3.13.24 Football Articles

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247sports.com

Durkin defense fits really well as Auburn transitions to new system

Jason Caldwell

4–5 minutes

Clearly, it was going to take a lot for Derrick Nix to leave Ole Miss.

It’s not often, especially in modern college football, that an assistant coach stays put in one place for 16 years. Auburn’s new offensive coordinator and running backs coach had been on Ole Miss’ staff since 2008 in various roles.

It’s also not often, as former Rebels head coach Houston Nutt mentioned with a laugh, that a program will keep a coach that long.

“You’re still there, man,” Nutt laughed, recalling a conversation with Nix in recent years. “I wish I could have been there that long.”

When Nutt got the job in Oxford after 10 years at Arkansas, his first hire at running backs coach was Nix, a young coach whose name had buzzed within the state of Mississippi over the previous few years. An all-conference player at Southern Miss, Nix stayed at his alma mater as a grad assistant, then the tight ends coach, then the running backs coach.

“I saw an unbelievable guy that wanted to learn,” Nutt said on the Auburn Undercover Podcast. “He was eager, and he was a pleaser. I love coaches that want to please and want to do right. Everybody that I talked to, he was all class in the living room, class with players. ... He had this work ethic from daylight to exhaustion. He’d do whatever it took. You just love to be around people that have this team attitude about ‘we, we, we.’ That’s what really stood out.”

When the Ole Miss job changed hands from Nutt to Hugh Freeze in 2012, the only retention from the previous staff was Nix as running backs coach. That was the case five years later with Matt Luke, and three years after that with Lane Kiffin.

“There’s a reason he stayed that long,” Nix said. “It goes back to his character and his attitude and his willingness to work — to be able to change with different ideas. Whether it’s Lane Kiffin, (Freeze), myself. When you can adjust, you’ve got a good one.”

After firing offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery following the 2023 season, Freeze opted for familiarity on his staff, as he looks to take on a larger play calling role. Freeze gave Nix his first career coordinator job and also elevated analyst Kent Austin to quarterbacks coach, after Austin had been alongside Freeze on all four of his staffs at Liberty.

“They know my terminology, they’ve been with me before,” Freeze said. “It’s been exciting to see Derrick’s growth as a coach and to watch him lead now.”

After spring break, Auburn now enters its first full week of 2024 spring practices, looking to dive deeper into Nix and Freeze’s offense.

“Everybody in this league has a little bit of the same this and that, different tweaks from different families that you're in, but I love the way that we're putting in the offense,” said sixth-year senior tight end Luke Deal. “Everybody's on the same accord. Everybody's speaking the same language, and he's sharp. He is sharp and he's high energy and it's really fun to play for him right now.”

Nutt also hired Kent Austin as his offensive coordinator on his inaugural staff with the Rebels. Now Auburn’s quarterbacks coach, Austin spent two seasons as Nutt’s OC before taking the head coaching job at Cornell. 

So Nutt can’t help but get some deja vu when looking at this Auburn staff for 2024, as Nix and Austin work together once again, with the goal of improving a clunky Auburn passing game from last season.

“He’s brilliant,” Nutt said. “I think he was a Rhodes Scholar. This guy is brilliant. We had so much fun working together. … The thing you’re going to love: If they’ll listen to Kent Austin, Kent Austin will have tremendous ideas. And Derrick will know this: He will have wrinkles for you that can give you an edge.”

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auburnwire.usatoday.com

 

Spring breakdown: Asante, Keys head up Auburn's talented linebacker room

Taylor Jones

4–5 minutes

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Spring practice resumes this week, which means it is time to evaluate another position group.

This edition of Spring Breakdown sheds light on Auburn’s linebackers, which features a mixed bag of talent. The Tigers return its leading tackler from a season ago, Eugene Asante, who broke out in 2023 after being relatively quiet before Hugh Freeze took over the program. Asante was Auburn’s third-highest-rated tackler last season by grading out at 81.1 according to Pro Football Focus data. He created 22 pressures last season with five sacks and 16 quarterback hurries. He recorded 86 stops, missing just five tackles.

Austin Keys and Wesley Steiner also return to bring experience to Auburn’s linebacking corps. Keys, a transfer from Ole Miss, was Auburn’s highest-graded linebacker by Pro Football Focus at 74.1. Steiner returns hoping to return to his 2022 form where he made 46 tackles.

Asante, Keys, and Steiner will be fun to watch this season, but it will be exciting to watch two of Auburn’s prized signees from its 2024 recruiting class compete for playing time during spring practice. Here’s a look at every linebacker going through spring practice this season at Auburn.

Jamie Holt/Auburn Tigers

Austin Keys had a solid first season on the Plains following his transfer from Ole Miss. He ended the season with 30 total tackles, two pass deflections, and a forced fumble. Injury forced him to miss most of the first half of Auburn’s season, but he would go on to record half of his tackles in Auburn’s final three games.

