Meet the Coaches: Auburn offensive line coach Will Friend

AUBURN, Ala. – When Will Friend wanted to talk to his high school football coach, all he had to do was look across the dinner table.

The son of a coaching dad and a teaching mom, Auburn’s offensive line coach knew early on which career he would pursue.

“Growing up in a coaching family you saw what kind of influence they had on people and in the community,” Friend said. “I always wanted to do that, plus I always wanted to stay in the game. That’s what I always knew and that’s what I wanted to be from a young age.

“The people who coached me were good role models as fathers and husbands, and you hope you have the same effect on the guys that you coach.”

With Southeastern Conference playing experience at Alabama and coaching stops at Georgia and Tennessee, Friend knows what winning O-line play looks like in the SEC.

“This league is not for everybody. You’ve got to be able to sustain and do it every day,” he said. “We’re all competitive. You always get to compete and be part of a team. That drives me. The competitive nature of wanting to do your part to help Auburn be successful. You want your players to be the best they can be, and you want to live that way, too.”

Friend seeks to model the behavior he expects from the players he coaches.

“Show up and do what you’re supposed to do,” he said. “Care about doing it, and then do it over again the next day. You hope you give them that example and you hold them to that, and that becomes a habit.”

At all five positions, Auburn’s offensive line returns players with starting experience.

“They’re eager to do what you ask them to do,” Friend said. “They’ve got good character. They’re wanting to do well and have success. They want to be a reason why Auburn succeeds.”

When not developing Auburn’s current linemen, Friend constantly evaluates video and connects with prospective future Tigers, selling them on the program’s tradition.

“At our position, we want to be hard-working and we want to be tough,” Friend said. “You look at the history of Auburn – and it’s one of the reasons I want to be part of this program – it’s a history of toughness, it’s a history of teams with character. It’s a culture built on toughness and doing things the right way and being physical.

“The way coaches and players are treated here is second to none. People here care about Auburn people. I think that’s something that goes a long way.”

As the offensive coordinator and O-line coach at Colorado State from 2015-17, Friend coached against Auburn head coach Bryan Harsin when Harsin coached at Boise State.

“I was always impressed with the culture and toughness of Coach Harsin’s teams,” Friend said. “The same things you always respected about Auburn teams.

“To have the opportunity to come here and be a part of that, I was excited to be able to do that. Coach is building it the right way, he’s building it through culture. We’ll put a team on the field that Auburn people are proud of. Auburn people know when your team is tough, physical and competitive. That’s what we’ll be here.”

Born in Philadelphia, Mississippi, Friend and his wife, Carrie, a Birmingham native, have three children: 17-year-old daughter Katie, 11-year-old daughter Brooks and 8-year-old son Charlie.

“This is a great town and a great community,” Friend said. “You can see why so many who played, coached or went to school here want to come back. Of all the places I’ve been – and I’ve been lucky enough to be at a lot of great places – more people want to do that here than anywhere else.”

When Auburn hosts the Iron Bowl on Nov. 27, Will Friend will have experienced college football’s fiercest rivalry from both sides, joining a fraternity that includes Pat Dye, Bill Oliver and one of Friend’s mentors, Neil Callaway, Auburn’s offensive line coach for the entire Dye era.

“Through Coach Callaway, I met a lot of people at Auburn,” he said. “Nothing but respect for Auburn. I spent seven years at Georgia. I spent three years at Tennessee. The people you work with and the players you coach, you become a part of that program.

“The fact that I’ve been at those places, it’s not a big deal to me or my family because I’m just as much of a Georgia Bulldog as I am a former Alabama guy. Hopefully we’re here at Auburn a long time and I’ll be considered an Auburn man, too.”

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