Interim Auburn head football coach Cadillac Williams should earn the opportunity to permanently lead the Tigers’ program, according to U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn).
Tuberville served as Auburn’s head coach from 1999-2008. During his tenure at the Plains, Williams emerged as the most prolific offensive skill player of the Tuberville era.
Now 18 years removed from his playing days, Williams finds himself in serious contention to become the next head coach of his alma mater. The former star running back is 2-1 thus far as interim head coach, with his only loss coming at the hands of Mississippi State in a 39-33 overtime thriller.
After notching his first victory against Texas A&M, it became apparent that the swagger Williams brought to the sideline spread to an optimistic fan base. Due in no small part to the interim coach’s efforts, the Auburn faithful packed the stands at Jordan-Hare Stadium during its past two games.
Having injected renewed energy into the beleaguered Tigers program, Williams has earned having his name being mentioned among the top contenders for what is considered to be one of the most prestigious jobs in all of college football.
When asked during a Wednesday interview on WUMP’s “In the Booth” sports radio show if Auburn should make Williams its next head coach, Tuberville gave a resounding endorsement of his former player.
“Well they should. And it’s a tall order. I tell you what, he’s done a great job of just keeping the guys focused,” said Tuberville. “When you lose a coach and half the coaching staff, you’ve just got to keep your guys focused. And Carnell’s motivated. You know, he’s done more jumping around and motivating players more than he has coached. But the good thing is he’s letting the guys coach that are calling plays and calling defenses. They’ve had good game plans the last three games. And he just basically kept the guys off the bench motivated, kept the crowd into it.”
A win in the Iron Bowl would solidify Williams as being a lead contender for the coaching vacancy, according to Tuberville.
“It’s going to be a bit more difficult this time because they’re playing on the road. But again, I think Carnell’s done an excellent job,” the senator added. “And I think they should look at him. Obviously, if they win this game, there’s going to be a lot of sentiment toward hiring Carnell.”
Dylan Smith is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL
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