Zach Bland/Auburn Tigers

Eugene Asante was Auburn’s leading tackler last season, miles ahead of the second-place guy. Asante recorded 86 stops last season and made a season-best 12 stops in two games.

Austin Perryman/Auburn Athletics

Dorian Mausi Jr. comes to Auburn after recording 193 total tackles in four seasons at Duke. Last season was Mausi’s best, as he made 61 total stops with two pass deflections and an interception.

Austin Perryman/Auburn Tigers

One of Auburn’s top signees, Demarcus Riddick, is on campus for Auburn’s spring exercises. Riddick signed with Auburn as a four-star linebacker from Chilton County High School in Clanton, Alabama. He was the No. 5 overall linebacker for the 2024 class and was the No. 6 overall recruit from the state of Alabama.

Austin Perryman/Auburn Tigers

Robert Woodyard hopes that 2024 is the season that provides a chance for him to break out. In two seasons on the Plains, Woodyard has tallied four total tackles in six games, will all four stops being made in 2022.

Jake Crandall/The Montgomery Advertiser

Joseph Phillips is another newcomer to Auburn’s linebacker room. Phillips signed with Auburn as the No. 11 EDGE rusher for the 2024 class and the No. 10 recruit from the state of Alabama.

Austin Perryman/Auburn Athletics

Wesley Steiner returns as a fifth-year senior and hopes to return to his 2022 form this season. Steiner recorded 46 tackles as a sophomore but managed to make just 16 stops last season. As a whole, Steiner has made 86 tackles with two tackles for loss in four seasons.

Clay-Chalkville’s D’Angelo Barber (6) tackles Saraland’s Carson Gill (0) during the AHSAA Class 6A football state championship game at Bryant Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Friday December 8, 2023.

The final true freshman linebacker is DJ Barber from Clay-Chalkville High School. Barber was the No. 36 overall player from the state of Alabama for the 2024 class and was the No. 51 overall linebacker.

Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images

Walk-on Coleman Granberry begins his second season as an Auburn roster member. He recorded 160 total tackles as a senior at Auburn High School in 2022.

Steve Roberts-USA TODAY Sports

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si.com

Auburn football Spring Practice Observations

Auburn Daily Staff

2–3 minutes

Auburn football started their first full week of spring practice after taking a week off from spring break.

The Auburn football program granted local media extended time to watch some of practice. In the window, here are some of our observations.

Here are some observations from the media viewing window:

- Order QB's ran out: Payton Thorne, Holden Geriner, Hank Brown, Walker White

- Order of RB's: Jarquez Hunter, Damari Alston, Brian Battie, Jeremiah Cobb

- Cam Coleman looks MASSIVE. He stands out bot in size and overall ability.

- Dylan Senda looks big and is moving well at guard.

- Starting offensive line looks to be LT: Percy Lewis, LG: Dillon Wade, C: Connor Lew, RG: Jeremiah Wright, RT: Izavion Miller

- New defensive coordinator DJ Durkin is very intense. He seems to fire up the defense.

- Austin Keys and Dorian Mausi Jr. taking reps side by side.

- Jerrin Thompson looks long and lean. Could be a fit at Nickel.

- Laquan Robinson was pulled to the side and coached up by Charles Kelly.

- Rico Walker has been impressive. Moving well and running clean routes.

- Cam Coleman made back to back beautiful catches. Both passes came from Payton Thorne. One was a post and the other was a in breaking route. Possible the best two catches during the viewing window.

- Terrance Love is larger than expected. 

- Antonio Kite had a nice pass break up. Broke on a curl route.

- After a bad rep WR Sam Jackson self inflicted punishment and dropped to do some pushups. 

- Bryce Cain showed great burst on a check down.

- Kaleb Harris had a solid pass breakup. It resulted in a pick for the defense.

- Camden Brown, Jay Fair, Caleb Burton, Rivaldo Fairweather, Jarquez Hunter, and Payton Thorne was the starting offense for pace drills.

- The offensive line seemed to have an edge over the group of young defensive lineman.

- Camden Brown caught a TD in pace drills.

- Bryce Cain made a really nice move to get behind the defense but wasn't able to come up with the catch.

- Cam Coleman caught a touchdown in pace drill.

- Jalen McLeod had a nice tackle for loss in pace drill of Jeremiah Cobb.

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247sports.com

Percy Lewis size experience going to help all of us on Auburns Oline

Nathan King

5–7 minutes

The Mississippi State transfer is contending for a starting job at left tackle for Auburn this spring

Even in the SEC, offensive linemen don’t come much bigger than Auburn’s potential starter at left tackle.

Mississippi State transfer Percy Lewis clocked in at 6-foot-7 and 355 pounds with the Tigers this spring, and has designs on parlaying his success with the Bulldogs to his new stop within the conference. Auburn has moved Dillon Wade inside to left guard, creating a vacancy at left tackle. Offensive line was a priority for Auburn’s staff in the pre-spring transfer window, and Lewis comes over after starting the final seven games of Mississippi State’s season at left tackle.

