NORTH PLATTE, Neb. - The comparisons have been there since Joel Woodhead was in middle school, but just because his brother is now fighting for a spot in the National Football League don't expect anything to change.line of Woodheads who have called Chadron home during their college years following in the footsteps of his father, uncle, oldest brother, Ben, and Danny.

Woodhead is the younger brother of Chadron State College standout Danny Woodhead, who won the Harlon Hill Trophy as the best Division II football player the last two years, and is currently trying to make the New York Jets roster as an undrafted free agent.

Joel, like his more famous brother, is a running back who has good speed and a knack for making impressive cuts on the field. He has heard the comparisons from people for years about how similar the two are.

You would think that would be enough to have Joel running as fast as he can in the other direction, but he is running right at those comparisons and expectations with nothing but determination in his eyes.

"I don't even think about the comparisons because I view myself as a completely different person," the senior from North Platte High School in Nebraska. "I want to be the best I can be."

Joel is so used to the comparisons he talks about dealing with the expectations from the standpoint of someone twice his age.

"People compare us all the time but you can't get caught up in it," Joel said. "Ever since middle school they have been saying that, and I just really didn't pay attention to it because that would put a lot of pressure on your shoulders."

Despite the obvious comparisons, Joel knew that Chadron was right for him. When he steps foot on

campus in the fall, where he plans to major in physical therapy, he will be the next in a long

"Chadron was the only school that was really recruiting me hard," said Joel, who also considered a pair of Missouri schools in Truman State and NW Missouri among his college options.

Joel's commitment to the Eagles likely signals the end of the Woodheads in an Eagles football uniform at least for a while because he is the youngest of three brothers, although he does have two younger sisters.

Joel hopes to play running back for the Eagles where he thinks he can use his 5-foot-8, 190-pound frame the best, but he is more concerned about playing time than the position he is at.

"I am going down there to play running back, but wherever I can get on the field the fastest is where I want to play," he said.

The fact that Joel will have a chance to play as a freshman at the Division II school shows how much work he put in. He was home-schooled until high school and counted basketball as his favorite sport until a back injury sidelined him at the end of his sophomore year.

"I decided not to go out for basketball my junior or senior year, and I just started concentrating more on football and lifting weights," Joel said.

These are busy times for Joel with graduation coming on May 25 not to mention the excitement generated by Danny's entrance into the NFL.

"It has been pretty chaotic but I am happy for him because we are best friends and he deserves it," Joel said. "I never would have thought he would be playing in the NFL in high school, but with the numbers he put up in college and how he did at his pro day in Lincoln he was right at the top at his position."

Joel said he was actually surprised that no one took a chance on his brother in the draft feeling he was better than several running backs that came off the board in later rounds, but Joel said New York is the perfect place for him.

He is proud of his brother, but now he is just looking to make his own name on the football field no matter how much of his brother people see in him.