Trevor and Carter Wood were born to be Arizona Wildcats.

Their father, David Wood, played four years at Arizona from 1981-1984. Their mother, Jan Wood, met their father at Arizona and graduated from the UA. Their uncle, Brent Wood, played four years at Arizona from 1983-1986 and played with their father for two years while at the UA.

From a young age, the Woods household was all Arizona, all the time.

“Growing up, he always raised us as big Arizona fans,” Carter Wood said.

Trevor and Carter Wood attended Chapparal High School in Scottsdale, Ariz., and both list Scottsdale as their hometown on the official Arizona football roster, despite being born in Louisville, Ky.

The brothers starred at Chapparal under then-Chapparal head coach and now UA assistant coach/tight ends/special teams coach Charlie Ragle. However, they only played one year together in high school: Carter’s senior season and Trevor’s freshman season in 2010.

“It was pretty cool when we did [that] in high school,” Trevor Wood said. “It was a big part of why I came [to Arizona]. I knew what it was like and might as well do it again.”

The brothers may have ended up at the same college but took two different paths to get there.

Carter’s path to Arizona wasn’t nearly as clear-cut as one would imagine and took a bit of time. As an offensive lineman out of high school, Carter Wood attended D-II Colorado Mesa but didn’t stay long.

With Ragle leaving Chapparal to coach at Arizona and his family ties, it was a natural fit for Carter.

“Out of high school, I went to a different school in Colorado, but I transferred here,” Carter Wood said. “It ended up being the right place for me. It felt right for me here.”

He ended up missing the 2012-2013 season due to injury but did hit the field as a backup offensive lineman in five games during the 2013-14 season.

Trevor’s path to Arizona was a bit more clear-cut, as the three-star tight end from the 2014 class was one of the better offensive players in Arizona throughout his time at Chapparal. He chose Arizona over offers from big-name programs such as Alabama, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oregon, UCLA and USC.

Having his brother already on campus played a big part in committing to Arizona, Trevor Wood said.

“It was a big factor,” he said. “Not just my dad — my whole family went here. My mom went here, my sister went here, my uncle played here as well. So, everything stacked up, and I ended up coming here.”

With his first season at Arizona, the coaching staff has Trevor playing both offensively at his natural tight end position and defensively at defensive end. Earlier in the year, UA football head coach Rich Rodriguez said Trevor Wood was versatile enough to play both sides of the ball and would provide depth at defensive end.

It wasn’t the original plan but did provide the brothers with a chance to go head-to-head during practice, something that brings a smile to both their faces when talking about it.

“Now that he’s switched to defense, it’s even a little more fun, because sometimes we do get to go up against each other,” Carter Wood said. “I knew he was going to go somewhere as a tight end, so we were going to be on the same side. Once [the coaches] said they wanted him playing defense here, I thought I’d get a little bit of him sometimes and, luckily, I’ve got to hit him a few times.”

Trevor added he looks forward to lining up opposite of his older brother and that there is always physicality in those encounters.“It’s always a couple hits after the play, but it’s nothing serious,” Trevor Wood said.

Barring an injury or transfer, the brothers have one more year together at Arizona and said they couldn’t be more excited with the direction the program is heading.

A recent bump into the top 10 of the AP poll and an undefeated 5-0 start has Trevor and Carter Wood looking forward to what the rest of the year has in store.

“Everybody is in it to win, and everybody is in it for the same reason,” Trevor Wood said. “We go out to practice, and everybody is competing and getting on each other. We’re practicing like it’s a game.”

Carter added that combining the campus with a winning football program is exactly what he wanted when he came to Arizona.“Overall, you’ve got to love the whole campus,” Carter Wood said. “The weather is always nice. The fans and everyone around has [great energy], especially now that we’re having some success with the team. I’m excited to see where we go.”

With the halfway point of the season approaching and USC looming on Saturday, the Woods say the sky is the limit for this Arizona team.

When they hit the field on Saturday during Family Weekend, they do so knowing the legacy they carry. As their family members sit in the stands watching, Trevor and Carter Wood will be doing what they love doing for a team they love being part of. They were born to be Arizona Wildcats.

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