The Tigers only have a couple spring practices under their belt but have seen some impressive moments already from their new teammate along the front line.

“The size he has and how athletically he can move his feet, that every day is going to help all of us, because we're going to face some bigger tackles,” pass-rusher Jalen McLeod said Tuesday. “... He's long, so he's going to bring a lot on that blind side. He's going to help Payton (Thorne) throwing a lot.”

Added offensive guard Jeremiah Wright: “I've never seen anybody that big that moves like he does. It's pretty unique.”

According to Pro Football Focus, Lewis allowed only one sack on 235 pass-blocking snaps last season. Still, the senior said that’s the area he’s looking to improve most this spring. 

“My pass set, I've got a problem — I guess I want to turn a little bit too early sometimes,” Lewis said Tuesday. “So I'm working on that, that's about the only thing I just have to really work on right now. Everything else I've about got polished up.”

Competing with Lewis right now is primarily redshirt freshman Tyler Johnson, though it’s obviously early in the spring, and second-year position coach Jake Thornton will likely shuffle some of his pieces over the next few weeks. 

For now, the first-team group with Lewis and Wade on the left side carries plenty of SEC experience .

“Me and (Wade) working side by side — you're going to see when the camera comes on,” Lewis said. 

Right guard is also a position that will be up for the taking, with Gunner Britton out of eligibility, and Wright potentially the top option to take over. Starter Izavion Miller returns at right tackle, and Lewis could certainly be slotted there if Auburn wants. JUCO transfer Seth Wilfred will also be looking to earn playing time at tackle.

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Durkin defense 'fits really well' as Auburn transitions to new system

Auburn players talk about coordinator D.J. Durkin.

AUBURN, Alabama—When veteran coordinator D.J. Durkin was hired to run the defense for the Auburn Tigers, second-year coach Hugh Freeze said one of the things that made him the guy was the simplicity of his system and how it allowed players to play fast without a lot of thinking. 

Just a few months on the job since coming over from Texas A&M, Durkin has already made an impact in the building and on the practice field with players new and old raving about what he brings to the table for the Tigers.

“It fits amazing,” Duke linebacker transfer Dorian Mausi said of his defensive scheme. “It fits really well. I love coach Durkin’s teaching style and coaching style and kind of the energy he brings every day when he talks to the team in the meeting room. Everything about it, I love it. I’m happy to be here. I’m happy to be part of this program. I’m happy to be coached by him.”

Entering his second year with the Tigers after playing as a true freshman last season, cornerback Kayin Lee agrees with his new teammate about Durkin’s system and how player-friendly it is.

“Coach Durk, he’s a great coach,” Lee said. “He has been giving us some great tips within our defense and great tools and techniques to use within the defense. But it’s a simple scheme. I don’t want to say too much, but we’ve got a nasty defense for everybody to see this year.”

One of the keys for Auburn’s defense in 2024, pass rusher Jalen McLeod says it’s not a whole lot different for him from what they did last year, and that’s a good thing.

“It's more four-down, more hands-on for us, more hand in the dirt for what used to be Jacks, for the Bucks now,” McLeod said. “Pretty much doing the same thing. Same defense. Not really hard for me and Keldric to learn something new, and the younger guys, they're coming along pretty well.”

The transition to learning a new defense is sometimes the biggest issue for players that will be counted on to play a role this season. That means for a guy like Mausi, trying to learn a new system for the third time in his college career means doing his work to make sure he’s ready when he steps on the field.

“For me, it's becoming really easy,” Mausi said. “I can tell the defense -- if you're making plays, he's going to call your number. It's those types of things -- it's player-friendly, I'll say it in that way. The defense, it is a little complicated. But he breaks it down and teaches it well enough for you to understand and be able to play fast. If anything doesn't work, we're going to be able to play fast. That's the one thing we're going to be able to do.”

Auburn returns to practice on Tuesday afternoon for the first of three days on the field this week.

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al.com

Now at Auburn, Hugh Freeze asks massive transfer OL Percy Lewis to stay off motorcycles

Published: Mar. 12, 2024, 4:00 p.m.

4–5 minutes

AUBURN, AL - February 27, 2024 - Auburn Offensive Lineman Percy Lewis (#73) during spring practice at the Woltosz Football Performance Center in Auburn, AL. Photo by Austin PerrymanAuburn University Athletics

Auburn Buck linebacker Jalen McLeod’s eyes got huge the second the words came out of the reporter’s mouth.

The question was in regards to offensive lineman Percy Lewis, who transferred in from Mississippi State during the offseason.

“You saw my face?,” McLeod joked. “Yeah, he’s going to help us a lot, because his size, his athleticism — the size he has and how athletically he can move his feet, that every day is going to help all of us.”

