11/17/22 Auburn Articles

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Auburn vs WKU Prediction Game Preview

By Pete Fiutak | November 16, 2022 10:40 pm CT

3–4 minutes

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Auburn vs WKU prediction, game preview, how to watch. Week 12, Saturday, November 19

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Auburn vs WKU Prediction, Game Preview

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Auburn vs WKU How To Watch

Date: Saturday, November 19
Game Time: 4:00 ET
Venue: Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn, AL
How To Watch: SEC Network
Record: Auburn (4-6), WKU (7-4)
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Why WKU Will Win

The passing game is going to make this interesting.

The Hilltoppers are fourth in the nation through the air averaging 336 yards per game with a whole lot of midrange completions. Auburn has a decent pass rush, but that’s negated a bit by the style and quickness of the WKU attack.

Mississippi State has a slightly different offensive flow, but it was able to hit Auburn for 357 passing yards, Georgia was effective when it decided to throw, and Penn State’s Sean Clifford was deadly accurate.

The Tigers are 1-4 when allowing over 200 yards through the air. WKU has failed to hit 270 just once, but …

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Why Auburn Will Win

The program perked up with Carnell Williams in as the interim head coach.

Things might have started with a loss to Mississippi State, but it was a good fight with the running game rolling. Last week it ran for 270 yards and the defense pitched its best game of the season in the 13-10 win over Texas A&M.

So how does AU deal with the WKU passing game? It runs and keeps on running.

Time of possession doesn’t matter to the Hilltoppers, so the Tigers should take advantage by grinding, keeping Austin Reed and that dangerous O on the sidelines, and more than anything else, getting good tackles out of the secondary to keep the short throws from becoming big plays.

– Schedules, Predictions College | NFL

What’s Going To Happen

Indiana had to hang on for dear life in the 33-30 win over WKU, but it came up with the win. That was the only time the Hilltoppers dealt with a Power Five program.

Auburn can’t turn it over like it has over the last few weeks – five in the two games under Williams – and WKU takes the ball away, but the SEC running game will make up for a slew of mistakes by pounding away for 250 yards.

WKU will get its passing yards, but a few late drives won’t finish with points.

– Expert Picks College Week 12 | NFL Week 11

Auburn vs WKU Prediction, Line

Auburn 34, WKU 27
Line: Auburn -5.5, o/u: 52.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 3.5
Auburn vs WKU Must See Rating (out of 5): 3

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Andy Burcham evaluates Auburn’s coaching situation, says ‘it’s John Cohen’s call’

Ginny Boulton

2–3 minutes

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The coaching carousel is still in full spin at Auburn, and where it will stop, nobody knows.

“Voice of the Tigers” announcer Andy Burcham joined “McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning” on WJOX on Wednesday to give a rundown on the coaching situation. The longtime Tiger broadcaster was asked about Cadillac Williams becoming the permanent head coach, and had several thoughts on the situation.

“It would be a feel good story for Auburn if it happens. John Cohen is the one leading this search, and John Cohen is the one that is going to make the call, not the Auburn family, not the Auburn powerbrokers, it’s going to be John Cohen.”

Burcham was also asked to what degree emotion was playing a part in the coaching choice, responding that it may play a small factor.

“It’s John Cohen’s call, and I think he’s going about it in a systematic way. Is there emotion when it comes to this? Absolutely there is. I think that just shows you how beloved coach Williams is at Auburn. But, I don’t know how much emotion is playing a factor in John Cohen’s search.”

Auburn hired Cohen as AD last month to replace Allen Greene, who left right before the season began. Cohen will lead the charge to replace head coach Bryan Harsin, who was fired after two tumultuous seasons on The Plains.

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Derick Hall makes leadership award semifinals list

River Wells

~2 minutes

Edge rusher Derick Hall has been nominated for an award that showcases his talents on and off the field.

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Hall was nominated as a semifinalist for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award, which focuses on leadership skills on and off the football field. Hall is one of 20 semifinalists for the award.

Hall is one of only two SEC semifinalists for the award, as Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker is the only other representative for the conference. The winner of the award receives a $10,000 donation in their name to the school’s scholarship fund, so there is certainly an incentive to win the award aside from pure prestige.

As a senior, Hall has been with the team for four years and has started for three of them. As such, there has been plenty of time for him to establish his leadership across the defense and the team as a whole.

