academic Team selection (2015 and 2016).
