Tag: Cadillac Williams

Five things to know about the Mississippi State Bulldogs

Here is everything you need to know about the Mississippi State Bulldogs ahead of Saturday’s game.

Auburn will face a tough opponent in their first game under interim head coach [autotag]Cadillac Williams[/autotag].

The Tigers are set to face off with the Mississippi State Bulldogs Saturday night in Davis Wade Stadium and are heavy underdogs for the game.

The Bulldogs (5-3, 2-3 SEC) are coming off their bye and are looking to snap a two-game losing streak after falling to Kentucky and Alabama.

Auburn (3-5, 1-4) is in the midst of a four-game losing streak and is looking for their first road win of the season. The Tigers finally moved on from [autotag]Bryan Harsin[/autotag] this week and will look to turn the page with a win Saturday night.

Here are five things to know about the Mississippi State Bulldogs ahead of the game.

Auburn running backs coach to take over interim duties

Cadillac Williams was hired to the staff a year before Harsin joined Auburn.

The Tigers will square off against the Mississippi State Bulldogs for the first game since [autotag]Bryan Harsin[/autotag]’s firing, and it seems they’ve picked the interim coach set to replace him.

Nathan King of 247Sports reported on Monday that Auburn running backs coach Carnell “Cadillac” Williams will take over Harsin’s duties for the rest of the season. Williams was appointed as running backs coach in 2019 by Gus Malzhan before Harsin was hired at the program.

Williams first joined Auburn’s staff in 2019 after leaving the XFL’s Birmingham Iron. He played for Auburn from 2001-04 and notably had two thousand-yard rushing seasons that made him the fifth overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Williams started off strong in Tampa Bay with another thousand-yard season, but injuries began to pile up and he ended his tenure with the Buccaneers six years into his NFL career. He retired after playing one season with the St. Louis Rams.

Willaims’ recruiting efforts at Auburn have allowed the team to land four-star running back prospect [autotag]Jeremiah Cobb[/autotag].

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Auburn offers top 10 RB in 2024 recruiting class

Auburn has entered the mix for four-star running back Jordan Marshall.

Auburn has their running back in the 2023 recruiting class in four-star [autotag]Jeremiah Cobb[/autotag]. The Tigers can now turn their attention to the 2024 recruiting class and [autotag]Cadillac Williams[/autotag] is going after one of the best in the nation.

On Friday the Tigers extended a scholarship offer to four-star running back [autotag]Jordan Marshall[/autotag]. He is ranked as the No. 186 overall player and No. 10 running back in the 247Sports composite ranking. He is also the No. 5 player in the state of Ohio.

The 5-foot-11, 195-pound Marshall is from Cincinnati, Ohio, and already has over 20 scholarship offers ahead of his junior season at Archbishop Moeller High School.

The Tigers already have two commits in their 2024 recruiting class in four-star quarterback Adrian Posse and four-star cornerback A’Mon Lane.

While Williams has done a great job landing running backs he prioritizes, it may be tough to pull Marshall away from Ohio State, who already offered Marshall.

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Members of Auburn coaching staff visit Madhouse Training

The athletic facility in Montgomery is a known spot for Alabama recruits to train.

On Tuesday, Auburn running backs coach [autotag]Cadillac Williams[/autotag], defensive backs coach [autotag]Zac Etheridge[/autotag], and defensive coordinator [autotag]Jeff Schmedding[/autotag] made a trip to Montgomery, Alabama to visit Madhouse Training. Madhouse Training is a facility for local athletes to work out at with elite training. The Montgomery area has become a hotbed for recruits over the years, and ultimately, the three coaches are in heavy pursuit of both five-star James Smith and four-star Jaquavious Russaw.

The two recently announced their top eleven schools. Both Alabama and Auburn were in the mix. It is interesting to see the two coaches making the trip today. After four-star defensive lineman Kelby Collins released his top five schools and Auburn was not listed, the Tigers can’t afford to lose two more highly-touted recruits from right up the road.

It wasn’t clarified as to why both Williams and Schmedding were at Madhouse Training. However, both Smith and Russaw work out very often at the training facility. The two have long played for Carver High School and are seen by many as a package deal. [autotag]Bryan Harsin[/autotag] and his staff already seem to be making a valiant effort to land the two of them.