The semifinalist list will be narrowed down to three players on Dec. 14 and the winner will be announced two months later on Feb. 23, 2023.

A true Auburn Man (of the Year).@derick_hall9 has been named a 𝘀𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 for the @WittenCMOY as one of the nation's top leaders!

https://t.co/CmNRIzg29A pic.twitter.com/jODFUzmodV

— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) November 16, 2022

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Auburn football coach hot board: Is Clemson's Dabo Swinney entering the mix?

Lance Dawe

5–6 minutes

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Auburn football defeats Texas A&M

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Rumors are swirling around Dabo Swinney and the Tigers.

As Auburn's coaching search has continued, people seemingly have begun to lose their sanity.

Throw out any name, and it apparently sticks.

A new face has emerged in the running for the Tigers' head coaching position, and he hails from an unlikely place: Clemson's Dabo Swinney.

According to our sources (also confirmed by a few outlets, we are not the first to mention Swinney and Auburn), Dabo Swinney's representatives have been having conversations with Auburn University since around last Saturday (Lance Taylor of The Next Round discussed similar things on Wednesday's show).

Note that this does not mean the Tigers are going to hire him, nor does it mean they are currently trying to hire him. All that has been said is that his representatives have been in conversations with Auburn.

As of right now, things have gone quiet on the whole. Nothing new on any of Auburn's other candidates. We've trimmed our list to four with questions surrounding actual Swinney's interest in the position.

Here's a look at our updated hot board:

Lane Kiffin - Ole Miss

© Calvin Mattheis/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

Record at Ole Miss: 23-10

Overall Record: 84-43

Head coaching experience: Oakland Raiders, Tennessee, USC, Florida Atlantic, Ole Miss

Other experience: Fresno State (assistant), Colorado State (GA), Jacksonville Jaguars (DQC), USC (TE, WR, PGC, OC), Alabama (OC/QB)

Kiffin is one of the main candidates at the top of Auburn's target list, and will remain there until the end of the season when the Tigers can finally go after him. He has mastered the transfer portal with the Rebels and would immediately provide a boost to Auburn's relatively thin roster.

He's one of the best offensive minds in the game and has a Twitter game that is unrivaled. Kiffin has made a couple of public remarks about the position but has not fully shut down the possibility of coming to the Plains. He was reportedly interested in the position back in 2020 and may find interest in Auburn now.

Rumors surrounding Kiffin and a move to the Tigers have circled for a few days now. If we had to make a guess, he will be the hire. When that comes, or if it even does, we don't know.

Dabo Swinney - Clemson

Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY Sports

Record at Oregon: 159-37

Overall Record: 159-37

Head coaching experience: Clemson

Other experience: Alabama (GA, WR, TE), Clemson (WR, AHC, OC)

Swinney is one of the most accomplished coaches of the 21st century. Two national titles, seven ACC championship victories, ten ACC Atlantic division titles, and six top ten recruiting classes. He's done it all.

We don't think Dabo Swinney is genuinely considering a move from Clemson to Auburn despite the conversations. It was hard to put anything out on Saturday, because, well, it sounds wild. If he did leave for the Plains, it could cause a seismic shake up in the SEC.

Hugh Freeze - Liberty

Robert McDuffie-USA TODAY Sports

Record at Liberty: 34-13

Overall Record: 75-45

Head coaching experience: Lambuth, Arkansas State, Ole Miss, Liberty

Other experience: Ole Miss (TE), Arkansas State (OC)

Hugh Freeze has well documented baggage that comes with him wherever he goes. However, that has not stopped many from pointing out that he has won everywhere he has coached, and currently has the Flames (a program that has only been at the D-I level for four and a half seasons) inside the AP Top 25. He is also one of three college coaches to have ever beaten Nick Saban in back-to-back years (Ole Miss, 2014-15). He just traveled to Arkansas and beat the Razorbacks with his third-string quarterback.

Freeze wants the job badly. How high he is on Auburn's board is obviously not known - but it is fair to assume that he will get a look if he hasn't already.

