When Virginia Tech's coaches raised the possibility of Caleb Woodson moving from star linebacker to their inside linebacker spots, it caught many by surprise especially since Woodson had shown lots of promise at star and appeared to be the heir to Keonta Jenkins at that spot. Woodson also had been recruited to play the star position rather than work as an inside linebacker, even if his physical development suggested he could be a better fit elsewhere.
Well seven games into the 2024 season, it seems pretty clear now that those making hundreds of thousands of dollars to make those calls knew exactly what Woodson could become.
Woodson didn't earn a starting job out of fall camp but after just a few weeks with both Jaden Keller and Keli Lawson working through the starting will linebacker role, Woodson got his chance to take it on against Rutgers. Since then, Woodson has cemented himself as a defensive playmaker with massive potential who could be on his way to earning at least All-ACC Honorable Mention honors by the end of this season.
In his first four games as a starter, Woodson has played extremely well with 29 tackles including 4.5 for loss with one sack. He's also had 14 stops, a stat PFF uses for an offensive play considered a failure, during the course of those four games which is almost double the eight stops he had all of last season.
Through all that, Woodson has clearly found a home as an inside linebacker and while his play may not be perfect, he is impressing just about anyone who watches him play. That includes head coach Brent Pry who has been impressed with how quickly Woodson has been able to adapt playing in the box rather than in space.
