If you drill down into the 6-foot-5 core that is Charlie Woerner, you’ll find family at the center. And that goes way beyond his famous uncle, College Football Hall of Famer Scott Woerner.
Scott Woerner, an All-American defensive back on Georgia’s 1980 national championship team, is a relatively small part of the story of Charlie becoming a Bulldog.
“I actually got sick of hearing that,” Woerner says of the narrative that he was simply following his uncle’s legacy to Athens. “You know, at the end of every article, ‘Charlie Woerner, nephew of Scott Woerner.’ I couldn’t get away from it.”
No, with Charlie, it’s all about immediate family, which defines him. That may not have been a matter of choice, considering that unit goes nine deep.
Charlie is the product of a vibrant household. One of seven children born to Kent and Kathie Woerner, Charlie is the baby brother of a massive mountain clan. The Woerner children are Rachel (29), Allen (27), Peter (25), Jack (23), Sally (20), Charlie (18) and Lucy (15). With the exception of one year in Atlanta, they all grew up in Rabun County, the northeastern-most county in the state.
“People ask me, ‘Who did you look up to when you were young?’” Woerner said. “I don’t say some pro athlete or college athlete. I’ve always looked up to my big brothers. They’re who I spent all my time with. Definitely, without a doubt, they’re the biggest influences in my life.”
There is a little more room in the Woerner’s five-bedroom house nowadays. Rachel and Allen each married. Sally is at Western Carolina, where she runs track. Jack, Peter, Charlie and Lucy are all still at home, but Charlie, who spent most of his life sleeping in a four-bunk room, will be next to leave.
A four-star prospect as a wide receiver, he will report to Athens with the rest of the 2016 incoming class in June. The fact that he’ll be looking at just a 90-minute drive along U.S. 441 to get back home is the biggest reason Charlie chose UGA over the dozens of other schools that recruited him.
“I really just wanted to go there and stay close to home,” he said.
Outdoor family
Hearing the family tales of growing up in the shadow of Tiger Mountain, it’s hard to blame Charlie for not wanting to venture far away. The Woerners are an outdoors family, living on a 5 1/2-acre wilderness property on the edge of the Chattahoochee National Forest.
But they’re also a family of educators who long ago decided to raise their kids here. Think “Duck Dynasty” meets “The Waltons.” Woerner credits outdoor living for much of his athletic ability.
“I think a lot of it was just being outside playing,” he said. “Mom and Dad would make us stay outside for the whole day. We’d go inside and try to get water, and they’d just shove us right back outside.”
Charlie Woerner always identified his Uncle Scott as an exceptional outdoorsman rather than a football star. It wasn’t until Charlie took physical education classes from his uncle in middle school that he was made aware of his tremendous gridiron accomplishments.
Already a member of the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, Scott Woerner has been designated for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in December.
“I knew they won a national championship and everything, but it really didn’t hit me until middle school that he was that big,” Charlie said.
Football is sort in the family DNA and that extends beyond his uncle. Kent Woerner played at Furman and was good enough to get a free-agent tryout with the New York Giants.
All his boys made it to college in the sport. Allen was an exceptional tight end at Mars Hill, Peter played defensive line at LaGrange and then Brevard, and Jack played fullback at Brevard.
The family credits “Little Brother Syndrome” for Charlie growing into the unusual athlete he’s become. He also plays basketball and recently won at regional in discus and shot put while also qualifing for state meet in the 100 meters.
“I mean, I had three older brothers, and they were always beating me up,” Charlie said, half-joking. “I was always trying to keep up with them. I think that made me mature a little faster, following them around all the time.”
Woerner legend grows
It didn’t take long for Woerner to outgrow the brother’s shadows. Rabun County coach Lee Shaw first inserted the gangly ninth grader at free safety with the simplistic charge of “go find the football.” He started for four years.
“Everybody would look at him and wonder why he wasn’t playing defensive end,” Shaw said. “I’d just ask them, ‘Have you seen him play free safety?’ Here’s a cat that can flat-out run the alley.”
While safety always was his primary position, he became more of a special weapon on offense, sometimes as a receiver, sometimes as a running back or even a running quarterback.
“It’s going to be fun to see where his fit is finally going to be (at UGA), because Charlie can play a lot of positions,” Shaw said.
Georgia offensive coordinator Jim Chaney has a similar plan. While he signed as a wide receiver, Charlie said he has been told that UGA plans to utilize him first as a hybrid tight end, occasionally flexing out wide and sometimes blocking out of the backfield.
Georgia already is well-stocked at tight end, including returning starter with Jeb Blazevich. But because of his versatility, Shaw wouldn’t be surprised if Woerner is utilized in other ways, including special teams and possibly even defense.
Time to move on
Recruiting was relatively painless for Charlie. He seriously contemplated going somewhere other than Georgia. The family was particularly fond of Clemson and of Alabama.
But Woerner committed to Georgia in July and never wavered after coach Mark Richt’s departure.
The family attention has already shifted to Dad. Freshly retired as a principal at Rabun County Elementary, Kent Woerner is running for the District 8 seat in the Georgia House of Representatives.
“I always thought Dad was higher up than a principal anyways,” Charlie said. “He always knew so many people, could speak so well in a crowd, I always thought he would do something like that. … I think Dad’s biggest accolade going into this race is raising seven children.”
Hard to argue with that.
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