Lewis, who comes to Auburn as a senior, is listed as 6-foot-7 and 355 pounds.

And according to Lewis himself, that second number could swell if he isn’t careful as he’s started getting a taste of local eats around the Auburn area.

“We go out to eat. We just like to eat, man,” Lewis quipped when asked about bonding with others along the offensive front. “We like to go out and eat every other day. Man, I’ve got to lose weight I can’t keep going out like this.”

For guys like McLeod and others on Auburn’s defense, practicing against Lewis is good prep for SEC play as many offensive linemen in the league will rival Lewis’ size.

Rival, though — not beat.

“He’s bigger than Bama tackles,” McLeod said. “And he’s more athletic than them. And he’s long, so he’s going to bring a lot on that blind side. He’s going to help Payton (Thorne) throwing a lot.”

After starting his college career in the junior college ranks, Lewis went on to work his way into a starting role at Mississippi State, where he appeared in 25 games and made eight starts across his two seasons in Starkville.

The good news is Lewis comes with SEC experience — something that shouldn’t be taken for granted, especially in the trenches.

The draw back is the bulk of Lewis’ experience came from an Air Raid offense, which Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze says is “quite different” from what he’ll be asked to do on The Plains.

But Lewis feels he’s ready to be plugged in.

“Only thing different is I’d just say the play-action. But I’ve really got that down,” Lewis said of the transition away from an Air Raid-style offense. “It ain’t nothing major, I adjusted to it well.”

Since Mississippi State threw the football so much, run blocking is something Lewis did a lot of. And he’s missed that.

“You get to hit somebody. You love to see somebody fall,” Lewis said of run blocking. “Love to hit somebody and see them fall on the ground. It just gets exciting.”

And it’s that kind of attitude that Freeze couldn’t help but gush about when asked about Lewis two weeks ago.

“I love his demeanor. He’s just one of those country boys that drove a bulldozer and motorcycles,” Freeze said, later joking that he wasn’t sure how someone Lewis’ size got on a motorcycle.

Now at Auburn and working towards being a critical piece of the Tigers’ rebuilding offensive line, Freeze told Lewis he’s gotta stay away from the motorcycles from here on out.

And Lewis assured him he wouldn’t have to worry.

“He said, ‘Oh coach, I’ve tasted that asphalt many a times.’ I said, ‘You need to stay off of that,’” Freeze said. “He’s just a fun kid to be around.”

A fun, really big kid to be around.

“Let me tell you, Percy is a big human being. He moves a lot better than you give him credit for,” Freeze said. “I was really impressed with his first practice and the way he bends and moves.”

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Meet the Coaches: Auburn quarterbacks coach Kent Austin

By Jeff Shearer

3/11/2024 12:00:00 PM

AUBURN, Ala. – Having played the position at a high level for a long time, Auburn quarterbacks coach Kent Austin knows what it takes to succeed.

“A quarterback has to be a great decision maker and that comes through preparation,” he said. “All of our guys in the room are dedicated to preparing properly and will pay the price to prepare.

“To be a great quarterback, especially at the level we’re at, it’s going to cost you something. A lot of your time is going to be taken up with proper preparation.

“It’s my job, along with (senior analyst) Jesse Stone, to make sure that we get our quarterbacks to their ceiling.”

A standout quarterback at Ole Miss from 1982-85, Austin played 10 seasons in the Canadian Football League, then returned to the CFL in 2003 to begin his coaching career.

“It was never a plan,” Austin said. “I’ve learned to be open to change and to try to be the best coach I can for the organizations I’ve been a part of.

“I really enjoy watching a player develop from day one. To see the progress, the growth and the maturity. You play the game more mentally than you do anything else.

“Two of the top three things we look for in a quarterback are intangibles. Only one is physical. I really love being able to help that young man become the best that he can possibly become.”

As the offensive coordinator at Ole Miss in 2008 and 2009, Austin helped the Rebels rebound from a 3-8 record in 2007 to 9-4 in his first season calling plays.

“The best coaches I’ve been around always get one thing: that this is always about the players,” Austin said. “It’s not about the coaches. We’re stewards of the process.

“It’s really important that your players trust you and there’s a trustworthiness to help them develop. That’s what they want.”

Accountability is always best when it’s players driven, and Coach Freeze knows how to do that. He’s done it everywhere he’s been. That’s why he’s won.

Kent Austin, Auburn Quarterbacks Coach

The 2024 season is Austin’s sixth to be on Freeze’s staff. He returns to on-field coaching after spending 2023 in a quality control role as a special assistant to the head coach.

“It’s great to get back on the field,” Austin said. “A great opportunity. I feel really honored and blessed to be given that position.”

In Freeze’s four seasons at Liberty, Austin coached the Flames’ quarterbacks and served as co-offensive coordinator.

“He’s a great human being. He treats everybody fairly,” Austin said. “He sets a culture that is both challenging and demanding, but at the same time, is a great environment to work in. He understands the rigors of coaching.

