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Carnell Williams new RB coach


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1 hour ago, ellitor said:

What to expect from Cadillac Williams as an Auburn recruiter

 
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Cadillac Williams is the newest member of the Auburn coaching staff.
Joe Robbins/Getty Images
 Ben Wolk • AuburnSports.com

AUBURN — Gus Malzahn's running backs coach move from veteran presence to young up-and-comer will be graded on the recruiting trail.

Tim Horton served as Auburn's running backs coach since 2013. On Wednesday, program legend Carnell "Cadillac" Williams was named his replacement. The initial reaction from running back targets about whether Williams was seen as a good hire: duh, it's Cadillac Williams.

Williams spent his most recent coaching stop at IMG Academy, where he got to work with two elite 2019 running backs Noah Cain and Trey Sanders. Both of those running backs praised Williams during their recruitment, though at the time, Cain — who was heavily courted by the Tigers — said Williams didn't do much to push him one way or the other.

Still, Williams' voice is one top-tier running back recruits want to hear.

"I listen to everything he says. Why wouldn't you when he's done the things he has?" Cain said after an Auburn visit in the spring. "He's a top-5 pick. He's been successful in college, in the pros and as a coach. Coach 'Lac has all that useful knowledge to help get where I want to go because he's done a lot of the things I want to do."

Those experiences and Williams' name recognition will help the relative coaching newcomer adapt to heated SEC recruiting battles.

If there's a knock on the hire, it's his inexperience. He got his first coaching job in 2016 as a West Georgia offensive grad assistant. He took the IMG Academy running backs job after that. Williams was named the Birmingham Iron running backs coach in the Alliance for American Football league before jumping on the Auburn running backs coach opening.

This recruiting inexperience shouldn't be cause for concern, says former Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville. Tuberville pointed to IMG Academy's reputation as one of the most fertile recruiting programs in the country as the primary reason why. For a couple years now, Williams has seen the top programs in the nation come by his school to recruit his players

As Tuberville says, this will speed up Williams' development process as a recruiter.

"You learn a lot in a very short period of time at IMG Academy. You see people come in there and what they say and what they do," Tuberville said. "He’ll do fine because Carnell has a personality that will sell itself. These kids like to take to guys like, ‘Hey, I played at Auburn. I played running back. I went to the NFL. I was the No. 5 pick in the draft. I can tech you how to play running back in college to take you to the next level.’ Those are all kinds of personal selling points that he’ll have. Who will know better about Auburn University than Carnell Williams? It’ll be a little bit of a learning curve, but he’ll do just fine. He’s young. He knows Auburn like the back of his hand. I think it’ll work out really good."

Tuberville isn't his only Auburn-related supporter.

Williams' partner-in-crime during his playing days doesn't expect the learning curve to be too tough either. Ronnie Brown, who is also back at Auburn as part of the Auburn Sports Network's broadcast team, pointed to many of the same characteristics as Tuberville.

Williams has the name recognition. And more importantly than anything, like Cain said earlier in the spring, Williams has experienced all of the things prospective running backs want to accomplish through their college journeys.

"The thing about it for him is he has instant credibility going into homes, especially in the southeast and Alabama, him being former Mr. Alabama football, him playing running back, not only at Auburn, but also at an elite high level in the NFL," Brown said. "For him to go in and talk to a guy’s parents and talk to the kid about what it takes to be successful, I think their eyes and ears are going to be open wide, especially for a guy that’s been in the trenches and can teach from the perspective of a player. I think that gives him an advantage because he’s been in that moment and he understands why guys make certain decisions in the heat of the moment."

 

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4 minutes ago, Tigerbelle said:

Caddy is not totally unproven as a coach. He is new to the SEC as a coach. But since he was a RB in the SEC....it's not unfamiliar territory,  and he has people he can call on....like TWill.  Ellis Johnson was very experienced and you see what happened with that.

If it works out it was still a dumb move?  I think that's a dumb statement.

He is totally unproven as a coach. Also, dumb moves work out for people all the time. It was dumb for Les Miles to throw a fade as time expired against us in 05 when it jeopardized a GW field goal try. It was dumb for Nick Marshall to throw into triple coverage on the prayer at Jordan Hare instead of to a wide open Sammie Coates on a dig route. 

