Now a captain, Chandler Wooten is picking up right where he left off for Auburn — and then some

Without the veteran in 2020, Auburn's LBs logged heavy snap counts. But he's back for 2021, bringing leadership and versatility to the heart of the defense.

(Todd Van Emst/Auburn Athletics)

Owen Pappoe noticed it early in camp.

He watched Chandler Wooten come down with an interception in practice. A few days later, he almost had another. Pappoe saw his older teammate move all over the place in new defensive coordinator Derek Mason’s scheme — blitzing, flying downhill to stop the run, dropping back in coverage.

Any rust was completely knocked off by the senior linebacker.

“He’s going to have a big year,” Pappoe said. “For a guy who didn’t play last year, you can’t even tell, because it’s almost like he hasn’t skipped a beat.”

Next week, Wooten will play his first game in 613 days. He hasn’t taken the field in a game that has counted since New Year’s Day 2020. Wooten opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 concerns while awaiting the birth of his son, Chance.

Chance Wooten will be in Jordan-Hare Stadium a week from Saturday, when his proud father makes his return to action in the Tigers’ opener against Akron.

“He'll be at all the home games,”…