‘His life shines for Jesus.’ Charlie Woerner’s legacy at Georgia centered on faith

Charlie Woerner stood at a lectern, a bundle of nerves with his hands firmly grasping the sides and his back slightly hunched complemented his touch of swagger — a bright, dapper red bow tie.

Such a duty isn’t Woerner’s forte. Georgia’s senior tight end doesn’t talk much. Especially not comfortably in front of crowds, or even a small media assemblage of 10-or-so people. That’s not in the small-town Georgia mountain boy’s DNA.

“I’m a little nervous doing this,” Woerner said, seconds after his hand touched the microphone for his first words.

Woerner didn’t plan to speak, and only learned of the responsibility a few hours prior to the Bulldogs’ senior gala on Dec. 8. His teammates voted him for the honor (senior tight ends have done it for three straight seasons). Woerner might normally ask his fiancee, former Georgia volleyball player Sydney Gilliam, for advice with structuring his thoughts.

This time, however, the message lay on his heart. He had no reason to ask, because Woerner could let his true light shine — a passion for Christ.

Faith defines Woerner’s four years at Georgia. He saw a bigger picture than the sport each time he wore the uniform. Woerner carried the mission of “glorifying God” first, and emerged as a leader of faith.

He thanked a laundry list of role players around the program, then the connection to faith came when addressing the Bulldogs’ 37-10 loss in the SEC Championship to LSU. Woerner spat out how he thought the critics could label Georgia’s season — a “bust,” “missed the mark” and “average” for not making the College Football Playoff.

He thought exactly the opposite. He stated a verse, 2 Corinthians 5:17, to say losses don’t define Georgia’s season and the performance of each individual player.

“There’s more to life than football, and I said I was proud of them for who they are,” Woerner said in the locker room after beating Baylor, 26-14, in the Sugar Bowl. “Wins and losses are something that’s not eternal. It doesn’t matter in eternity. I hope that grabbed their attention, and that they’re able to enjoy and practice hard for the Lord.”

Woerner might not like talking in groups, but he thrives in one-on-one situations. In every opportunity to praise God or share the gospel, you could find Woerner in the middle of it. That’s displayed by post-game prayer circles with quarterback Jake Fromm and offensive tackle Andrew Thomas, leading offseason bible studies each week, and sharing bible verses with tight ends’ coach Todd Hartley.

“He walks the walk,” said walk-on wide receiver Josh Moran, who is vocal with faith around the football team alongside Woerner, Patrick Burke, Fromm and others. Moran is in the transfer portal, and trusts in his faith to find a new destination next season. “He shines for Jesus, man. It’s awesome.”

Woerner’s biggest win of Sugar Bowl week came inside the Oschner Hospital for Children. Georgia players were readying to leave, and Woerner wandered with his teammates to visit with patients — not much more than a simple greeting and giving away some Bulldog gear. Suddenly, running back Zamir White and wide receiver Tyler Simmons called him over to pray for a mother and child.

They found Tiffany Ruis and her 6-month-old daughter, Rose. Woerner placed arms around Ruis and Simmons, closed his eyes and began to pray. He could tell that the baby faced a number of medical issues, and asked the Lord for healing. Woerner believed that it could be done.

As the group bowed their heads, tears welled up in Ruis’ eyes. More than football, these moments serve as priority to Woerner.

“I prayed for peace,” Woerner said. “That moment kind of shook me. I’m blessed with the life I have, and some of these people are troubled. I have no reason to complain, and that puts things in perspective.”

Woerner became a believer in his senior year of high school. He accepted Christ inside the freshman athletic dorms, and attends Living Hope Church regularly alongside Gilliam.

“Christ is priority No. 1 for him,” Blazevich said. “Charlie sharing his faith is nothing but genuine by allowing other people to see his relationship with Christ. His legacy is one of transparency, and that’s the best part about him.”

He’s worked around a busy schedule to be intentional with it. He and Gilliam might spend less time together throughout the week so he can take a teammate to dinner. During the summer, Woerner took time during the summer to pray over each player’s locker and coach’s office alongside Moran and others. There has been sacrifice, but the influence has been seen within Georgia’s locker room.

His career hasn’t gotten much spotlight. He became known as a blocking tight end rather quickly, however, and receptions were sparse. A lack of contributions at times created more discouragement than Woerner let on. His first thought wasn’t statistics or touchdowns, but Woerner felt a need to be the best version of himself entering an anticipated senior campaign.

Woerner had a dedicated offseason, and lost around 15 pounds. He thought it would lead to results, but he didn’t see his chances to haul in receptions. Woerner is a tight end in a wide receiver’s frame, so his hopes for catches are justified. It led to some more frustrations, but knew it wouldn’t be the right move to walk into Kirby Smart’s office and ask for more opportunity. Therefore, it took a team effort of prayer.

Gilliam’s mom felt it on her heart to pray for Woerner’s role in October, and wanted to do so again in November toward season’s end. Gilliam recalled God telling her mother to “pray this prayer for 21 days.” On the 21st day, Georgia closed its regular season at Georgia Tech, and Woerner scored the first touchdown of his career.

Everything didn’t go his way. Woerner didn’t win all the time, nor did he have all of the on-field success he might’ve desired. He did, however, play with his faith at the forefront.

That molds his legacy at Georgia.

“I want to be remembered as a guy who played for Christ and loved Him,” Woerner said. “God destined all of these people to be on this team for a reason, and there are a bunch of Christ-loving dudes. It has been an honor to grow with them. I’m so happy God led me to go to Georgia.”