Woerner seeking legacy for himself

Charlie Woerner

ATHENS — has seen his uncle making the play, a moment preserved in posterity on various fuzzy YouTube clips, now nearly 37 years ago: Scott Woerner turns, leaps and makes the interception that preserves a Georgia win over Notre Dame and a national championship.

But the nephew and uncle don’t really talk about it. Nor do they talk about corny things like Charlie making his own legacy, or living up to the family name, or any of that.

“We usually don’t talk about football too much,” Charlie Woerner said. “We just talk about hunting and fishing, or whatever he’s doing.”

And the last time they did that, Charlie was in high school.

“Football’s been pretty demanding here,” he said.

“Here” is Georgia, where the nephew has followed in his uncle’s path, not afraid to constantly be asked about his All-American relative. But Charlie, who plays on the other side of the ball — tight end, rather than defensive back — also isn’t particularly tied to the famous last name. He didn’t ask for Scott Woerner’s number (19), though he did take the latter digit. He wears 89.

“I just want to be Charlie,” he said. “I don’t want to live under anything else other than who I am.”

That’s also something he’s trying to figure out, at least in a football sense.

Charlie Woerner came to Georgia last year with a blend of size (6-foot-5, 251 pounds) and athletic ability that made him intriguing. It also made it hard to assign him a definite spot.

He mostly played wide receiver at Rabun County High. But Georgia put him in the tight end room and began developing him there.

“It was pretty difficult last year, trying to get down in a three-point stance every time. My hips were pretty sore to start off,” Woerner said.

“It’s been an experience, for sure, but it’s been a lot of fun, learning something new.”

Then it didn’t help that he sustained an ankle injury in the preseason. He still played in all but one game last season, but the ankle lingered into the fall.

This year, Woerner is one of the players being used in the slot, a role he’s comfortable in, having done it in high school. He also flexed out occasionally last year.

But Woerner said his main emphasis this year has been on blocking, which he acknowledged as his main weakness.

Meanwhile, his uncle was having a big year. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame for his prowess as a defensive back and a punt returner.

Scott Woerner, who lives in North Georgia, is an active follower of his former team. He recently wrote a piece for DawgNation with a headline spoke for itself: “Enough is Enough, it’s time for UGA to win a championship.”

When Georgia won that last title, Woerner had two interceptions. Two catches. His nephew wouldn’t mind a couple of catches himself when the rematch finally takes place, in a few weeks.

“I think it’s pretty cool,” Charlie Woerner said. “I’m excited to go up there and be a part of the second clash with Notre Dame.”