Isaiah Wooden Sr. says that the four or five pounds—read, ‘of muscle’—he gained for his NFL tryout has increased the power of his acceleration.
Now, THAT should be something to see. He already looked like he’d been shot out of a cannon when he dominated the Ticats special team opponents on his way to three return touchdowns last year.
The 26-year-old returner was a surprise arrival in Ticat camp Monday morning as the Ticats pivoted quickly, releasing legendary returner Mario Alford, who had been a marquee free agency acquisition and had run a missed field goal back—although it was called back on a penalty—111 yards against the Argos Saturday night. Hamilton executives had contacted Wooden Sr. immediately when the Cleveland Browns released him last week after not giving him much of a chance to do what he does best: cleanly field kicks and threaten to take them to the house.
“I was able to push a lot faster,” Wooden Sr. said today of bulking up a bit to 178 pounds from last year’s 174-175, with NFL-guided nutritional and training techniques.
“When I get bigger, I’m able to put more force into the ground and get out of there a lot faster.
“It’s made me good for the CFL. So I’m excited to be able to come out here and build from it and just get to work.”
Many of his Ticat teammates from last season were not only happy to see him, they were somewhat startled when he showed up at the training table this morning, then suited up for a fairly short but intense practice. He only took a few punts—there are still others trying to make the squad through special teams, which could include a backup returner—but it was an instant reminder of why he made such an impact last year, when he amassed 1675 yards in punt and kickoff runbacks in just 14 games, scored those three touchdowns, and led the league in punt-return average and was second in kickoff returns.
“You can see it,” said Head Coach Scott Milanovich. “He’s explosive, brings great energy. Just personality-wise, he’s a great teammate. He was on the verge of being an elite returner last year. I think his second year is only going to make him better. So, we’re fired up to have him back.
“I didn’t expect to have this opportunity this quick. I thought there’s a chance he might make it….. unfortunately for him, he didn’t get the shot he wanted. And fortunately for us, we’ve got a difference-maker back.”
Wooden, who played college at Utah Tech, Kent State and Southern Utah, came to the Ticats in late 2024 after spending short terms with the Atlanta Falcons, Los Angeles Chargers and BC Lions and showed promise in his one 2024 Hamilton appearance, with a 36-yard punt return and a 10-yard pass reception in the final game of the regular season. Then, in the 2025 season-opening loss at Calgary, he stimulated a fourth-quarter comeback attempt with a dramatic 105-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, bouncing off tacklers then flipping the afterburners switch for the longest CFL return of the entire season.
During his mini-camp trial, the Browns somehow didn’t have him return kicks, but did use him a few times on offence as a receiver. On special teams, he curiously found himself occasionally slotted in at mid-range blocker or downfield tackler. It doesn’t take a clairvoyant to predict that those are roles he won’t be asked to assume with the Ticats.
“At the end of the day, I went out there and got to meet some people,” he said of the Browns experience. “I got to make some good relationships, build connections. Unfortunately, it didn’t go the way that I wanted it to go. I feel like I could have got a little bit more of an opportunity there, you know?”
He said he and the Ticats “kept it under wraps” that he’d be returning to the Black and Gold this week and he is grateful that before he departed for his NFL foray, Ticats personnel leadership had told him they would always embrace his return if it didn’t go his way with Cleveland. For his part, he would give it his all in the NFL, but if it didn’t work out this time, “it was always in my mind to come here. Come back home. This is where I got my opportunity in 2024. I’m never going to forget about that. So, it’s only right to come back and be with my teammates.”
He mentioned today that he’s already talked with veteran special teams coordinator Bob Dyce about ways to counteract CFL opponents’ preference to kick the ball away from him. He’d had the same discussion with his coaches as a high school star in the San Diego area when they’d direct the ball anywhere on the field but toward Wooden Sr.…and he still ended up with nearly 1000 yards in returns and was chosen as the No. 1 high school punt returner in the entire U.S.
One year ago tomorrow—between the first and second pre-season games against the Argos—the Ticats Audio Network published an interview with Wooden Sr., who was then locked in a multi-player battle to make the team and had shown very well in the opening exhibition game. He talked that day of how returnee Lawrence Woods III, part of the field for the No. 1 job, had unselfishly tutored him on the CFL game. How to maximize the five-yard ‘halo’ which surrounds the punt returner and the importance of stepping back then to move forward to meet a descending kick, which creates momentum and proper, balanced, positioning. As Milanovich suggested, as a teammate Wooden Sr. is cut from the same cloth of generosity.
Player after player, just discovering Wooden Sr. had returned, approached him this morning to welcome him back to the field at McMaster.
“It means the world really to be somewhere where you’re wanted,” Wooden Sr. said.
“Somewhere where you’re appreciated.”