“He leads with his heart. He sees how we work through a relational lens. If you’re wired that way as a coach, it’s an easy environment to operate, to prosper, to excel and to be your best.”

In each recruiting class, Auburn seeks to identify the next star quarterback on the Plains. That’s when the rewarding grind of development begins. It all starts with evaluating and attracting the right candidates.

“It comes down to two things. Are you a fit for the offense? And do the people who are going to develop you have a track record of truly developing quarterbacks?” said Austin, who also promotes Auburn University’s academics and social opportunities.

“The program is going to be a reflection of the head coach. How you set the standards should permeate through all the coaches into the players to a point where the players take ownership of that.

“Accountability is always best when it’s players driven, and Coach (Freeze) knows how to do that. He’s done it everywhere he’s been. That’s why he’s won.

“The players here will testify that Coach does it in the right way. He really wants to win with integrity through relationship, and is player focused.

Kent and his wife, Lesley, met and married in Canada. Their son, Jack, enjoys playing basketball outdoors year-round on the Plains, an option he didn’t have north of the border.

“We love Auburn,” he said. “They have really enjoyed being integrated into the community. People are very endearing and make it easy to be part of the community. It’s been a great transition for us.”

Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer 

 

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Meet the Coaches: Auburn offensive coordinator Derrick Nix

By Jeff Shearer

3/6/2024 10:00:00 AM

AUBURN, Ala. – In a turbulent profession where turnover is the norm, Derrick Nix’s 16-year coaching stint at Ole Miss was the exception.

Through four head coaches, including Auburn’s Hugh Freeze, Nix rolled with Rebels from 2008-23.

That changed in January, when Freeze and Nix reunited on the Plains, with Derrick becoming Auburn’s offensive coordinator.

“An opportunity to come to Auburn University with a rich tradition, the history, national championships, Heisman Trophy winners,” Nix said. “Getting back with Coach Freeze, I worked with him at Ole Miss for five years, and ultimately getting the chance to advance in my career. It was a no-brainer.

“I grew up in this state. I know what Iron Bowl weekend feels like and what it means to the people in this state. I’m excited to be a part of it and put my mark on this great program.”

A standout running back at Etowah High School in Attalla, Alabama, Nix followed his older brother by playing at Southern Miss.

“The first thing I knew about Auburn was Bo Jackson, orange and blue, Tigers, War Eagle chant,” Nix said. “I think I was an Auburn Tiger fan the day I was an infant until I was 11 years old.

“Until that point, all I knew was Auburn. That makes it even a little bit sweeter to get the opportunity to come here and work.”

Nix made Southern Miss history by becoming the program’s only player to rush for more than 1,000 yards in three seasons before an illness ended his playing career and began his coaching career.

“The next best thing to me to get that thrill, to get that excitement, to get charged up was being a football coach,” he said. “The ability to help mold young men, 18 to 22-year-olds, and relate to them and share my experiences with them to help them be the best version of what they can be is what drives me now.”

Entering his third decade in coaching, Nix aspires to mentor and motivate, imparting life lessons while preparing student-athletes for professional careers.

“I tell them I want them to have an All-America career, be first-rounders and have a 10-year career in the NFL,” he said. “But I’m more proud of a guy who comes back later, he’s got a wife and a kid and he can support himself, and he learned something from me other than just playing football that he can use in his everyday values with his family.

“Seeing these guys develop, remembering who they were when they came out of high school, seeing the men they’ve become. Seeing them have success, it really warms my heart and gives me motivation to keep going.”

A first-time coordinator, Nix has big plans for Auburn’s offense.

“To be a fundamentally efficient scoring machine,” he said. “That means playing fast, playing physical, being fearless, taking care of the football, able to score points. Be exciting, being fun to watch and giving our guys on offense an edge.”

Aside from Xs and Os, Nix knows success starts with recruiting.

“All of these plays work a lot better with really good players,” Nix said. “That’s the No. 1 thing. Coach Freeze stresses that we’ve got to do a great job in recruiting. You win when you get the right guys on board, whether it be talent, the right character and the right fit for your program. That’s how you’re going to separate yourself in the fall.”

Nix tells prospective student-athletes about their opportunity to make a difference at Auburn.

“Doing something fresh and brand new,” he said. “Getting us in a position where we can restore our legacy and put ourselves back in position where we are outstanding in the SEC and nationally.

“Being with a proven head coach who has had success on the highest stage, whether it’s championships, going to big-time bowl games, guys getting drafted and graduating from college. We’ve done that and we’ve got the experience and the know-how.”

I grew up in this state. I know what Iron Bowl weekend feels like and what it means to the people in this state. I’m excited to be a part of it and put my mark on this great program.

Derrick Nix

Nix also coaches Auburn’s running backs, a group that includes senior Jarquez Hunter, whose 2,172 career rushing yards rank No. 18 in program history.

