Farmer Wants a Wife season 3 star Jay Woods once dreamed of playing professional football, but he had to pivot his career plans while in college and ultimately returned to his roots as a hay and cattle farmer in Florence, Alabama. Thankfully, the reality star has said that his transition from footballer to full-time farmer was easy.

Where Did ‘Farmer Wants a Wife’ Star Jay Woods Play Football?

Jay first played football at Florence High School in his hometown. After graduating from high school, the Fox personality moved on to Michigan University, where he spent three years playing football and studying kinesiology until his graduation in December 2019. Finally, Jay attended Duke University for grad school, where he continued his college football career and received his master’s in management studies from the Fuqua School of Business in May 2021.

“In 46 career games (seven starts) at Michigan and Duke, [Jay] compiled 75 tackles, 2.5 TFL, four PBUs, two QB pressures and one blocked punt … credited with a career-high nine stops against Virginia Tech in 2020 … recorded blocked punt against Florida in 2018 … played 1,111 career snaps,” his Duke stats page reads.

Why Did ‘Farmer Wants a Wife’ Star Jay Woods Stop Playing Football?

Though Jay once hoped to continue playing football professionally after college, he was injured at Duke University and had to reconsider his plans.

“He began to reflect on the times in his life that made him the happiest to determine his next steps,” the TV personality’s bio for Farmer Wants a Wife reads. “Choosing to return to his roots was easy, and he’s never looked back.”

In an interview with Rocket City Now ahead of Farmer Wants a Wife season 3’s premiere in March 2025, Jay said, “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, shoulder, head, knee, everything like that, and you start looking at the big picture.”

He continued, “Like, I love this game, but am I willing to sacrifice my body where 10 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.”

Jay Woods Has No Regrets About Retiring From Football

Despite admitting that it was a tough decision, Jay has made it clear that he wouldn’t change a thing about his life path.

“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,” he told Southern Living.

When it came to deciding what he wanted to do after football, Jay said, “I already knew what I loved to do. I loved to be outside. 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.”

When Jay returned to his hometown after graduating from Duke, the Alabama native was able to buy his grandfather’s farm, which is where he grew up and found his passion for farming and the outdoors.

“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,” Jay concluded. “To show them, ‘Hey there is more to life than just sports.’ We all get lost in that sometimes. 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.”