GREEN BAY – When Colby Wooden turned pro in 2023, the Packers defensive lineman told his mother, Nicole, that he'd eventually return to school and finish his college degree.
Now two full years into his NFL career, Wooden wasn't about to break that promise.
A man of his word, the 24-year-old defensive lineman enrolled in the final three classes he needed to earn his bachelor's degree from Auburn's School of Business this offseason.
He completed his final class right before reporting back to Green Bay last month.
"I started in January because I told my mom my second offseason that I was going to go back," Wooden said. "We were off most of the time, and I only had three classes, so it wasn't too much for me to handle."
The only downside to Wooden finishing now is the fact Auburn's summer commencement was Aug. 9, a bit of a problem in the middle of training camp.
Wooden spoke with Head Coach Matt LaFleur and briefly considered flying down to Alabama for the ceremony but ultimately chose to stay and play alongside his brothers during Saturday's preseason opener against the New York Jets.
Little did Wooden know the Packers and Auburn devised their own plans to bring graduation to him in Green Bay, complete with gap and gown.
On the morning of the Jets game, with Packers personnel executive and Auburn alumnus Pat Moore standing in for school president Christopher B. Roberts, Wooden was presented with a diploma during the team meeting.
The Packers even secretly arranged for Nicole to fly up to Green Bay to surprise Wooden, which may have accidentally given the plan away somewhat.
"I kind of figured it out early when she didn't answer my calls," said Wooden with a laugh. "But it was great. I was glad she came. My teammates, as well, are what really made it special, their joy for seeing me complete a milestone and still be here with them. That's all I could ask for."
The Green Bay Packers held a graduation ceremony for DL Colby Wooden to celebrate his achievement from Auburn University.
On the field, this is a big year for both the 2023 fourth-round pick and the entire D-line, which has a void to fill after run-stuffing nose tackle T.J. Slaton signed with Cincinnati in March.
Wooden hopes to be part of the inside solution and worked hard in the weight room to better position himself for a prominent role. After weighing around 275 pounds as a rookie, Wooden played in the high-280s last year and now hovers around 300.
Placing a heavier emphasis on weightlifting, Wooden feels he should be sturdier against the run and more powerful in his pass rush this season. He's off to a good start after racking up six tackles (one for loss) and deflecting a pass at the line of scrimmage in 26 defensive snaps vs. the Jets on Saturday.
It was confirmation of everything three-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Kenny Clark saw from Wooden this summer. The two live down the block from each other in Green Bay and Wooden was a frequent visitor to Clark's household whenever he hosted teammates for offseason film sessions.
"He's been working his (butt) off," Clark said. "We're breaking down film and just talking blocking schemes, talking everything. I'm just proud of how he's approached camp. He's been working on his pass rushing, working on his mentality. He came in and he's been having a tremendous camp."
Knowing how much work Wooden put into earning his degree, LaFleur and the coaching staff wanted to find a cool way to acknowledge the defensive lineman's efforts.
They settled on the graduation ceremony in front of all Wooden's teammates, which may be the first of its kind in Green Bay. According to LaFleur, the ceremony planted the idea in the heads of a few other current Packers players to finish their degrees.
"That was a graduation ceremony at the highest level," said LaFleur with a smile. "It was cool, too, when I left the team meeting, there were a couple guys (who) were like, 'Yeah … ' It made them want to go back and get their degrees. I don't want to throw the names out there, but hopefully those guys will go back and do it."
Wooden looks forward to putting his business degree to use after hopefully a long NFL career. For now, he's appreciative of his football opportunity in Green Bay and the lengths LaFleur and the entire organization went to make graduation day special.
"That's something they can never take from me – I'm a War Eagle man, an Auburn man," Wooden said. "I'm grateful to Coach LaFleur for doing that, setting that up for me. It would have been cool to walk, yeah, but at the end of the day, I feel like what we did here was pretty one-of-one, pretty rare."