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4 hours ago, Brad_ATX said:

Look, I loved Caddy as a player and classmate.  I was at AU the exact years he was and had him in a few classes.  Genuinely a nice guy.

But if you aren't a little concerned with this hire, you're only seeing sunshine and rainbows.  He's never coached or recruited at this level, and I'm not even talking SEC.  College people.  He's never been anything more than a GA on a college football staff.  Maybe it works out and he does develop into that monster recruiter people think he can be, but I don't think Auburn is the correct place for developing coaches.  Had he spent a few years in the Sun Belt, MAC, or even an FCS school, I'd feel a whole lot better about this. 

Very well said. Absolutely love Carnell, but completely agree.

I also can't help but think that this is a very politically motivated decision. Gus knows that he's not liked right now, so why not bring in Auburn stars who are well liked to help cushion PTB and fan opinion of him. On top of that, you have a relatively inexperienced coach who can be molded into a "yes" man. I look at our coaching roster and I'm starting to see a trend.

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6 hours ago, McLoofus said:

Hear, hear. 

All of the teams GWill lists have national championships won in at least 4 different decades. They all have massive fanbases. They are all teams that will get national TV and media coverage even in down seasons. They all can and do recruit nationally. They are all teams that have heavy influence in their conferences or, in Notre Dame's case, don't even have to be in a conference. And, less easily proven, they will all get the benefit of the doubt anytime pollsters or committees are called upon to choose a "better" team when all else is equal.

More succinctly, 2004 wouldn't ever happen to any of those teams. It's no accident that it was in fact two of those teams who played in that game and not Auburn. 

OK - Natty Data is available otherwise you are lacking data and making assumptions.

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6 hours ago, McLoofus said:

Hear, hear. 

All of the teams GWill lists have national championships won in at least 4 different decades. They all have massive fanbases. They are all teams that will get national TV and media coverage even in down seasons. They all can and do recruit nationally. They are all teams that have heavy influence in their conferences or, in Notre Dame's case, don't even have to be in a conference. And, less easily proven, they will all get the benefit of the doubt anytime pollsters or committees are called upon to choose a "better" team when all else is equal.

More succinctly, 2004 wouldn't ever happen to any of those teams. It's no accident that it was in fact two of those teams who played in that game and not Auburn. 

I think the 2004 argument is BS. USC and Oklahoma started the season as AP 1 and 2 and never lost. If Ohio State or Alabama or anybody else were in our shoes that year the same thing would have happened. It isn't like we got jumped. 

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8 minutes ago, channonc said:

On top of that, you have a relatively inexperienced coach who can be molded into a "yes" man. I look at our coaching roster and I'm starting to see a trend.

Gus, Dilly, Caddy and Kodi have a combined 23 years of college coaching experience.

Porter has 20.

Grimes has 137. 

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4 minutes ago, AU '76 said:

OK - Natty Data is available otherwise you are lacking data and making assumptions.

I'm not going to dig up data to prove what everyone on this board already knows. I did make one assumption and I acknowledged it and...

Just now, AUght2win said:

I think the 2004 argument is BS. USC and Oklahoma started the season as AP 1 and 2 and never lost. If Ohio State or Alabama or anybody else were in our shoes that year the same thing would have happened. It isn't like we got jumped. 

...I stand by it. Do keep in mind that bama has since made it to 2 national championships without winning the SEC West.

 

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1 minute ago, McLoofus said:

I'm not going to dig up data to prove what everyone on this board already knows. I did make one assumption and I acknowledged it and...

...I stand by it. Do keep in mind that bama has since made it to 2 national championships without winning the SEC West.

 

How does the blueblood math work though? If Bama does jump Oklahoma in 2004, does that mean Oklahoma can no longer be considered a blueblood? I can understand a lot of arguments that you guys are making but not this one. College football has been broken for a long time, that isn't Auburn's fault or indicative of their lack of program value. 

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43 minutes ago, AUght2win said:

Being good and experienced at something doesn't mean you know how to teach or lead others in that field. Michael Jordan, the greatest basketball player of all time, has been a downright terrible owner for the Charlotte Hornets. I'm not rooting against Cadillac. My goodness, no. I am pointing out this is not a smart move by Gus. Hiring Kodi was not a smart move by Gus. Going from Rhett to Chip was not a smart move by Gus. It may work out! But that doesn't make it a smart move.