Russaw is listed at 6-foot-2 and 230 pounds and Smith is listed at 6-foot-4 and 310 pounds. With those measurables, Russaw likely plays as an edge rusher while Smith plays defensive tackle. It is also worth noting that prospects Vysen Lang and Jeremiah Cobb also work out at the facility. All four of the prospects have the Tigers high on their list. It is essential for the coaching staff to give their best efforts in order to land these coveted recruits.

USA TODAY Sports names a winner and loser from Auburn’s spring practice

It is hard to argue with either of these decisions.

Spring football has ended across the country and we can now take a look at how each team’s standing after the practices.

As always some players performed better than expected and increased their stock. But if someone improved their stock then someone’s standing had to decrease. This is true for every team across the SEC and USA TODAY Sports reporter Bennett Durrando named his biggest winner and loser for Auburn.

His biggest winner of the spring was running back coach Cadillac Williams who was a key reason the Tank Bigsby, Auburn’s top offensive player, is still on the Plains.

Running backs coach Cadillac Williams kept Tank Bigsby around after the offense’s best player considered entering (but never did enter) the transfer portal. Now Williams gets to coach him in an even bigger role as the Tigers shifted their emphasis to Tank-first this spring.

Bigsby rushed for 1,099 yards and 10 touchdowns as a sophomore. Despite surpassing the 1,000-yard mark, many expected more from Bigsby after looking like one of the best running backs in the SEC as a freshman. But a running back depends on his offensive line and Auburn’s took a step back last season, making Bigsby’s job that much harder.

The biggest loser to Durrando was Zach Calzada, who was limited in spring with a shoulder injury and is expected to contend for the starting quarterback job once healthy.

Transfer quarterback Zach Calzada didn’t play in the spring game (shoulder). He’ll be healthy soon with a chance to start, but the injury left room for Robby Ashford’s impressive A-Day.

Entering spring practices Auburn had a battle for the starting quarterback back job with all five scholarship quarterbacks having a chance to win the job. Making the competition even tougher was Calzada’s injury, preventing him from doing the same drills as the rest of the contenders.

This allowed Ashford a bigger opportunity and he took advantage. He completed 12-of-16 passes for 132 yards and showcased his rushing ability against the first-team defense and was named the A-Day offensive MVP.

Calzada will have a chance to show why the coaching staff brought him in this offseason when he is fully healthy in the fall.

Auburn Football History: The updated top 20 all-time rushers for the Tigers

How high can Bigsby climb on this list in 2022?

When you think of Auburn running backs in history there is one clear answer. [autotag]Bo Jackson[/autotag]. Bo knows football and Bo knows running the football.

Right behind him, we have current running backs coach Carnell “Cadillac” Williams. He actually scored more touchdowns than Jackson but finished second in yards rushing throughout his career.

Other notable names include the running mates for each of the top backs in Auburn history. For Jackson, it was the late [autotag]Lionel James[/autotag], while Williams shared the backfield with [autotag]Ronnie Brown[/autotag].

Looking at the current backfield you have [autotag]Tank Bigsby[/autotag], who checks in among the top 20 all-time rushers in school history. With a 1,000-yard season, he could climb as high as No. 6. That will be one item to watch as the 2022 season unfolds.

We breakdown the entire list of the top 20 Auburn rushers in school history, starting with junior running back Tank Bigsby:

‘Nerve-wracking’: Cadillac Williams recalls Auburn coaching transition

Auburn running back coach called the coaching transition in December “nerve-wracking” due to not knowing if he would be kept on staff.

Cadillac Williams will always be a legend on the Auburn University campus for his spectacular career in a Tigers uniform.

Yet when it came to knowing if he would be kept over from the previous staff after Bryan Harsin took over for Gus Malzahn in December, the running back coach was a little wary.

“With me being a guy who played here, who loves Auburn, it’s kind of two-fold for me,” Williams said. “Where you truly want the best for Auburn, but at the same time, not knowing your future with Auburn was kind of nerve-wracking. But thank God, Coach Harsin — I think it was a great hire — gave me an opportunity to come back and to continue to have an impact.”

