Meet the New Tigers: Caleb Wooden
Following in his brother's footsteps or blazing his own trail?
Welcome to part 3 of my “Meet the New Tigers” series! Yesterday we covered athletic nose tackle Enyce Sledge and today we’ll discuss another defender in the 2022 recruiting class. Our third lowest ranked recruit in the class, Caleb Wooden is a bit of a “tweener” in terms of size and skillset. Younger brother to Auburn’s defensive lineman Colby Wooden, he will look to forge his legacy on the plains playing in the backfield.
Rejoice! Auburn’s first game against Mercer is only 108 days away. Like I mentioned with Enyce Sledge, this is a player I am very much hoping to see getting a healthy amount of reps against our home opener.
3* Safety | Caleb Wooden | 6’1” 180 lbs. | Archer H.S. | Lawrenceville, GA
Let’s be candid. With legacy players, there is always a debate about whether or not they are being taken for their merit or based on their connections. This question gets amplified whenever a player isn’t ranked high by the national recruiting services. Undoubtedly it is a tough decision on Caleb’s end as well; the idea of playing with your brother in the SEC is something that most boys born in the bible belt dream of doing. However, there is always going to be that shadow for younger brothers to outgrow.
Wooden steps into Auburn with a lot of things going his way. Playing a different position, enrolling early, and getting a heavy amount of reps in the spring game all point toward a promising future. Likely, Wooden can simply step out of his brother’s shadow instead of worrying about outgrowing it.
Keep in mind that his position coach and recruiter, Zac Etheridge, has been killing it on the trail. This isn’t a position where Auburn needed to “settle” on a player. Wooden earned the scholarship offer by demonstrating a high football IQ, aggressive play style, and is a ball hawk in the deep middle of the field.
One thing to watch is how Wooden grows in college. He has an incredibly well-cut build for a high school senior. There is some talk that he might eventually transition into a linebacker/safety hybrid with time. I expect that his rankings (867th Nationally, 73rd Safety, and 89th in Georgia) will quickly be proven wrong.
Let’s break down three pros & cons of Wooden’s tape:
Pros:
Fits the zone scheme. Wooden reminds me of a center fielder. He has the speed, strength, and recognition skills to sit in the deep middle third of the field and hunt down the ball. Once he has the ball in his hands he is a threat to house it for six.
Excels on Special Teams. Wooden will see the field this year plain and simple. Young players that can contribute to Special Teams are crucial to a team’s success. Wooden returned punts for touchdowns blocked field goals and was a head hunter on kickoffs.
High football IQ. As mentioned previously, Wooden has been praised as a smart player that can diagnose a play. Having an older brother who has gone through the process already has to be highly valuable to Caleb’s development. Being an early enrollee at a thin position will be huge as well.
Cons:
Also mentioned previously, Wooden is a bit of a tweener in terms of size and skillset. He’s not slow but he doesn’t have top-end speed. He’s not short but he’s not tall for safety. He’s small for a player in the box but pretty thick compared to other safeties. This can be a pro with a team that can utilize his unique combination of traits. Especially as he adds mass.
A major leap in the competition coming into the SEC. This is the case for all high school kids but watching the film is worse for Wooden. During most of the tape, I watched Wooden look bigger and faster than almost everyone he played against. The spring game showed some instances where he wasn’t fully ready for the speed of college play just yet.
Over-aggressive gambler. This can be amazing when he steals a ball from a receiver or delivers a huge hit (and man can he lay the wood) but it can also lead to busted plays. Etheridge and his older mentors will need to help him learn when to gamble and when to play it smart.
2022-23 Impact Projection:
This staff doesn’t simply hand playing time to young players; look at Lee Hunter getting zero reps despite being one of our highest-rated recruits last year. Players have to be consistent and show out at practice to earn reps on Saturday. The large number of reps Wooden got in the spring game should serve as a signal the staff believes in him. I expect him to get some rotational reps and extended play on special teams.
One area in which Wooden has to show more development is in man coverage. Though we see a lot of zone coverage, there are going to be times where he can’t play off the line with so much cushion. He will have to continue to improve his versatility to include several roles.
Competition-wise, Wooden has a lot of talent fighting with him for the two safety spots and Nickelback. Donovan Kaufman is a highly experienced slot/nickel, Zion Puckett is well respected by the staff, Cayden Bridges won’t want to be outshined by a true freshman, Marquise Gilbert was brought in from the JuCo ranks to be a starting safety, and Iowa State transfer Craig McDonald is a favorite to start as well.
Wooden will likely see at least a small number of reps in every game this season. He can realistically play three to four positions for the Tigers not including his special teams ability.