Like I said, keep your opinion and eat crow.

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1 minute ago, AUght2win said:

How does the blueblood math work though? If Bama does jump Oklahoma in 2004, does that mean Oklahoma can no longer be considered a blueblood? I can understand a lot of arguments that you guys are making but not this one. College football has been broken for a long time, that isn't Auburn's fault or indicative of their lack of program value. 

Fair enough. Previous hypothetical faulty. Curious to hear your thoughts on the updated one. 

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1 minute ago, McLoofus said:

@AUght2win, let me ask you this: If we had started the season ranked above USC and Oklahoma, do you think we would have made it in above them?

Of course we would have. If you start #1 or #2 and you go undefeated, it's impossible to get jumped. It just can't happen. If you're #1 or #2 in preseason, it means pollsters were already high on you. Then you go undefeated. Why would the pollsters then suddenly go, "Ya know what? Even though I picked these guys to play for the national title, and they have been perfect the whole season, I think I'm gonna take them down in the rankings a few notches."

If a team starts #1 or #2 and goes undefeated, it doesn't matter who they are, they aren't getting jumped. 

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2 minutes ago, baldeagle55 said:

Like I said, keep your opinion and eat crow.

Take it easy old timer, it's not like I insulted tear away jerseys or nickel-priced sodee pops.

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4 minutes ago, AUght2win said:

Of course we would have. If you start #1 or #2 and you go undefeated, it's impossible to get jumped. It just can't happen. If you're #1 or #2 in preseason, it means pollsters were already high on you. Then you go undefeated. Why would the pollsters then suddenly go, "Ya know what? Even though I picked these guys to play for the national title, and they have been perfect the whole season, I think I'm gonna take them down in the rankings a few notches."

If a team starts #1 or #2 and goes undefeated, it doesn't matter who they are, they aren't getting jumped. 

Agree to disagree. I think we would've gotten jumped by at least one of them and they would've used the Citadel game as the excuse. 

Our resume was FAR superior to Oklahoma's. I actually think we might have gotten into the playoff over them in the current setup, which admittedly goes against my previous assertion. But the playoff hasn't been around long enough to put a dent in the national perception of those programs. (It has certainly enhanced the profile of a couple of them.)

No matter. It's crazy to suggest that the Auburn brand is on par with those schools. 

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1 minute ago, McLoofus said:

Agree to disagree. I think we would've gotten jumped by at least one of them and they would've used the Citadel game as the excuse. 

Our resume was FAR superior to Oklahoma's. I actually think we might have gotten into the playoff over them in the current setup, which admittedly goes against my previous assertion. But the playoff hasn't been around long enough to put a dent in the national perception of those programs. (It has certainly enhanced the profile of a couple of them.)

No matter. It's crazy to suggest that the Auburn brand is on par with those schools. 

Fair enough. But I think in every way that matters, we are on par with them - fans, facilities, money (Auburn football actually brings in as much $ as Notre Dame), pro pipeline, and tradition. There are schools with more wins and titles than us, but again, if a kid is picking between us, Bama, Clemson, UGA, USC, Ohio State, Texas, Miami, and Michigan. Nobody is going to look at that list and go "WHAT'S AUBURN, CLEMSON AND UGA DOING IN THERE?"

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1 hour ago, AUght2win said:

Being good and experienced at something doesn't mean you know how to teach or lead others in that field. Michael Jordan, the greatest basketball player of all time, has been a downright terrible owner for the Charlotte Hornets

Being an owner and being a coach is two different things. Plus there is tbe dynamic of the small town market working against him. Caddy knows how to teach RBs; it’s not rocket science. 

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23 hours ago, auburn4ever said:

Another former Auburn player tanked. James Willis. Why the hell didn't Gus try to hire either Dell McGee, Curtis Luper or Eddie Gran. I guess Gus knew they would not want to come just for 1 year and might be replaced when a new head coach is hired after the 2019 season. Oh yeah, Malzahn needed another yes man on his staff.

Pretty sure James Willis died a few years ago, at least he's dead to me.