Dan Lanning - Oregon

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Record at Oregon: 8-2

Overall Record: 8-2

Head coaching experience: Oregon

Other experience: Pittsburgh (GA), Arizona State (GA/RC), Sam Houston State (DB), Alabama (GA), Memphis (ILB), Georgia (DC/OLB)

Lanning is a first-year head coach that holds a lot of promise. He oversaw one of the best defenses of the 21st century at Georgia before moving to Oregon in the offseason. He picked up a quarterback and offensive coordinator with Auburn ties (Bo Nix, Kenny Dillingham) and has produced one of the best offenses in the entire nation.

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Cadillac says Saturday's opponent 'will throw it all over the yard'

Mark Murphy

3–4 minutes

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AUBURN, Alabama–Carnell "Cadillac" Williams said on Wednesday that Auburn is facing “a really good Western Kentucky team” as the Tigers head into their final home contest of the 2022 season. A big reason Auburn’s interim head coach has reason for concern is how effective the Hilltoppers have been throwing the football.

Going into Saturday’s 3 p.m. CST contest at Jordan-Hare Stadium the visitors will arrive with a team that is averaging 37.9 points per contest and has produced 265 first downs, which ranks fifth nationally.

Defensively, Western Kentucky has scored six touchdowns and has 30 takeaways through 11 games, including 17 pass interceptions.

A big part of Western Kentucky’s success has been because of its passing attack. With quarterback Austin Reed leading the way, the Hilltoppers are completing 67.5 percent of their throws while averaging 336.3 yards per game.

Four receivers have more than 40 catches and one, 5-11, 210 sophomore Malachi Corley, has 70 receptions for 955 yards. As a team Auburn has 133 catches for 1,813 yards in 10 games.

“We are going to have to be better,” Williams said. “We are excited for the challenge.”

Asked about the importance of pressuring 6-2, 230 graduate transfer Reed, who led West Florida to a Division II national championship, Williams said, “Honestly, they get the ball out so fast the pass rush is definitely going to be important, but I think what is most important is we have to rally to the football.

“We have got to be flying around, we have got to be lights out, we have to know our reads and keys,” the coach said. “We have to play sound football on the defensive end because, man, they throw it all over the yard. I think the defense is up to the challenge. Those guys are looking forward to it.”

Auburn is allowing 202.8 passing yards per game and is ranked fifth in the SEC in pass efficiency defense.

Auburn defensive backs Jaylin Simpson (36) and Nehemiah Pritchett (18) are expected to be very busy on Saturday. (Photo: Greg McWilliams, Inside the Auburn Tigers, 247Sports)

The Hilltoppers, who are 7-4 this season, have 308 receptions with 33 going for touchdowns.

“We cannot give up explosive plays because their offensive is very explosive,” Williams said. The coach added that if his Tigers are able to do that they should be “okay.”

The Tigers and Hilltoppers do not have any common opponents this season. Auburn is 2-0 in games vs. Western Kentucky with the previous matchup a 37-14 decision on September 24, 2005 prior to WKU moving up to the FBS level.

5COMMENTS

Western Kentucky has won three of its last four games, including a 45-10 home victory last week vs. Rice. A week earlier the Hilltoppers won 59-7 at Charlotte, bouncing back from a 40-13 home loss to North Texas. Prior to that WKU defeated UAB 20-17. Because a trip to the University of Hawaii is on the schedule the Hilltoppers are allowed to play 13 regular season games this season and will close the schedule vs. Florida Atlantic prior to receiving a bowl bid.

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Cadillac Williams shares most surprising aspect of being head coach

Nathan King

5–6 minutes

Cadillac Williams rattled off almost every coach he’s worked under since entering the industry as an assistant at Henderson State just seven years ago.

Ask any of them, he said, and they’ll back up Williams’ claim that his long-term goal in the profession has never been a head-coaching gig.

“I honestly never had any true aspirations to be a head coach at all,” Williams said.

Then he paused, and resumed: “But I am enjoying this thing.”

Now in his third week as Auburn’s interim head coach, following the removal of Bryan Harsin on Halloween, Williams and his efforts — successful ones, at that — to rejuvenate a losing season with life and energy have been met with praise from Auburn fans and beyond. It was evident over the weekend, when a packed Jordan-Hare Stadium went crazy, as Williams instructed in the pregame hype video, and served as an electric backdrop for Auburn’s first week since Week 4. Despite the matchup between the two worst teams in the division, Auburn’s 13-10 win over Texas A&M felt like a championship game, a few players said afterwards.

