He’s home …

After a stint in San Francisco, Charlie Woerner returned to the Peach State this past offseason. With the Falcons, Woerner has been an integral part of the Falcons early success in their 2024 campaign. Furthermore, his leadership and not for himself, but for others attitude was an evident trait long before his homecoming in Atlanta. It was a characteristic not even born at the University of Georgia; it was qualities developed in humble Rabun County that carried him through those phases of life following.

“I’d call it a privilege to grow up in Rabun County,” said Woerner. “Small-town Georgia high school football is so fun, and getting to play alongside my best friends that I grew up with was also a privilege.”

Throughout his high school career, offers came in, but Georgia, Alabama and Clemson were the only true destinations Woerner had in mind.

“My sophomore year Coach [Mark] Richt brought me to the ‘G’ on the 50-yard line,” said Woerner. “He offered me right there on the spot. I think my response was ‘I gotta go ask my mom and make sure she’s good with it.”

Come senior year, the Dawgs were the runaway favorites to land Woerner, a royal last name in Georgia football lore. Charlie’s uncle Scott was an All-American safety and national champion on the 1980 squad. Everyone kept asking about his uncle’s playing days and if that affected his decision. Despite Charlie’s love for the Dawgs his entire life, the barrage of Scott related questions nearly turned Charlie away.

“I almost didn’t want to go to Georgia because I kept hearing that,” said Woerner. “I kept hearing ‘are you gonna go there because of your uncle?’ I was just a Georgia fan though, not just because of him… I look back at pictures from my childhood, and I was like, ‘Oh, there’s a Georgia shirt, oh, there’s a jersey, oh, there’s a hat.’ Every single picture, I am wearing red and black.”

At the end of the day, the four-star tight end wound up in Athens.

Upon Woerner’s arrival to McWhorter Hall at the University of Georgia, he was paired with Jake Fromm, the highly-touted quarterback recruit out of Houston County. Fromm, a year younger than Woerner, early-enrolled in the spring semester of 2017. Woerner, going into his first full spring with the team as a freshman, found himself living with the hot shot freshman from middle Georgia. The two became fast friends and lived together each year after dorm life.

“Jake is one of my best friends today,” said Woerner. “We have been together since day one on campus, and I still train with him in the off seasons… Like every relationship, we had our ups and downs, but we grew so much in college. We still talk about it to this day.”

Despite their roommate relationship, I joked that Fromm showed Woerner no love on the field, only scoring one touchdown in college. It came in 2019 when Fromm finally found his crossing roomie in the end zone of Bobby Dodd Stadium. Dawgs win 52-7, Charlie Woerner finally scores a touchdown in his final regular season game, and George Pickens slung Georgia Tech cornerback Tre Swilling into a wall… what a day in Atlanta!

“I still give Jake a hard time,” said Woerner. “I think he would’ve loved to throw it to me more, but I was more in a blocking role. But, I can remember that play like it was yesterday. If you look up Charlie Woerner touchdown, the first picture that comes up probably is me on my knees with my hands up. In that moment, my first thought was Psalms 46:10, which says, ‘Be still and know that I am God.’”

A special moment that took place a few streets over from where Woerner now plays every Sunday. Full circle.

In the offseason leading to the Falcons’ 2024 campaign, Atlanta scored a major pick up, bringing in the five-year veteran tight end. An experienced blocker and leader, Woerner played in Super Bowl LVII with the 49ers just two seasons ago and brings that postseason experience with him to the 404.

After a few other trade acquisitions such as superstar quarterback Kirk Cousins and a new head coach hire in Raheem Morris, the Falcons kicked off 2024 with a few staple victories in primetime over the Eagles on Monday Night Football and the Buccaneers on Thursday Night Football. With Mercedes-Benz slap full, the Dirty Birds gave the fans a show in both games. For Woerner, family and friends joined the Atlantans, a luxury Charlie, his wife Sydney, and their two-year old son Henry, didn’t always have playing on the west coast away from family.

“We appreciate it so much after being 2,500 miles away,” said Woerner. “My wife and I were in San Francisco for four years, two of which were Covid-19 years, so the family couldn’t always get out to see us. Now, I have younger nieces and nephews that get to come. If my career ended tomorrow, they would have memories of seeing me play in these games. That is special to me.”

All the way from Rabun County to downtown Atlanta with stops through Athens and San Francisco, Woerner is a household name. The beginnings carved out in AA Georgia High School football, Woerner is a toilworn craftsman that solidified Damn Good Dawg status in the Classic City and now Damn Good Dirty Bird status right down I-85 in Atlanta.

Tune into the Hammy Show on Spotify and follow along on Instagram @‌wearebulldawgs and @‌the_hammyshow to catch Hammy’s entire interview with Charlie Woerner!