Fans of Farmer Wants a Wife 2025 may recognize bachelor Jay Woods from his time as a star college football player.
Woods is one of four farmers looking for love on the hit reality show, with each bachelor having eight women vying for their hearts.
Woods is just one member of the Farmer Wants a Wife 2025 revival cast, hailing from Florence, Alabama.
Get To Know Farmer Wants a Wife's Jay Woods
Jay Woods Used To Play College Football
Jay Woods' calling card to many fans watching Farmer Wants a Wife is the fact that he used to play college football. The 25-year-old grew up farming in the Florence, Alabama area but would eventually leave his small-town roots to pursue his dream of playing football at the highest level possible.
While he had wanted to go pro and take his talents to the National Football League (NFL), Woods suffered a career-ending injury during his time in the NCAA, forcing him to give up his dreams and turn his sights back to ranching.
Woods talked about his journey with football in a February 2025 conversation with Rocket City Now, saying the NFL was "[his] goal," but after his injuries, questions started to creep into his mind asking, "Am I willing to sacrifice my body where ten years from now or five years from now, I could hardly walk or lift my shoulder up, or even think right:"
"Definitely. I think any elite competitor wants to make it to the highest level, which is NFL, and that was definitely my goal. But you know, injuries happen you know shoulder, head, knee, everything like that and you start looking at the big picture. Like, I love this game, but am I willing to sacrifice my body where ten years from now or five years from now, I could hardly walk or lift my shoulder up, or even think right? So I had to make that tough decision to hang up the cleats. But, I'm glad I did it because I wouldn't be in the position I am now if I didn't."
Jay Attended University of Michigan & Duke University
During his time playing college football, Jay Woods attended two different big-name institutions, the University of Michigan and Duke University.
He spent three years as a Michigan Wolverine, playing football and studying for a degree in kinesiology. He then transferred to Duke in 2021 for graduate school, where he took business classes, graduating with a master of management studies in 2022.
In his conversation with Rocket City Now, Woods further elaborated on his education. He remarked, "I am a businessman at the end of the day:
"Duke, Master of Management Studies, at the Fuqua School of Business. So yeah, I am a businessman at the end of the day. You know in this world you have to be able to have some type of income come in and you want to make it make sense. With the operation we have a cow-calf operation. So basically what that is, you let the cows have calves, and you let those calves get big and you take them down the sale barn and get the money."
Jay's Girls Had a Big Shock on Farmer Wants a Wife
On Farmer Wants a Wife, Jay Woods's group of girls were in for a bit of a shock when they arrived on his Alabama farm.
"All my girls were from either the West Coast or Midwest," and "none of them ever dreamed of going to Alabama or had ever been to Alabama," Woods told the Like a Farmer podcast.
He admitted coming to his home state was a "different experience for them," as they got to experience the South for the first time:
"All my girls were from either the West Coast or Midwest. None of them ever dreamed of going to Alabama or had ever been to Alabama. So when they got there, we were riding past some of the cotton fields—this was off camera—they were like, 'Oh I have never picked cotton.' So, we got out and did it. I was like, 'This is so crazy because that is stuff we did on like field trips and stuff.' It was definitely a different experience for them."
Talking about his experience of joining the series, Woods posited that "I never really expected to be on a reality TV show:"
"I never really expected to be on a reality TV show finding love. Even like you touched on, being from a small town, everybody knows everybody and everybody has been with everybody. So, if you don't find that person early on, it is going to be hard to find that person. But my experience with it was kind of different. One of my sister's friends said, 'Hey, your brother would be perfect for this show.'
But he jumped in, thinking, "You know, it would probably be a good opportunity for me:"
And I had never heard of the show before, and literally like a day or two later I got reached out to. And then, at the time, I was just thinking about it, praying about it. I was like, 'You know, it would probably be a good opportunity for me to find a person out there for me. I really enjoyed the fact that it got to shed light onto my farm, my family's farm, especially being in Alabama. It was a good opportunity."
Jay Would Consider More Reality TV, If Not for the Farm
Jay Woods has said he would love to do more exciting things like reality TV if it were not for being so busy with the farm.
Woods has to attend to his land and animals every day, leaving little time for anything beyond that.
"I've been farming for a while now, and I love it," he has said but admits that while it is "fun," it is hard work (via Rocket City Now):
"I've been farming for a while now, and I love it. It's something I love to do. But we also have a big operation that we run, a cow-calf operation. Also, we sell hay as well. So it's definitely fun, but we try to make some money off of it, too."
Woods now owns the family farm that has been in his blood for generations. After he was done playing football, he bought the land and was able to buy back his grandfather's horse farm, becoming the career farmer he is now.
Discussing how playing football prepared him for farming, Woods told Southern Living, "I think as a football player, any athlete honestly, you put in more hours than you work regular jobs," and that "becomes your whole life:"
"I think as a football player, any athlete honestly, you put in more hours than you work regular jobs. You’re putting in 80 plus hours a week. And that becomes your whole life, your whole persona and navigating outside of that, it’s tough for some people. Some people get lost in it. For me, it was pretty easy. I already knew what I loved to do. I loved to be outside."
He said that, while farming dominates his life (like football once did), "[he] loved being around animals because of [his] granddaddy:"
"I loved being around animals because of my granddaddy. I grew up outside and with the horses. So I knew once I got the opportunity I was going to get a farm. It was just a blessing that I was able to buy his back when I got back. So it means a lot to me to keep that tradition going not only for my kids but for my grandkids as well. To show them, hey there is more to life than just sports. We all get lost in that some times. Everybody has their day when they gotta hang up the cleats. It was tough doing that but I’m happy where I’m at right now."
As for if he could ever see himself doing anything other than farming, Woods has some ideas. The Farmer Wants a Wife star revealed he would like to be an "NFL agent" (via Like a Farmer).
He said he has some friends who work in the NFL and loves seeing them "having a good time, travelling, [and] going to the games:"
"I think for me, if I wasn't farming, I would definitely be around the game of football a little bit more. I still am. But I like an NFL agent. I got some friends, some guys that are NFL agents and it looks like they are having a good time, travelling, going to the games. They make some pretty good money too, so I just know with having to run the farm every day, you cannot travel like that and be away from the animals. So, NFL agent."
How To Follow Jay Woods Online
Fans looking to keep up with Jay Woods on social media can follow him on Instagram (@jmarickwoods).
New episodes of Farmer Wants a Wife debut on Fox on Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET before streaming on Hulu.
