The chance to visit Auburn again was something Blake Woodby couldn't pass up.
That's exactly what happened this weekend.
Woodby's high school teammate, Bryce Deas, had booked a trip to participate in Auburn's Elite Camp Sunday. Knowing that Woodby was fresh off his official visit, Deas had asked about Auburn, and ultimately, Woodby decided to tag along on the trip.
Why did he return to Auburn just a week after his official visit?
"It’s just family, it’s nothing shady going on," Woodby said. "Everybody loves each other here. I know everybody — from the janitors, to the NIL department, to offensive coaches, d-line coaches, not just Coach [Wesley McGriff], Coach Rohan (Gaines) and Coach (Charles) Kelly, I know everybody here."
It's not necessarily a convenient trip, either. Woodby lives in Baltimore, Md., playing for St. Frances in the Charm City, nearly 800 miles away from Auburn. Once he was back in Auburn, there was no need for a name tag, because everybody knows him.
That's how it should be in his eyes.
"You kinda lose the feeling of football," Woodby said. "Football is a team sport and everybody is supposed to be a brotherhood, supposed to be a family. You lose that aspect when it becomes a factory and coaches only worry about what they got going on the field. It doesn’t really sit right in players mouths and it definitely doesn’t make a player want to play hard for them. The fact that I know everybody and everybody knows me, it’s great.
While on campus, Woodby strengthened his relationship with cornerbacks coach Wesley "Crime" McGriff. The two spent time hanging out at the elite camp, following a morning workout where Woodby got to learn under McGriff.
"It was pretty good," Woodby said. "He let me know a lot of things I need to work on, a lot of things that he felt like could make me a great player, not just a good player."
Knowing what McGriff has accomplished in the industry is a big thing for Woodby, who now has some things to take back to Baltimore.
"He has a rap sheet of putting guys in the league and he knows a lot of good players that played in the league for a long time," Woodby said. "The things that he said I need to work on, nine times out of 10, I probably got to work on them. Just going home and taking those mental notes, knowing the things that I did wrong, knowing the things that I did good. Just keep repping and getting better everyday."
Woodby will visit Maryland June 21-23 for his final official visit of the summer. He'll return next month to Auburn for Big Cat Weekend at the end of July and is looking at taking some other official visits in the fall.
However, he plans on having a decision no later than his birthday, on Sept. 21.
