Meet the Coaches Carnell Williams

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auburntigers.com

 

Meet the Coaches: Auburn running backs coach Carnell Williams

Auburn University Athletics

8-10 minutes

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AUBURN, Ala. – Eighteen years later, Auburn running backs coach Carnell Williams still gets goosebumps.

“It’s the most memorable play of my career,” said Williams, recalling his 80-yard touchdown run on the first play of the 2003 Iron Bowl. “The safety came down and I made him miss. I can remember sticking my foot in the ground, jump cutting instantly. I saw a couple guys in front of me, then all I saw was green grass.

“I remember thinking, ‘Don’t go out of bounds. Don’t trip.’ My man Jeris McIntyre, who was trailing me, he almost tripped me.”

“Carnell Williams at the tailback. They’ll hand it off to Williams up the middle, 25, cuts it inside, 30, 35, 40… there goes Cadillac! To the 50, to the 40, to the 30, to the 20, to the 15, 10… Go crazy, Cadillac! Go Crazy! Touchdown Auburn! 80 yards!” (Rod Bramblett, Nov. 22, 2003)

As a freshman, Williams was injured on the fifth play of the 2001 Iron Bowl. The next season, an injury again kept him out of the 2002 Iron Bowl. Finally, on the opening play in 2003, Williams unleashed “all this pent-up energy and all these emotions” on his way to a career-best 204 rushing yards in Auburn’s 28-23 win.

For all the fanfare of that iconic moment, Williams’ wish for the players he coaches is for them to experience what he did the following season when Auburn’s “Hard-Fighting Soldiers” went 13-0.

“I have never been part of a team like that,” he said. “We had each other’s backs. We were family. Work, hard work. We were selfless.”

The success the SEC champion Auburn Tigers enjoyed in 2004 carried over to all aspects, Williams says.

“Those guys are winning in life,” he said. “We still stay in contact. That season with that group of guys is what I strive for every player who comes through these walls to experience.”

An All-American in 2004, Williams still holds Auburn’s career record with 45 rushing touchdowns. The fifth player selected in the 2005 NFL Draft, Williams won the NFL’s Rookie of the Year Award in 2005 and played seven professional seasons before launching an insurance business with his wife, Evan-Christina.

Football still consumed weekends for Williams, who spent Saturdays and Sundays on the phone analyzing games with former teammates including Ronnie Brown and Carlos Rogers.

When Williams played in the pros, his coaches often told him he would be a coach “because I was always in the building,” a message reinforced at home.

“’Why don’t you coach?’” Evan-Christina asked Carnell.” “’You talk football and you love to be around kids and impact them.’”

Ten years after helping lead the Tigers to an undefeated season, Williams returned to Auburn University to complete his degree, graduating in December 2014.

Through the NFL Players Association, he learned of an opportunity to coach running backs at Division-II Henderson State in Arkansas in 2015.

“I knew from day one,” Williams said. “This is what I want to do. I love to work. I love ball and love being around people.

“I know how important that player-coach relationship is, because I benefited from it. The Good Lord put a lot of men in my life who have helped me become the man I am today. Without those influential men in my life, I wouldn’t be in this position.”

Williams gained additional experience at West Georgia and IMG Academy before becoming Auburn’s running backs coach in 2019 and being retained by head coach Bryan Harsin in 2021.

“He’s done a great job with the connection with our players and it’s been a joy to work with him,” Harsin said. “You get an opportunity to come back to your alma mater and coach, you take tremendous pride in that.”

In his first two seasons coaching at Auburn, Williams recruited and developed Tank Bigsby, the 2020 SEC co-freshman of the year. His 2021 running back room includes Bigsby, senior Shaun Shivers and true freshman Jarquez Hunter.

“I see guys who work their tails off,” Williams said. “I see selfless guys who are putting the team and their teammates before themselves. I see guys who are committed on and off the field. Most of all, I’m starting to see that brotherhood.”

Auburn’s running backs remind Williams of himself when he arrived on the Plains two decades ago.

“Those guys love being in this building,” he said. “From experience I know as a player if you love to go somewhere and be at that place, you’re going to grow, develop and get the most out of your talent. You’re going to be prepared on and off the field.

“That’s what brings my heart joy.  When kids come in this building, they’re excited and eager to learn. In my room, that’s what I’m seeing with this group.”

Williams’ SEC and NFL credentials give him instant credibility on the recruiting trail.

“I will be forever indebted to Auburn University,” he said. “It gave me the opportunity of a lifetime. It helped a young guy become a man. It prepared me for things in life that I know had I gone somewhere else I wouldn’t have been prepared for.

“Auburn is a family environment. You’re going to get out of it what you put into it. I always tell people, ‘If you love Auburn University, Auburn will love you back.’”

When it comes time to choose their college destination, Williams encourages prospects to follow his example by following their hearts.

“It’s about the people within those walls who are going to help you be successful,” he said. “Auburn represents excellence. Auburn represents love. Auburn people love Auburn, they love each other and trying to help their neighbor.

“I have been very blessed and fortunate to be part of this Auburn family. It goes back to 2001 on my visit. It just felt different. I could feel it tugging on my heart more than any place I visited in the country.

“I went with my gut feeling and thank God things worked out like they did and I chose Auburn University because I truly feel this is the best place in the country. A place that can prepare you not only on the field but off the field.

“Like I always tell recruits, the best thing about Auburn University is the people.”

For 20 years, Carnell Williams has been an Auburn person. First as a student-athlete, then as a famous alum. Now as a coach, pouring into others so they too might have an opportunity to “Go Crazy!”

“That is my passion. That is why I coach,” he said. “I love the game of football, but most of all I love serving people. That’s a quality I get from my mom, watching her growing up serving people. It gives me gratification to be able to help somebody, plant that seed in them and help them be better in life.

“I want everybody to know I’m truly blessed and honored to be an Auburn Tiger.”

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

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[tigerman1186 537]

A special player at Auburn and a special coach...it looks like the future is bright at running back in about 15 years from now...

[aubiefifty 18,231]

i have an autographed football card of him. i used to collect mantle but since his stuff is so high i collect auburn players. mostly football but basketball and baseball as well. and they are autographed from the companies so they are legit.