Williams spent the previous two seasons at the position under Malzahn but with a new regime coming in, no assistant’s place was safe. It took a toll on the program’s leader in rushing touchdowns in a career.

“Just to have what transpired in December, it was tough,” Williams said Monday during a meeting with reporters. “I think the toughest thing about it was just the uncertainty of not knowing, of course. Once Allen (Greene) decided to go that different direction, it affects a lot of people’s lives. From not only coaches, but you have GAs, analysts. Just my two years being here, being part of this staff with Coach Malzahn and those other coaches, you just have a concern for not only yourself but their families and the direction of where we’re going to go as a university.

“When he (Harsin) first reached out to me, it was more or less just getting to know me, and kind of know about Auburn and the Auburn way,” “Then later on, I guess after the bowl game, when there was I guess a chance he was considering me, then it got down to more the Xs and Os and just my philosophy. Also, I think honestly with Coach Harsin, it honestly came down to him knowing that I wanted to be here at Auburn, and I wanted to make that step and that I was on board with turning this thing around and buying in.”

Best Auburn football recruit from every state since the year 2000

Since 2000, Auburn has signed talented players from 20 different states and the District of Columbia. Here are the best of the best.

Since 2000, Auburn has won a BCS National Championship, three SEC Championships, a Heisman Trophy, Lombardi Trophy, National Coach of the Year by three different head coaches … and that is just the beginning. Add in another trip to the BCS title game, two more SEC West titles and two undefeated seasons, and you can see why recruits regularly have the Tigers near the top of their list.

A slew of 5-stars have come to the Plains during that time as well and, while some haven’t worked out as planned, there have been many difference makers such as Derrick Brown, Cadillac Williams and Montravius Adams, just to name a few.

The talent has come from all over the United States as well as the Tigers have gone into 20 different states plus the District of Columbia to find some of the players players in the nation.

But who are the best of the best? We take a look at the top signee from each state since the beginning of the 21st century.

Ultimate SEC Boxing Showdown! Pitting the 14 football coaches in winner-take-all fan vote

Bryan Harsin names Cadillac Williams, Zac Etheridge to coaching staff

Cadillac Williams will return as running backs coach while Zac Etheridge joins as defensive backs coach.

Two former Auburn football players are set to join Bryan Harsin’s inaugural staff. It was announced Friday evening that Cadillac Williams will return to Auburn as running backs coach and Zac Etheridge would join as the defensive backs coach.

As a player at Auburn, Williams finished his career with 3,831 total yards and 45 touchdowns. Cadillac holds the record for most rushing attempts with 741 and helped lead Auburn to a perfect 13-0 season his senior year (2004).

Williams joined Auburn’s staff under Gus Malzahn in 2019. In his previous two seasons as running backs coach his backs have showcased nine 100-yard games, three SEC weekly honors, and SEC Freshman of the Year accolades. This previous season, freshman runningback Tank Bigsby led all freshman in the SEC with 834 rushing yards. He is the first freshman in school history to finish with three straight 100-yard games.

He’s excited to return back to the Plains. In a statement he said,

“Auburn is a special place to me and I’m appreciative for this opportunity to be a part of Coach Harsin’s staff and coach at the school that made me the person I am today. I’ve enjoyed getting to talk football with Coach Harsin and can’t wait to be part of something special.”

Head coach Bryan Harsin knew immediately the positive impact and potential Cadillac creates at Auburn:

“I’m fired up to have Cadillac on our staff. After several conversations it was easy to see how much passion he has and his desire to learn, grow and develop in the coaching profession. Just spending time with him you see why he is the ultimate ambassador for Auburn football, and that goes beyond just being an elite player but an elite person.”

As a freshman, safety Zac Etheridge started 12 of 13 games for the Tigers in 2007 before a life-changing neck injury nearly ended his playing career in 2009 against Ole Miss. After nine months of rehabilitation, Etheridge returned to the field in 2010 as a captain and helped lead Auburn to its first national championship in 53 years.