For Williams, the first few days on the job included a lot of bustling around with a reshuffled coaching staff — with all five on-field offensive assistants put in new roles — and nights with very little sleep, as he and his staff attempted to salvage a strong game plan for Mississippi State after Harsin’s ouster put the Tigers “behind the 8-ball.”

Things have settled down over the past week, though; the emotional win Saturday obviously didn’t hurt. Williams is still keeping his tunnel vision — he parried a question about next week’s Iron Bowl on Wednesday, affirming that he’s completely locked in on Western Kentucky right now — and he continues to relay that he’s not thinking about what happens next Auburn with the next head coach, who will presumably be hired at the conclusion of the regular season. In fact, Williams said Wednesday he met with the team last week to address that “elephant in the room,” but he asked the Tigers to join him in enjoying their time together as a team right now, and that when changes are eventually made, he will be there to support each and every one of them.

It’s an understatement to say this has been a whirlwind for Williams, who joined Auburn’s staff as running backs coach in 2019 as his first Division-I job. He’s loved every second of it.

But what’s been the most surprising part of being a head coach — something he didn’t anticipate when he was elevated to the interim spot just hours after Harsin was fired?

“As a head coach, I actually feel like I’m playing the game,” Williams responded on Wednesday’s SEC coaches teleconference. “It’s such a weird feeling. I get the same feeling as I did a decade ago, when I was playing the game — I get that same feeling as being a head coach. Not saying I (don’t) enjoy being an assistant coach, because Lord knows, that’s fulfilling. But a lot of times you have to respect authority and not do too much. For me to be in this leadership role, it’s amazing.

“I go into a place as if I’m playing the game of football. I just think that’s super cool, to be honest with you.”

For a player who showed as much tenacity as Williams did during his time at Auburn — when he ran for 3,831 yards across four seasons, the second-most in program history, and broke Bo Jackson’s career rushing touchdown record — it’s not surprising he’d want to recapture that feeling.

At the end of the day, Williams said, that’s what most coaches are striving for.

“The best part of football is being a player,” Williams said. “That’s why a lot of coaches want to coach it.”

Regardless of Auburn’s outcomes in its final two games of the season, Williams’ reinvigoration of the energy in that building — and the optimism of the fanbase — won’t soon be forgotten on the Plains. But will these be his last two games at Auburn? It’s certainly been an effective audition to the next head coach for Wiliams to be retained on the staff, considering the near-indescribable levels of support from his players and the fans.

Or could Williams, maybe with a massive upset in the Iron Bowl, be considered as a candidate to be that next head coach?

For now, the Auburn icon is keeping his head down. There’s Western Kentucky film to study, after all.

“Honestly, I’m not even worried about what’s next,” Williams said. “I’m literally having fun with these guys, pouring into their lives. What happens next — whatever happens, happens.”

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Auburn OL commit sees 'special' atmosphere with Cadillac Williams

Published: Nov. 16, 2022, 12:01 p.m.

3–4 minutes

Auburn Football

2023 OL Clay Wedin: ‘nothing going to change’ with Auburn commitment

Auburn Tigers Recruiting on AL.com | What's next after Harsin?; Keys for Cadillac?

By

Nick Alvarez | nalvarez@al.com

About two weeks ago, Clay Wedin realized he needed to return to the Plains. His mom and sister had never been to Auburn’s campus and he figured the first home game in the era of head coach Cadillac Williams was as good an opportunity as any. Jordan-Hare Stadium didn’t disappoint.

“The game, the atmosphere was definitely the best I’ve been to,” Wedin told AL.com. “Just to see the fans and everybody rally around Coach Cadillac ... That’s definitely something that’s really special.”

Wedin, the 22nd-ranked interior offensive lineman in the class of 2023 and part of Auburn’s 10-player recruiting class, was last on campus for the four-point LSU loss on Oct. 1. He still verbally committed two weeks later and when Bryan Harsin was fired — and of Auburn’s two other OL pledges changed his mind — Wedin bought into Williams’ vision.

He watched in person as the Tigers pummel Texas A&M with 285 rushing yards. The 6-foot-6, 295-pound bruiser from Tampa Carrollwood (Fla.) Day noted the Tigers’ ground game as a personal highlight from his trip. He spoke with some of his prior recruiters who remained on staff after the mid-season shakeup, namely Joe Bernardi, Will Friend and Kendall Simmons.

