By: Will Barfield
KENNESAW, Ga. -- Born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida, he was Alan Woods III.  Â
Before he was a versatile running back, Woods was a dancer. His grandmother's favorite song, "Boogie Nights" by Heatwave, inspired his nickname.
He loved to dance to his grandmother's song so much they began to call him Boogie Nights.
Eventually, they settled on Boogie Woods III.
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There have always been two constants in his life.
"As long as I can remember, it's been family and football," he said. "We would wake up early on Saturday mornings and get suited up to go play football, park ball, all that stuff."
Woods has two older sisters, Maya Andrews and Perri Morrison.
"I talk to them just about every day," Woods said. "Just chopping it up with them and making sure they're good. Family is very important to me."
As a junior at University Christian School, he totaled 451 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns, primarily playing defensive back and serving as the backup running back.
"I played running back all my life, but ended up playing defensive back my junior year," he said. "Senior year I decided to rock out at running back because that's what I played forever and where I felt the most comfortable."
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In his senior season, as a full-time running back, those numbers jumped to 1,360 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns and caught the eyes of several schools.
Ultimately, Woods ended up at Georgia Southern in 2024 where he redshirted, before transferring to Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College for the 2025 season.
He appeared in 11 games for the Bulldogs, piling up 928 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. After some consideration, he ultimately chose to transfer to Kennesaw State for the 2026 season.
"This is where I want to be," he said.
On Sept. 26, versus Arkansas St, Woods had the best game of his young Owls tenure. He carried the ball 19 times for 101 yards and two touchdowns, adding five catches for 20 yards.
The box score doesn't tell the full story of his impressive outing.
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"Boogie has always impressed us," said Owls head coach Jerry Mack. "He's a guy that always goes about his business the right way. He works hard. He's in the building early, in the building late, and he's very detailed. It's important to Boogie. He's consistent, and the type of player he is not only shows up in practice, but it shows up in games."
The consistency Mack referenced is something he sees Woods bring to practice every day.
His role with the team is more than just running the football.
"I just have to make sure I do what I can to keep myself accountable and play to the best ability for myself and my teammates," Woods said. "I want to do everything I can to put us in the best situation to be victorious."
Being a vocal leader for his teammates is where Woods wants to take the next step as a player in 2026. As of now, he leads by example.
"I'm more of a lead by example type of guy," he said. "I don't really say much, but I want to try to step into more of a vocal role this year, seeing that I have a bigger role. I want to be more vocal and help all the guys get on board. When energy lacks, I can help bring it back up."
From a young age, Boogie Woods III always knew how to move his feet. Now he moves defenses.
