Watts brings the juice

[aubiefifty 18,231]

New Auburn assistant Bert

By Tom Green | tgreen@al.com

6-7 minutes

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The back hallways of Auburn’s athletics complex have turned into impromptu wrestling rings this spring.

It’s not uncommon these days to find new outside linebackers coach Bert Watts grappling with defensive line coach Nick Eason or inside linebackers coach Jeff Schmedding in the corridors of the Tigers’ athletics complex. It’s often the end result of Watts going toe to toe with either of his fellow assistants while working on pass-rushing techniques just outside their offices.

Watts doesn’t typically get the upper hand on either of his colleagues; his only wrestling experience was with his siblings growing up, and he says matter-of-factly that the results these days against Eason and Schmedding are “not good for me, I guarantee you that.” The makeshift matchups with his fellow assistants, however, highlight one of the key attributes that Watts brings to Bryan Harsin’s inaugural staff — an unmatched energy in everything he does.

“I thought I was going to be the guy with the most energy, but he’s usually running next to me or passed beyond me,” said Eason, whose office is right next to Watts’. “… He brings a lot of energy to the table. He’s consistent with who he is in meetings and on the field. The kid’s love him. The Edge ‘backers love him. The defensive line loves him. Everybody that works with him loves him.”

That high-energy persona has been evident during Watts’ first spring on the Plains. His presence has been felt, seen and heard during the portions of practice that have been open to the media so far. He’s constantly fired up and is often the most boisterous coach on the field while taking a very hands-on approach to practices, where he not only focuses on Auburn’s outside linebackers/Edge defenders but also oversees the Tigers’ special teams units.

It’s a trait that Schmedding said makes Watts a natural fit as Auburn’s special teams coordinator, given how involved players — and coaches — from each side of the ball are when it comes to that facet of the game. Schmedding would know; he spent seven seasons early in his career as special teams coordinator at Eastern Washington.

“On special teams, you touch everybody in the facility,” Schmedding said. “… You’re in front of the team and your voice is being heard by pretty much the whole team almost every single day. You’ve got to bring that energy, and Bert has no problem doing that, that’s for sure. He’s laced up in practice and running around loud with high energy and chasing guys to the ball.”

During Auburn’s first fully open practice of the spring, for example, Watts sprinted from the far end of the field and toward defensive end Caleb Johnson to celebrate during an 11-on-11 rep. Johnson had just knocked down running back Jay Sharp in the flat, preventing him from completing his route. As Watts saw Sharp hit the turf, he took off 25 yards downfield and was the first to dap up Johnson — even before the play was blown dead.

“No question that Coach Watts brings the juice,” Schmedding said.

Coach Bert Watts getting fired up in drills during Auburn's spring practice Wednesday, March 24, 2021. Todd Van Emst/AU AthleticsTodd Van Emst/AU Athletics

That high-octane mentality can be traced back to Watts’ playing days at Cal, where he started on and off at safety for three seasons. During his senior season at Cal, then-Bears defensive backs coach J.D. Williams passed along a valuable lesson that Watts has carried with him two decades later: Your players are going to be a reflection of you.

That lesson stuck with Watts, and it was reinforced during his time at Fresno State, where he and Williams worked as defensive assistants together from 2017-19.

“The energy that you bring day in and day out, if that’s what you want from your players, if you want your players to bring it every day and be fired up, be excited and happy to be there and see practices as not just another practice but an opportunity to grow and get better every single day, you have to bring that as well, you have to show that as well,” Watts said. “You can’t just, you know, say it, you have to bring the actions behind your words.”

He consistently brings that energy, along with a keen attention to detail, to the field and to the meeting room with his players, as well as to staff meetings. It’s there at 5 a.m. every day, when he hits the weight room for his early morning workouts — typically before anyone else, except for Eason — and it’s absolutely there in the back corridors of Auburn’s athletics complex when those spur-of-the-moment pass-rushing drills devolve into wrestling matches between grown men.

It’s not just for show; that’s just who Watts is. Besides, he said, that spirited approach has always made the job more fun and exciting — and he can see that carry over to his players, who he said are always smiling when they huddle as a position group at the end of practices.

“They’re enjoying the process; they enjoy getting better and we’re all talking about how we can get better next practice and what we need to do and the goals we need to set,” Watts said. “So that’s something that I feel like you always have to do, you can’t ever let that slide. The good days, the bad days, when you step out on that field — I mean, that’s what we do it for.

“You can feel the energy of each other and help each other out and bring what you need to that team to be successful.”

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.