“Our guys are hungry,” Nix said. “These guys work. There’s no complaining, there are a lot of guys pulling the rope in the right direction. They want to strive to be great. ‘Win today’ has been my message so far.”

Derrick and his wife, Allison, look forward to raising their three children, 7-year-old daughter Ava and newborn twin boys Derrin and Dray, on the Plains.

“We’re a tight-knit family and we’re all excited to be here at Auburn University,” he said.

It took a special opportunity to attract Derrick Nix from Oxford, Mississippi, where he was well established and highly regarded. For him, Auburn is that opportunity.

“We’re not that far off in my estimation,” Nix said. “Get ready to see some guys who are going to play hard, play disciplined and be exciting to watch.”

Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer 

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Meet the Coaches: Auburn defensive tackles coach Vontrell King-Williams

By Greg Ostendorf

3/8/2024 12:00:00 PM

AUBURN, Ala. – When Hugh Freeze told Vontrell King-Williams that he was promoting him to be the new defensive tackles coach at Auburn, the former college defensive lineman was moved to tears.

“I cried like a baby,” he said. “I kid you not. I cried like a baby. Just because I understand the rareness of this opportunity. And how it all happened, I couldn’t believe it. Still now to this day I don’t believe it. I feel the same. It hasn’t hit me yet.

"I’m blessed to be here, and I’m going to give it my all.”

Just six years ago, King-Williams was working at Eastern Michigan as an unpaid assistant coach. He was two years removed from playing college football and trying to find his way in coaching while supporting his younger brother, Jayden Link, at the same time. They lost their mother when King-Williams was 14 years old. Link was 5 at the time. After college, King-Williams took him in. 

“It was rough,” he said. “I can go back to times where my lights were cut off. It was tough to make ends meet. I’m grateful I had some people there that would help me out like Neal Neathery and his wife, but it was tough. But you’ve just got to just keep going through it.”

King-Williams took a leap of faith going to Eastern Michigan, and now he’s reaping the rewards as a position coach in the SEC. 

His coaching journey took him from Eastern Michigan to Liberty where he first worked with Freeze as a graduate assistant in 2020 and 2021. He went back to Eastern Michigan to be the defensive tackles coach in 2022 and then took another leap of faith to leave that job and follow Freeze to Auburn where he served as a defensive analyst last season. It was worth it to coach for Freeze again. 

“I don’t know if I have ever worked for or been around a better man than that guy,” King-Williams said. “I wish I would’ve played for him when I played in college.”

Heading into this season, King-Williams was planning to serve in the same analyst role until the returning defensive line coach Jeremy Garrett accepted the same position with the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars. Freeze could have gotten anybody to replace Garrett, but he promoted King-Williams instead.

“Everybody loves him,” Auburn defensive tackle Jayson Jones said. “I love him. He brings that energy every single day. Vontrell is the guy that a lot of us wanted. I wanted him, and I vocalized that too. I’m excited for Vontrell. I’m happy for him. It’s an amazing opportunity for him, and I just want to grow with him.”

I’m just extremely blessed. There have been things in my life you can’t really put an answer on or you can’t explain why. I just revert back to my faith. Every step of the way.

Vontrell King-Williams

As a former college defensive tackle himself, King-Williams can relate to Jones and the other defensive tackles on the roster. He’s been in their shoes.

“That’s huge,” King-Williams said. “I think that’s big for the parents too because they’ve got to know I was once them and I was once them not too long ago. I know exactly what they’re getting ready to go through. It actually helps sometimes too when they’re trying to get things snuck past me. I’m like, ‘Nah, I did some of those tricks. You’re not going to pull that on me.’”

King-Williams began his playing career at Illinois in 2013 before transferring to Butler Community College and ultimately playing his final two seasons (2015-16) at UTSA.

But coaching has always been in the back of his mind. King-Williams still remembers when he was a recruit in high school and trying to recruit other players to join him at Illinois. His adopted father told him, “You’re going to be a great coach because you can recruit. You’re relatable. You can talk to people.” He never forgot that. 

Now, as a coach, King-Williams gets to recruit players, mentor them and watch them grow.

“Here’s the deal. Once you’re in it, you literally see in some of these guys what you saw in some of your former teammates,” he said. “Being a big brother to those guys – when you see them develop as a football player and then off the field making some of the right decisions.

“I’ve had the pleasure of coaching a couple guys who made it to the league. Maxx Crosby is one of note. Just seeing how his life has gone from where he was when he had zero scholarship offers and no one really knew who he was to seeing who he is now – phenomenal football player, great husband, phenomenal dad – those are some of the things that bring you great joy.”

To be able to do that at a place like Auburn now, there are no words.

“I’m just extremely blessed,” King-Williams said. “There have been things in my life you can’t really put an answer on or you can’t explain why. I just revert back to my faith. Every step of the way.

