(This post was originally published on Vols Wire.)
A pair of Auburn football legends, Ronnie Brown and Carnell Williams, left their mark on the Tigers’ program from 2000-04.
The running back duo finished their Auburn careers with an undefeated 2004 season and winning the Southeastern Conference championship.
Brown and Williams chose to play for Auburn after flipping their commitments from Tennessee.
Tennessee and Phillip Fulmer recruited Brown to play linebacker. After Brown committed to the Vols, then-Auburn head coach Tommy Tuberville recruited him for a chance to play running back.
“Ronnie Brown had committed to Tennessee,” Tuberville said on the show “Tennessee Two-A-Days.” “They wanted him as a linebacker. We went and recruited him as a running back and got Ronnie and Carnell, so we were able to snag a couple away from Phillip, and made us a much better football team.”
Brown committed to Auburn and was part of the Tigers’ 2000 signing class. He redshirted during the 2000 season.
Williams followed suit in 2001 and was a tough task for Tuberville to flip the Etowah High School (Alabama) running back away from Tennessee.
“It was a battle, no doubt about it,” Tuberville said of Williams’ recruitment. “We were his last visit the week before signing day. We were just trying to hold on to the visit, much less get him to sign.”
Williams was committed to Tennessee, but always kept Alabama and Auburn in his top three schools. The Crimson Tide had a head coaching change from Mike DuBose to Dennis Franchione following the 2000 season, narrowing Williams’ choice to Tennessee and Auburn at the end.
“They had just changed at Alabama, which helped both with me and Phillip,” Tuberville said. “Eddie Gran, our running backs coach, had been recruiting him. Eddie is a great recruiter, good coach, and built a good relationship with him. Unfortunately, before he comes to us, Carnell commits to Phillip Fulmer on his visit and called me and Eddie Gran, and said ‘I am not taking my visit; I am going to Tennessee’.
“We just begged him to come — finally I said ‘Carnell, at least let me come see you and visit with you’. He said ‘OK, Coach, I’ll see you Monday afternoon, after school.’ I took every coach with me — boys we are loading up. We flew up to where Carnell was at, and I took every coach. I actually took a picture of Bo Jackson and put Carnell’s face on Bo’s picture holding the Heisman Trophy. I think with all of the attention that we gave him and his Mom, that we earned that visit that weekend. They all came, and, fortunately, he flipped and came to our place.”
On Feb. 7, 2001, Williams signed his National Letter of Intent to play for Auburn and Tuberville.
Brown was the No. 2 pick in the 2005 NFL draft, while Williams went No. 5 overall. Brown rushed for 2,735 yards and 28 touchdowns. Williams totaled 3,831 rushing yards and 45 touchdowns during his career at Auburn.