Inside the commitment: Auburn flips highly athletic 4-star linebacker Robert Woodyard from Alabama
Auburn’s coaching staff has been working every angle possible to pull a few flips off in the 2022 cycle. They have gotten it done with Robert Woodyard. Not only did they flip Woodyard, they got him away from in-state enemy, Alabama. Bryan Harsin proved that he can flip top-tier talent, and did so in year 1.
Woodyard, despite being committed to the Crimson Tide, has been leaning toward Auburn for a while. For this one, the job was not over until the early signing period. While it has gotten out that Woodyard visited Auburn multiple times, Alabama still attempted to keep him in the class.
This is a big commitment for the Tigers in so many different ways. Now that Woodyard is locked in, what kind of player is he? Where does he fit in at Auburn? Can he find some early playing time? We will answer all of that and more.
The 411
Woodyard is from Mobile, Alabama and plays at Williamson high school. That is the school of current Auburn corner, Roger McCreary. He also has a cousin on the team in freshman Lee Hunter. Woodyard is in the top 200 players in the country regardless of position. He is also in the top 15 at his position nationally.
He is around 6-foot-1 and 215-pounds and has plenty of athleticism at the linebacker position. Woodyard is definitely more of a new school linebacker. In other words, he’s more of an athlete than a downhill run stopper. There is absolutely a market for these types of linebackers in today’s game.
The new Auburn linebacker commit has been a two-way player in high school since he was in the 10th grade. He is a threat to break big runs as a running back and can get open, then make people miss as a receiver. He even lines up in the wildcat from time to time. The elite athleticism is always on display.
Woodyard is not yet a complete linebacker as he is not overly physical at the point of attack. He does possess the raw power to be that type of player however. There aren’t many other higher ceilings in the 2022 class. That physicality could come with some added mass to an excellent frame.
Recruitment recap
Auburn was impressed with Woodyard early on in his recruitment. Most every other school got in on him early as well. Woodyard was once a 5-star prospect by certain rankings. He developed as a younger guy and showed his skills at camps. While he still has all of those skills, he was just ahead of most in his class physically.
Alabama was one program who made him a priority while he was transitioning from sophomore to junior year. On Jun. 25, 2020, Woodyard committed to the Tide and stayed with them all the way up until the day that he signed his official letter of intent. The Tigers flipped the long standing Alabama commit on the first day of the early signing period.
During his senior year, Auburn began to push for him to visit their campus and build a relationship with the coaching staff. He listened and snuck over for a visit during the summer, then again for Auburn’s Big Cat Weekend. Since then, Woodyard has been spotted at Auburn for a few home games during the 2021 season, most recently for the Iron Bowl.
Auburn fit
Where does Woodyard fit in Auburn’s current defensive scheme? Although we didn’t get to see a full year from Owen Pappoe, we were able to see what defensive coordinator, Derek Mason was trying to do with him. He was often moved around to different places such as the outside linebacker spot as well as being used as a deep coverage guy in Tampa 2 coverage.
Woodyard has a similar playing style to Pappoe. He can be used as a blitzer, a box linebacker, or as a coverage guy. He excels in coverage and often finds himself in passing lanes. Woodyard was able to cause some turnovers during his senior year by dropping into coverage and playing the ball quickly from his linebacker spot.
If he were to line up in the box, he has excellent speed and pursuit ability. He can make plays from sideline to sideline as shown in the clip above. Again, Woodyard isn’t going to take on and collision blocks, but he usually brings the heat when making tackles in the open field. These days it is important to have different skill-sets in the linebacker room, and Woodyard brings an athletic repertoire that does exist in many 220+ pound football players.
Football IQ
There are always two sides to football IQ: instinct and apparent knowledge of the game. Some players have both while some players are stronger in one category specifically. Woodyard is an instinctive football player. He isn’t going to patrol and be a physical presence in the middle of the defense. Rather, he will make a lot of his plays out in space by having a great feel for the game.
Notice in the clip above that Woodyard sees where the play is going from his linebacker spot. This shows still learning the positioning side of things but he has great recovery and finds a way into the play. When he arrives to the ball-carrier he is able to have enough awareness to get a clean strip and then locate and recover the ball. This is an instinctive football play. It is natural for him to make plays like these.
When it comes to learning a defensive system on the next level, it may take some time. Much like a quarterback on offense, linebackers have to control and call the defense and make checks. They have to be able to understand all of the looks from an offense. Woodyard will be a playmaker, but how long will it take to adjust to a more advanced system? That will be a new challenge.
SEC readiness
As we always say when breaking down recruits: Football IQ allows players to earn playing time. If a young player is not confident in what they’re doing, they will not see the field, no matter how talented. Again, Woodyard will have a learning curve, but for what he will be doing, he can be used sparingly early on. He could bring an athletic and energetic presence as a blitzer, or to man up on a running back without having a full understanding of the playbook.
Will he play early at Auburn? It’s certainly possible. Auburn is losing their top 3 guys within the next two years. The current backups aren’t given an abundance of snaps, so it seems as though competition at these positions will be wide open. Woodyard more than likely chose the Tigers in the end because he knew there would be opportunity.
Follow Cole Pinkston on Twitter at @colepinkston. Follow Auburn Live on Twitter at @auburnliveon3.
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