MORE Tigers football: Cadillac Williams enjoying ‘old school’ Auburn offense, but wants improvements in passing game

How Cadillac Williams leads with accountability as Auburn interim coach

On Sunday, Wedin met with Williams. Auburn’s interim head coach has spoken glowingly about his alma mater at every turn, a selling point he knows well and as Sports Illustrated director of recruiting John Garcia points out, a key tool on the recruiting trail.

“Holding onto to those verbal commitments is paramount, particularly the offensive lineman. ... Matienence of those should be viewed in a way like any blue-chippers they add down the line,” Garcia said.

Wedin said it wasn’t hard for Williams to keep him on board. He said “nothing is going to change” with his recruitment, and he plans to put pen to paper at the start of the early signing period on Dec. 21 in time to enroll in January.

For now, Wedin has been working on his second-level blocking and angling defensive lineman away from the ball, traits Wedin knows he’ll need next year with Auburn. He’s sparked a running game that averages 6.2 yards a carry and 167.5 total per game. He’ll lead the 5-3 Patriots to the playoffs versus St. Petersburg Northside (Fla.) Christian on Nov. 18.

Nick Alvarez is a reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @nick_a_alvarez or email him at NAlvarez@al.com

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The full Auburn depth chart for Week 12

River Wells

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It’s about that time of the week again, and this depth chart comes with two significant changes as the Tigers prepare to face Western Kentucky on Saturday.

The first big one is that quarterback T.J. Finley is no longer listed on the team’s depth chart. The news comes shortly after Finley decided to sit out the rest of the season and enter the transfer portal soon, so it would make sense that he would not appear on the depth chart.

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Secondly, a permanent change has been made at kicker. Kicker Alex McPherson is officially listed as the team’s starting kicker on the Week 12 depth chart, which comes as a change from last week — McPherson did start against Texas A&M, but kicker Anders Carlson was still named as the starting kicker on the depth chart the week before that game.

Without further ado, here is Auburn’s football team for Week 12:

John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

Starter: Robby Ashford, Redshirt Freshman

Backup: Holden Geriner, Freshman

USA Today Network

Starter: Tank Bigsby, Junior

Backup: Jarquez Hunter, Sophomore

Todd Van Emst / AU Athletics

Starter: John Samuel Shenker, Senior

Backup: Luke Deal, Junior

Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics

WRX: Shedrick Jackson, SeniorBackup: Camden Brown, Freshman OR Dazalin Worsham, Sophomore

WRH: Ja’Varrius Johnson, Junior

Backup: Jay Fair, Freshman

WRZ: Koy Moore, Sophomore

Backup: Malcom Johnson Jr., Junior OR Omari Kelly, Freshman

Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics

Left Tackle: Kilian Zierer, Senior

Backup: Brendan Coffey, Senior

Left Guard: Kameron Stutts, Senior

Backup: Jeremiah Wright, Junior

Center: Brandon Council, Senior

Backup: Jalil Irvin, Senior

Right Guard: Alec Jackson, Senior

Backup: Keiondre Jones, Junior

Right Tackle: Brendan Coffey, Senior

Backup: Colby Smith, Redshirt Freshman

Austin Perryman/ AU Athletics

Edge Rusher: Derick Hall, Senior

Backup: Dylan Brooks, Redshirt Freshman

Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics

Defensive End: Colby Wooden, Junior

Backup: Morris Joseph Jr., Senior OR Marcus Bragg, Senior

Nose Tackle: Jason Jones, Sophomore

Backup: Marquis Burks, Senior

Defensive Tackle: Marcus Harris, Junior

Backup: Jeffey M’Ba, Sophomore

Todd Van Emst/Auburn Tigers

Middle Linebacker: Owen Pappoe, Senior

Backup: Wesley Steiner, Junior

Weakside Linebacker: Cam Riley, Junior

Backup: Eugene Asante, Junior OR Jake Levant, Sophomore

Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics

CB1: Nehemiah Pritchett, Senior

Backup: J.D. Rhym, Freshman

CB2: D.J. James, Junior

Backup: Jaylin Simpson, Junior

Nickel: Keionte Scott, Sophomore

Backup: Austin Ausberry, Freshman

(Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images)

