When it comes to leadership for Auburn football, a massive void has been left due to the recent 2021 NFL Draft.
With K.J. Britt gone, the defense has not only lost a vocal alpha capable of directing the defense and leading by example, which in this case, means laying out running backs thinking they can find daylight down the middle of the field.
Luckily, it appears as though the Tigers have a contingency plan in place to attempt to replicate what Britt brought to the table.
He’s been on the roster just as long as Britt has too. Chandler Wooten–who opted out of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic–is returning in 2021 to claim his extra year of eligibility via the pandemic season waiver (which allows every senior one more NCAA season) and is expected to be that guy.
Nathan King of 247Sports named him as the direct replacement to Britt on the field, but his voice off the field might be more important to the team’s schemes considering the on-field dominance of LBs Owen Pappoe and Zakoby McClain.
LB coach Jeff Schmedding noted the Acworth, GA native’s effect on other players in the locker-room:
"“From a leadership standpoint, the one thing is — guys listen when he talks,” Auburn linebackers coach Jeff Schmedding said of Wooten. “A guy that has that ability, you’re not just hoping but you’re trying to make sure it’s the right message, and it has been. He reiterates what we’re saying and he does a good job of self-diagnosing, too. He’s not just one of those guys that points at other people. That’s a big step for everybody when you’re talking about a new staff. The teams that get split are the ones that blame and defend themselves. I have not seen anything like that from Chandler."
Auburn football has big shoes to fill with Britt’s departure. Already, Britt is acclimating himself to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers coaching staff, showing just how vital he is to the behind-the-scenes operations of the organizations he joins.
Wooten could be that same level of liaison between the coaches and the players, keeping guys in line and sticking to the message of Derek Mason and the other members of Bryan Harsin’s point-prevention unit.
If he can serve in that role well, perhaps the Tigers could navigate one of college football’s toughest schedules in 2021.