“Even when I was unpaid quality control for a year, God was there with me. I took care of my little brother at the time who was in high school. It wasn’t easy. There were tough times. God was there with me the entire way, and I think God has his hand all in this. I’m just leaning on that.

“You can’t really put it into words, though. This is a phenomenal opportunity.”

 

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Meet the Coaches: Auburn defensive coordinator DJ Durkin

By Jeff Shearer

3/4/2024 10:00:00 AM

In his 10th season in the Southeastern Conference, the veteran coordinator wants Auburn's defense to excel in effort and tackling

AUBURN, Ala. – If you ask Auburn coordinator DJ Durkin what the Tigers’ defense will look like this fall, he might advise you to check back with him after spring practice.

In his fourth SEC program as a defensive coordinator, Durkin builds his defenses around his players’ strengths.

“We’re identifying what guys do well,” he said. “As a coach, the No. 1 thing you have to do is put your players in position to have success. It’s identifying, these are the things we’re good at, and gearing more of the scheme toward that.

“If you look at everywhere we’ve been, we’ve been a little different every place and that’s based on what our personnel does best. That’s our job as coaches.”

At his coordinator stops at Florida, Michigan, Ole Miss and Texas A&M, Durkin’s defenses have all had commonalities.

“Play with an edge, play fast,” Durkin said. “The biggest thing for me is when you have a defense that plays with great effort and tackles well, those two things usually spell out good results.

“That’s what we’re looking to do. Those things are a process. Some of that is recruiting, getting the right guys, some of that is coaching and putting them in position to have success.”

This will be Durkin’s 10th season in the Southeastern Conference.

“You better be good upfront first and foremost at the line of scrimmage,” said Durkin, who will also coach Auburn’s linebackers. “It’s pretty well-documented around the country that football in this conference is as good as it gets. The competitiveness week in and week out to sustain through this conference schedule is what makes it different.”

After completing his playing career at Bowling Green in Ohio, Durkin listened when his coaches encouraged him to become a coach.

“I figured why not give it a shot,” recalled Durkin, who began as a graduate assistant, first at his alma mater then at Notre Dame before returning to Bowling Green in 2005-06 to coach defensive ends, linebackers and special teams. “I fell in love with it and knew right away that’s what I wanted to do.

“I’ve been blessed to work with some great head coaches as well as alongside a lot of assistants. You take bits and pieces of things you like that fit you. The most important thing as a coach is to be truthful, be genuine and be your own personality.”

DJ and his wife, Sarah, are the parents of two athletic children: 13-year-old Abigail competes in soccer and track and field, and 11-year-old Luke plays baseball, football and basketball.

“They’ve been here a couple weekends visiting and seeing it all, but they’re excited to get here permanently soon,” he said.

Durkin encourages prospective student-athletes to choose Auburn for the same reasons he did.

“You look at the history of this place and the football tradition, it’s second to none in the country,” he said. “You look at this new facility and the things that have been put in this program to give us the opportunity to have success at the highest level, again I would say it’s second to none in the country.

“With the coaching staff that Coach Freeze has put together and the environment he has created, I think it’s a unique culture to anywhere else in the country. When you come here and visit, I think you get a feel for that.

“I know I did. I know a lot of others have said the same thing. If you want to come to a place and get developed at the highest level with the opportunity to go play at the highest level, it’s here.”

Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer 

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Meet the Coaches: Auburn co-defensive coordinator Charles Kelly

By Jeff Shearer

3/1/2024 11:00:00 AM

Nearly four decades after arriving on the Plains to play for Pat Dye, Charles Kelly returns, intent on helping his alma mater compete for championships : 'It's great to be back home'

AUBURN, Ala. – The son of a high school football coach in Ozark, Alabama, Charles Kelly knew early on that his future would include a whistle and call sheets.

“Probably around fourth or fifth grade,” said Kelly, who has participated in preseason camps for a half century. “He started letting me go to fall camp with him when I was 5 years old. I have not missed one since then, either as a player or a football coach. It’s in your blood.

“The one piece of advice he gave me before I got into coaching, he said, ‘If you don’t feel like you can live without it, then you need to coach.’”

Kelly followed his father’s advice, steadily ascending from high school to the SEC in a championship career that started on the Plains playing defensive back for Pat Dye’s Auburn Tigers from 1986-89.

“He had a lot to do with me being here,” Kelly said. “He had a lot to do with me winding up being a coach. I have a lot of memories of this place. I was attracted to it at a young age. Growing up in this state, knowing the tradition when Coach Jordan was here.

“For me, it’s always been about the players, building the relationships, helping them develop, helping them create value for themselves on a day-to-day basis in everything they do. When you do that, you build championship people.”

Kelly comes back to Auburn after serving as defensive coordinator at Colorado last season. Before that, he coached at Alabama, Florida State, Tennessee and Georgia Tech.