Safety: Zion Puckett, Junior

Backup: Marquise Gilbert, Sophomore

Safety: Donovan Kaufman, Sophomore

Backup: Cayden Bridges, Redshirt Freshman

Zach Bland/AU Athletics

Kicker: Alex McPherson, Freshman

Backup: Evan McGuire, Sophomore

Punter: Oscar Chapman, Junior

Backup: Alex McPherson, Freshman

Holder: Oscar Chapman, Junior

Backup: Trey Lindsay, Senior

Longsnapper: Jacob Quattlebaum, Senior

Backup: Kyle Vaccarella, Redshirt Freshman

Punt Returner: Keionte Scott, Sophomore

Backup: Ja’Varrius Johnson, Junior

Kick Returner: Jarquez Hunter, Sophomore OR Keionte Scott, Sophomore

Backup: Damari Alston, Freshman OR Nehemiah Pritchett, Senior

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1. Auburn Football

The story behind Cadillac Williams’ dapper gameday suit

• Updated: Nov. 17, 2022, 9:10 a.m.|
• Published: Nov. 17, 2022, 7:01 a.m.

November 12, 2022; Auburn, Al, USA; Coach Carnell Williams walks through tiger walk before the game between Auburn and Texas A&M at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Todd Van EmstTodd Van Emst/AU Athletics

 

 

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• Tom Green | tgreen@al.com

Cadillac Williams looked in the mirror and wasn’t feeling himself.

The burnt orange-and-navy blue paned suit staring back at him wasn’t his style, but he tried it on anyway at the behest of his wife, Evan. The stylish INSERCH Limited Edition suit arrived from Los Angeles just days earlier, and the rule inside the Williams household was that if the outfit shipped, it had to be tried on before any final decisions were made.

“He didn’t want to put it on,” Evan told AL.com. “I made him put it on, and he was acting like it was the ugliest thing he’d ever seen.”

Williams gave his reflection a once-over in the mirror and immediately told his wife he couldn’t see himself wearing the suit in public. He requested that she send it back to L.A. Thanks, but no thanks; this one wasn’t for him.

Evan resisted, confident that her husband could pull off the statement look — even if he didn’t believe he could at the time. She insisted he give it some time and try the plaid and mini-checked suit again the next day. This time, Williams put on a navy turtleneck underneath the suit, and it started to grow on him. The following evening, he tried it on again, this time completing the look with a pair of brown wingtip Oxfords.

The stylish get-up was coming together.

 

“By the time we had the whole outfit — the turtleneck, the shoes — I could tell he was feeling himself a little bit, but he wouldn’t admit it,” Evan said. “… But I knew when I saw him that it was just going to give a whole different vibe.”

When Williams stepped off Auburn’s team bus late Saturday afternoon and made his way up South Donahue for his first home Tiger Walk as Auburn’s interim head coach, there was a pop of confidence in his gait. His suit was a statement: This day was special.

 

 

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The flashiest thing about Williams is his nickname: Cadillac.

 

He doesn’t relish being in the spotlight, and he doesn’t seek undue attention. That’s both his personality — it comes through in his earnestness during press conferences since being named interim coach — as well as his preference when it comes to style.

 

 

“Carnell is a traditionalist,” Evan said. “He’s a suit purist.”

 

 

When Williams turned 40 in April, though, Evan wanted to do something special for him. The idea? A bit of a wardrobe makeover, at least when it comes to his gameday attire. She wanted her husband to be more fashion-forward, so she enlisted the help of a close friend, Janell Grimes, an L.A.-based personal stylist and Auburn grad who went to school with them in the early 2000s.

 

“Everybody knows that I don’t even know how to dress,” Williams told AL.com

 

 

Grimes’ directive was straightforward: help Williams ramp up his style and push him out of his usual comfort zone. Men’s style has come a long way since Williams’ playing days, both at Auburn and in the NFL, and Evan wanted her husband to pull off a more modern look that was on par with his players, many of whom haven’t shied away from current fashion trends — from highwater suit pants that show off the ankles or calves to nontraditional colors and more.

 

 

“His players are pretty stylish,” Evan said. “I was like, ‘You can’t be the only one out here not rocking this new style. I see what they are wearing on a day-to-day basis.’ He’s not too old; I feel like we’re still young, and it’s only right to kind of still show his fashion-forward self — although he did not have any skills, clearly, back in the day as a player, at all.”