Etheridge’s first coaching job came as a graduate assistant at Penn State. He then served as an assistant at Georgia Tech, Western Carolina and Louisiana before joining Dana Holgerson at the University of Houston. At Houston, Etheridge’s leadership has produced an All-American in CB Marcus Jones and all-conference player in Damarion Williams.

Etheridge was high at the list for Harsin who said,

“Zac Etheridge is a rising star in this profession and is a great addition to Coach Mason’s defense working with cornerbacks. He has done a fantastic job in a short period of time developing and recruiting talented players. As a former Auburn standout, Zac understands the rigors of competing at the highest level, and what is required to be an Auburn man.”

Etheridge, who will coach alongside new DC Derek Mason, is elated to return home to Auburn,

“It is an honor to return to my alma mater as a member of Coach Harsin’s staff. I firmly believe in his vision and I am excited to get to work. Under his leadership, I have no doubt that our staff will develop our young men both on and off the field.  We will absolutely embody the championship mindset that Auburn deserves. Auburn and its people mean a great deal to me, and I am very thankful for this opportunity.  War Eagle!”

Three reasons why Auburn could beat Alabama

Auburn will need to play nearly a perfect game on Saturday if the Tigers want to upset top-ranked Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

In the year of 2020 anything is possible. No. 19 Auburn travels to Tuscaloosa this weekend to take on Alabama. Currently, Alabama is favored to win by 25.

The major storyline that developed this past week was that Alabama head coach Nick Saban tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday and will not be coaching during the Iron Bowl. That’s not really going to matter as Auburn still has to face Heisman front-runner quarterback Mac Jones and Heisman hopeful running back Najee Harris. The Tigers are outmanned in personnel on both sides of the ball, but there are a few things we can cling to in hopes of securing the win. Here they are.

1. Tank Bigsby returns

The Tigers’ phenomenal freshman running back left the Tennessee game with an undisclosed lower body injury. As of today, Bigsby is still listed as questionable and has not practiced this week. Through seven game,s Bigsby has rushed for 527 yards and 5 touchdowns. He’s a huge catalyst for Auburn’s momentum offensively. Just look at his performances against Ole Miss and Arkansas. If Tank is unable to return, the Tigers will need players like DJ Williams, Shaun Shivers, and Mark Anthony Richards to step up. Don’t be surprised if we see a JJ Pegues wildcat package to shake things up a bit (I really hope we get to see that, PEGUES FOREVER)!

2. The Tigers negate Bama’s passing offense

The Tide ranks third overall in NCAA passing offense this season. Per play Alabama picks up an average of 11.81 yards and they amass 380 passing yards per game. There’s a reason Mac Jones is the Heisman front-runner and its because his passes are fast and accurate, and he’s improved dramatically since his mistakes in last year’s Iron Bowl. Mac Jones has only thrown two interceptions all season and is playing perfect football right now while wide receivers Devonta Smith and John Metchie have been unstoppable since Jaylen Waddle’s injury against Tennessee. Auburn’s secondary will have their hands full with this unit.

3. Auburn’s offense regains efficiency, become masters of the clock

I really thought after the two-week bye that Auburn would be able to regain some of that offensive finesse we saw them showcase against LSU, but I was wrong. The Tigers were just straight up sloppy coming out of the gate against the Volunteers and kept that game close up until the fourth quarter.

Out of Auburn’s 25 red zone trips this season they have left with 10 rushing touchdowns, 6 passing touchdowns, and 5 field goals. Not bad, but what’s killing Auburn on both sides of the ball is quick non-sustainable drives. Last week against Tennessee the Volunteers dominated time of possession leaving Auburn’s defense absolutely gassed. The Tigers are going to have to slow the game down against Bama and give their defense plenty of time to regroup, otherwise they’ll get whipped on both sides.

These three things sound much easier said than done, but they aren’t impossible. Tank will most likely not return against Bama, so Gus Malzahn and running backs coach Cadillac Williams will need to adjust accordingly. It will be most interesting to see how Kevin Steele schemes against that passing game. I’m not expecting Auburn to win by any means, but if they shock the country by doing these three things successfully I like their chances.