“It’s great to be back home,” he said. “Auburn is such a wonderful place to go to school and raise a family. It means so many things to so many people.”

Thirty-one years after serving as a graduate assistant on Terry Bowden’s unbeaten 1993 Auburn team, Kelly returns as co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach.

“What makes Auburn special is the people,” he said. “Even though it’s been 31 years since I worked here, I see things all the time that make me think about the people that made this place. It’s people who make Auburn. When people come here, that’s what they fall in love with.”

Kelly works closely with another SEC veteran, defensive coordinator DJ Durkin.

“We want to play with great effort,” Kelly said. “That’s one thing we can control. You can always control your effort. We want to play physical. I can think of all the championship teams that played here at Auburn, what they all had in common is that they were very physical on defense.

“We want to be very multiple where we cause offenses problems by the way they have to adjust. We want to be aggressive, great effort, physical, and the thing we’re going to do is get the ball.

“The most important thing you can do on defense is get the ball for your team, whether it’s causing fumbles or interceptions. We want to be aggressive in that way.”

You can win championships here. I’m a firm believer that if you can do it once, you can do it twice. There have been coaches who have done it in the past and I think we’ve got the right head coach to do that.

Charles Kelly

Auburn ranked third in the SEC last season, forcing 18 turnovers, including a dozen interceptions. Kelly will use spring practice to develop the safeties who will replace departed starters Jaylin Simpson and Zion Puckett.

“In the short time Coach Freeze has been here, he’s done a tremendous job of evaluating prospects and recruiting the right kind of players here,” Kelly said. “There are some young guys here but they’re very athletic. They seem very bright and they’re into the game.

“It’s very hard to take your game to an elite level unless you really love football, and that’s the one thing I’ve seen from these guys. I’m really excited about being able to get on the grass and work with these guys.

“What Auburn people want to see, it’s not what you do, it’s how you do it on a day-to-day basis. When you go in that stadium and you play in front of those fans, it’s how you play that’s the most important thing. When you learn how to play the right way, you will get the results you deserve.”

Like Kelly, Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze also started as a high school coach, then worked at smaller colleges before earning SEC opportunities.

“Coach Freeze is a wonderful football coach,” Kelly said. “His track record speaks for itself. First, he’s a good man. He does right by players. He has a plan not only to develop players on the field but off the field as well.

“When you recruit the right kind of people, you build teams and then you build championship teams. I have no doubt that Coach Freeze, his plan is to build championship teams and I wanted to be a part of that.”

Renowned for his recruiting prowess, Kelly was 247Sports’ national recruiter of the year in 2023 after ranking in the top five in 2022.

“The No. 1 thing for prospective student-athletes is development, on and off the field,” Kelly said. “We have a great coaching staff that has proven they can develop players to play at the highest level.

“You’re also going to get a degree. This is not a three or four-year decision. This is a 40-year decision. I’ve always said that if you love Auburn, Auburn will love you back, and that is true. When you come to this campus, you fall in love with it.

“You can win championships here. I’m a firm believer that if you can do it once, you can do it twice. There have been coaches who have done it in the past and I think we’ve got the right head coach to do that.”

Nearly four decades after first coming to the Plains, Charles Kelly is back. An Auburn man rejoins the Auburn family. Charles and his wife, Kristy, a former Auburn football student recruiter, have three daughters.

“It’s a great opportunity to come back to a place I love very much,” he said. “I’m honored that Coach Freeze gave me that opportunity and I will always be grateful.”

Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer 

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GOOD MORNING MY LOVELIES................yes i screamed it to wake you wonderful folks up.

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auburnwire.usatoday.com

Four-star RB Bo Jackson earns Auburn offer

Taylor Jones

~2 minutes

History has a funny way of repeating itself.

The best running back in Auburn history, as well as football in general, was a man named Bo Jackson. He rushed for 4,303 yards and 43 touchdowns for the Tigers from 1982-85. He capped his college career by winning the Heisman Trophy in 1985 after rushing for 1,786 yards and 17 scores.

Fast forward to 2024, and Auburn has yet again offered a running back named Bo Jackson.

Jackson, a 2025 four-star running back from Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School in Cleveland, Ohio, announced Tuesday on X (formerly Twitter) that he has received an offer from Auburn. The announcement delighted Auburn fans, many called it “destiny.”

Ohio State is the favorite to sign Jackson early on, but many SEC programs want to join the picture. Several SEC teams have joined Auburn by offering Jackson a scholarship since January such as South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, and Ole Miss.

Jackson’s recruitment will be one to keep an eye on. He is a four-star running back according to all four major recruiting services and is considered to be a top-five recruit from Ohio for the 2025 class.

🐅🐅🐅🐅Blessed to be offered by @AuburnFootball Thanks @CoachHughFreeze @DerrickDnix @VASJFootball pic.twitter.com/Mhtzwnv1KI

— Bo Jackson (@BoJackson2025) March 12, 2024

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__

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