 

RELATED: Cadillac Williams’ vulnerability resonates with a reinvigorated Auburn

 

 

Grimes gradually upgraded Williams’ wardrobe this offseason, taking into considerations his likes and dislikes—and sometimes pushing the boundaries of what he might be comfortable wearing. Williams wore his new outfits on gamedays throughout the season, but when Halloween rolled around, everything changed. Bryan Harsin was fired as Auburn’s coach amid a 3-5 start to the year, and Williams was elevated to interim head coach.

 

 

While Williams navigated the “bombshell” that Auburn dropped on him and got to work preparing his team for the next steps, Evan also shifted into gear. She called Grimes that day and told her they needed to step things up another notch. Williams was now in the spotlight: One of Auburn’s favorite sons and all-time greats was not only the interim coach at his alma mater, but he was also the first Black head coach in program history. All eyes were going to be on him, regardless if he wanted the attention.

 

Evan told Grimes to just start sending more outfits, because Williams was about to be front and center. Grimes already had his measurements, and now she had the greenlight to be a bit more adventurous: “She gets it; she’s an Auburn grad, so she knows what was at stake,” Evan said.

 

 

Within a few days, the suits began to arrive in Auburn. More packages arrived throughout that first weekend, even as Williams was leading Auburn to a second-half rally against Mississippi State that fell just short in overtime. The orange-and-blue plaid and mini-checked suit was one of the first to arrive at the Williams residence, and it instantly caught Evan’s eye.

 

 

“When I opened it, I immediately knew he was going to hate the suit,” she said. “Like, I looked at it, I pulled it out, and I was like, ‘He’s going to hate this,’ — but I loved it. I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is fire.’”

 

Evan wasn’t surprised at her husband’s initial hesitance about the suit.

She has been with him long enough — they met at Auburn two decades ago — to know his preferences. When she first set eyes on the outfit, though, she knew it was the one. They wanted something special for Williams’ first home game as interim coach; the atmosphere was going to be unforgettable on the Plains — from Tiger Walk to inside Jordan-Hare Stadium — and Evan thought her husband’s outfit should be, too.

 

 

“I was initially thinking Iron Bowl, because I’m like, we got to come all the way with it for the Iron Bowl, but the more I looked at it, I was like, ‘No, this has got to be the first home game,’” Evan said. “Like, this is the one.”

 

 

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Williams resisted at first, but he finally gave in. The suit was growing on him. He appreciated the patterned orange and blue; they were Auburn colors, after all.

 

 

“I might be able to pull this off,” Williams thought to himself after a few days and a few attempts at trying on the suit.

 

 

The outfit was a hit, from fans, to players and even Williams’ former teammates, many of whom descended on the Plains to support Williams in his first home game. Carlos Rogers, Williams’ former roommate at Auburn whom Williams admits is more stylish than he is, looked him up and down in the locker room and said with a laugh: “Now that’s something I’d wear.”

 

 

“According to my wife and people, I got a lot of likes, a lot of players liked it,” Williams said. “They were like, ‘Dang, Coach, I didn’t know you had that in you.’ So, that was cool.”

 

 

The overwhelming positive feedback about the suit, and how sharp Williams looked in, has the Tigers’ interim coach sporting a new air of self-confidence. It didn’t hurt that Auburn beat Texas A&M, 13-10, to give Williams his first career win as a head coach at any level. He has had a little more swagger around Auburn’s athletics complex this week, even as his earnest tone has remained the same and his messaging consistent.

 

 

At home this week, Cadillac asked Evan about some of the other outfits Grimes sent that he initially rebuffed and wanted sent back, many of them already back in their boxes. He’s willing to trust the vision Grimes and Evan have for him and give the outfits another shot while pushing the boundaries of his fashion comfort zone.

“It has helped open up his personal style and be more comfortable around people as well, for sure,” Evan said. “Now, we’re not going to be out of control with it, but definitely he’s more open to trying some things.”

With two games left this season — Saturday’s home finale against Western Kentucky and next week’s Iron Bowl on the road against rival Alabama — Evan didn’t want to give anything away, but she expects more head-turning gameday outfits from her husband.

“I don’t think anything is ever going to outdo that suit,” she said. “But he’s going to come correct for these next two games. You could expect to see him in things you have not seen him in before, I can tell you that much. He’ll make his players proud.”

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