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34 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

Gus, Dilly, Caddy and Kodi have a combined 23 years of college coaching experience.

Porter has 20.

Grimes has 137.  

I question whether Caddy was chased after by any top programs in Division I, let alone a Power 5. I have a lot of respect for him as a man, and as a former player. I question whether he is the best guy for the job. Would love to be wrong.

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Just now, AUght2win said:

Fair enough. But I think in every way that matters, we are on par with them - fans, facilities, money (Auburn football actually brings in as much $ as Notre Dame), pro pipeline, and tradition. There are schools with more wins and titles than us, but again, if a kid is picking between us, Bama, Clemson, UGA, USC, Ohio State, Texas, Miami, and Michigan. Nobody is going to look at that list and go "WHAT'S AUBURN, CLEMSON AND UGA DOING IN THERE?"

Well, Clemson has been to 4 straight playoffs, won 2 of them, and just wiped the floor with what many considered to be the greatest CFB team of all time. They have stability across their coaching staff and they are turning into a major NFL pipeline at QB, WR and DL. Like, 1st rounders and Pro-Bowl type pipeline. We're nowhere close to any of that. 

Miami has fallen off considerably and haven't been relevant in 15 years. And they had no history or tradition before Schnellenberger in '79. Those true blue bloods had all established themselves as such by then. 

UGA is the biggest mystery in the world. How they've failed to establish themselves among true CFB royalty is bizarre. But they have indeed failed. 1 Heisman, 1 natty, both almost 30 years ago. Kirby has them humming right now but they will need to win it all soon and then stay in the conversation for awhile after to earn their green jacket.

And nobody but Auburn fans would include us in that group. I'm sorry, but we're very much a second-tier team. Top 13 all time. It's very impressive and worth being proud of and a LOT of teams and lower tiers wish they could be us. But we are not the elite of the elite. 

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3 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

Well, Clemson has been to 4 straight playoffs, won 2 of them, and just wiped the floor with what many considered to be the greatest CFB team of all time. They have stability across their coaching staff and they are turning into a major NFL pipeline at QB, WR and DL. Like, 1st rounders and Pro-Bowl type pipeline. We're nowhere close to any of that. 

Miami has fallen off considerably and haven't been relevant in 15 years. And they had no history or tradition before Schnellenberger in '79. Those true blue bloods had all established themselves as such by then. 

UGA is the biggest mystery in the world. How they've failed to establish themselves among true CFB royalty is bizarre. But they have indeed failed. 1 Heisman, 1 natty, both almost 30 years ago. Kirby has them humming right now but they will need to win it all soon and then stay in the conversation for awhile after to earn their green jacket.

And nobody but Auburn fans would include us in that group. I'm sorry, but we're very much a second-tier team. Top 13 all time. It's very impressive and worth being proud of and a LOT of teams and lower tiers wish they could be us. But we are not the elite of the elite. 

Okay now you have officially lost me. You are no longer talking about bluebloods. You are talking about recent relevance. Therefore, Michigan and USC have fallen into a lower tier by your standards.

Historically, Auburn is in a whole other league than Clemson.

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Just now, channonc said:

I question whether Caddy was chased after by any top programs in Division I, let alone a Power 5. I have a lot of respect for him as a man, and as a former player. I question whether he is the best guy for the job. Would love to be wrong.

He was chased by a Birmingham team in an upstart minor league that will be the first to tell you that it's trying to get asses in seats by bringing in guys with names that local folks will recognize. 

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16 minutes ago, AUght2win said:

Okay now you have officially lost me. You are no longer talking about bluebloods. You are talking about recent relevance. Therefore, Michigan and USC have fallen into a lower tier by your standards.

Historically, Auburn is in a whole other league than Clemson.

Sorry, I thought you brought up recent relevance by saying that Clemson and uga belong with that other group. 

Michigan's and USC's recent droughts are the perfect example. They haven't done crap in years and yet they're still front page news. Because they're blue bloods.

People think Auburn's in Georgia. 

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7 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

He was chased by a Birmingham team in an upstart minor league that will be the first to tell you that it's trying to get asses in seats by bringing in guys with names that local folks will recognize.  

I get it. I just am skeptical that this will work out. But hey, I'll be happy if I'm wrong.

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