Consistency key for Colby Wooden's emergence at DT

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Consistency key for Colby Wooden's emergence at DT

By Tom Green | tgreen@al.com

5-6 minutes

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Defensive lineman Colby Wooden (middle) fights through a double-team by offensive linemen Brandon Council (71) and Brodarius Hamm (59) during fall camp on Aug. 25. (Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics)Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics

Replacing a consensus All-American and generational talent like Derrick Brown was never going to be easy. Auburn defensive coordinator Kevin Steele and defensive line coach Rodney Garner knew that much, and it’s something they certainly braced for over the course of the last few years.

They knew that, either after the 2018 or 2019 seasons, Brown would be gone, either as an early entrant into the NFL as a junior or after his four years of eligibility were completed on the Plains. A replacement would have to emerge — through years of recruiting and development by Steele and Garner — to fill that defensive tackle spot that has been such a steady hand the last few seasons.

While Auburn had no shortage of options to fill that void, thanks to the high-level recruiting by Steele and Garner along the defensive line over the years, the player who settled into Brown’s former starting job turned out to be one of the biggest surprises of Auburn’s 2020 depth chart reveal on Tuesday. Yet sitting there atop the depth chart at defensive tackle, after a prolonged offseason and five weeks of practices was redshirt freshman Colby Wooden.

“He’s been consistent,” Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said. “Been consistent. He’s been impressive throughout fall camp playing the run, rushing the passer and just being consistent. And, you know, when we recruited him, we had high expectations for him. And so, we think he’s in a good spot right now.”

A former, four-star defensive end prospect out of Lawrenceville, Ga., Wooden appeared in just three games during a freshman campaign that was set back by a battle with mononucleosis that affected his ability to not just practice but also work out for a period of time. Yet Steele said earlier this month that it was Wooden who had taken perhaps the biggest step forward this preseason.

Auburn’s fifth-year defensive coordinator said Wooden wasn’t necessarily the stand-out star of fall camp on defense, but the difference from Year 1 to Year 2 for the versatile defensive lineman was stark. Steele lauded his ability to play multiple spots along the defensive line, commented on the noticeable increase in strength compared to last season and praised Wooden’s competitive nature, treating each rep, play and drill as a win-or-lose situation.

“He’s grown so much as a person,” senior linebacker and team captain K.J. Britt said. “He’s grown so much, mentally and physically. Just looking at him grown, I really don’t even recognize him. He wants to be the best he can be, and that’s something you really can’t take from him. He wants to be the best he can be every day and be consistent every day — day in and day out. He flashes some way, every day. That’s just something we’ve seen from him.”

As Malzahn put it Tuesday, it was Wooden’s consistency that set him apart this fall, as he earned the job over the player many assumed to be the favorite to replace Brown, senior Daquan Newkirk. Instead, it was Newkirk listed as the backup, followed by freshman Jay Hardy and converted offensive lineman Jeremiah Wright, who made the move to defensive tackle to provide depth after the departure of Coynis Miller midway through fall camp.

Wooden is listed at just 6-foot-4 and 268 pounds but is actually bigger than that now, according to Malzahn. How much bigger? The Tigers' eighth-year head coach didn’t have an exact number there, but Wooden has at least shown the ability to punch up in weight class while moving to the interior of the defensive line.

“It’s his quickness,” Malzahn said. “He’s strong. He’s got instincts. You know, when you move inside, that’s a different world. I just know that he’s got really good instincts and has gotten a lot of reps this fall. I think he’ll have the ability to improve each game.”

Now he’ll have the opportunity to show as much Saturday against No. 23 Kentucky in his first SEC game, first career start and first game as the successor to one of the program’s all-time great players in Brown.

“He’s gotten better,” Britt said. “He’s gotten better. I can’t wait to watch him play. I can’t wait to play behind him. If you ask me, he’s doing a dang good job playing his position, holding his gap, playing with his hands and understanding the playbook. I can’t wait to play behind him.”

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.