AUBURN, Ala. – Carnell Williams is used to change. He's going on his third coaching staff since he came back to Auburn to coach the running backs, and he's the only position coach or coordinator on the offensive side to return from last year.
With change, however, comes opportunity.
For Williams, his first impression of the new staff was pretty straightforward.
"It's different," he said. "But look, I am excited. We haven't had much time together as a whole staff, but the time that we have been together, it just gels and meshes well. That comes from the top. That comes from Coach (Hugh) Freeze's leadership and his vision that he has not only for this team but for us coaches and the way he wants to run his program.
"It's exciting to be in a room with a lot of these coaches. I'm excited to continue to learn ball from Coach Freeze, Coach (Philip) Montgomery, Coach (Jake) Thornton – these guys who have been in this system that scores a lot of points. I am just excited to get the opportunity to work with a lot of good coaches that have done a lot of great things."
Williams is joined on the offensive staff by offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery, wide receivers coach Marcus Davis, tight ends coach Ben Aigamaua and offensive line coach Jake Thornton. All four were coaching at different schools last year, and yet, all four found their way to Auburn because of two primary reasons.
First, a chance to work for head coach Freeze.
Second, Auburn is special.
Montgomery had been the head coach at Tulsa since 2015. After being let go following this past season, he had considered taking some time away from coaching. That was until Freeze called and offered him the offensive coordinator job at Auburn.
"We obviously knew each other prior to this," Montgomery said. "I have great respect for what he has done in his past. The conversations went extremely well. As I sat down and talked to my wife and our family, I felt like this was the right time and the right opportunity for us to get right back in it. I couldn't ask for a better spot here than Auburn."
Truth be told, Montgomery is excited about the prospect of just being a coordinator again and putting all of his attention and focus on the offense and scoring points.
Freeze was also the main draw for Aigamaua who has been with the veteran head coach since he played for Freeze at Lambuth University in 2008-09. Aigamaua immediately got into coaching and followed Freeze to Arkansas State, Ole Miss, Liberty and now Auburn.
What made Aigamaua want to stick with Freeze and stay loyal to him?
"Just his demeanor, his consistency of who he is," Aigamaua said. "I'm a faith guy just like he is, and everything that comes with him – what you see is what you get. For me, my father passed away a couple years ago, just to see his consistency and to see what he brings to the table every day. His relentlessness is something that I've admired and wanted to be a part of."
Freeze wasn't the only selling point for the new staff. Auburn sells itself. And nobody knows that better than Davis who played at Auburn from 2013-16.
In fact, this will be the third stop on the Plains for Davis. Following his playing career, he returned as an offensive analyst in 2018 and 2019, and now, after stints with Hawaii and Georgia Southern, he's back to coach the wide receivers.
"It means the world to me," Davis said. "It's hard to explain, but it just gives you a different viewpoint on things. It makes you more appreciative, but it also makes you more hungry because you want to do the right thing by it. I'm just looking at this opportunity to do the best I can possibly do. Not only for myself but for Auburn and everybody that's involved."
Davis knows how special Auburn is and how electric the atmosphere at Jordan-Hare Stadium can be. He's seen it firsthand from the home sideline. Thornton has seen it, too. Not from the home sideline but rather the visitor's sideline. He was on staff at Ole Miss in 2021 and at Alabama in 2017 when they came to Auburn. His team didn't win either game.
"I was so excited when I got the opportunity and got the phone call to have a chance to come here to Auburn because of the tradition and because of the excitement," Thornton said. "I've played in this stadium twice as a visiting coach – one time ranked the No. 1 team and the other time I was ranked in the top 15 – I lost both of those games because this place is certainly special. This stadium, this community really rallies around the program, and to be on the home side of that now, I'm real excited about that.
"After sitting down with my wife and my family, getting this opportunity and being with Coach Freeze and being a part of this, it was a decision that we felt led to do."
