Countdown: No. 14 Chandler Wooten
AUBURN | The votes from our subscribers and moderators are in as we continue our Top 20 with a veteran linebacker who returns to fill a key role for the defense.
NO. 14 CHANDLER WOOTEN
6-2, 228, Senior
Acworth, Ga.
VOTES: Jay G (12), BMatt (16), J Lee (14), Nate (15), Bunker (17)
Don’t let Chandler Wooten’s two career starts fool you. The senior linebacker has played in 30 games and been a key part of Auburn’s defense and special teams since his true freshman season in 2017. He really stepped up in 2019 after the graduation of three seniors posting career-highs in tackles (45) and tackles-for-loss (4.5). He also intercepted a fake punt attempt against Arkansas, and had his best game at LSU where he totaled five tackles and one tackle-for-loss.
Wooten brings a lot of versatility to Auburn’s defense with his ability to play both the Mike and Sam linebacker positions. He’ll enter his senior season as a key backup to both K.J. Britt and Owen Pappoe and also an important team leader on and off the field. He’s been one of the Tigers’ most outspoken players on social media during the Black Lives Matter protests.
WHY NO. 12 (Jay G): Wooten is a player whose value is rooted in being a full-service football player. By that, I mean defensive coordinator Kevin Steele feels comfortable deploying Wooten in any situation — 1st-and-10, 2nd-and-long, 3rd-and-long, 3rd-and-short. Wooten is aggressive, but not careless. He's smart, but not bogged down by over-analysis. He can drop into pass coverage and perform at least reasonably well. He's strong enough to fill a gap and maintain a gap when necessary. He also has the ability to understand Steele's defensive calls from a meta perspective; he can rectify misalignments in real time and mentally situate younger teammates quickly.
He's not perfect. Wooten misses more tackles than he should — Pro Football Focus credited him with nine during the 2019 season, which ranks second among Auburn defenders — and isn't elite at any one skill. He lacks explosiveness.
Still, Wooten is reliable and credible and makes the defense a sharper organization when on the field. And he'll lay a lick when the situation presents itself.