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Five best Auburn Tigers to wear No. 24 since 2000

Cole Pinkstonby: Cole Pinkston06/23/25ColePinkston
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Nov 22, 2003; Auburn, AL, USA; FILE PHOTO; Auburn Tigers running back (24) Carnell Williams in action against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Jordan Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit : Photo By Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images

To the long-time Auburn fans, I ask for your forgiveness…

My wheelhouse with Auburn football is from the year 2000 until now. Looking through every Auburn Tiger to don the number 24, these were the five best since the year 2000 in my opinion–and quite frankly, my favorites to showcase the number in orange and blue.

I am solely looking at each player’s time at Auburn, not their NFL careers. What did they do while wearing the number 24 jersey?

I’d like for you to educate me on the best players to wear the number 24 in Auburn history. Or, at least, who were your favorites?

This number has been a strong one for the Tigers since 2000…

No. 1 – Carnell “Cadillac” Williams (2001-2004)

Easy pick. Williams trademarked the No. 24 jersey as far as I’m concerned. He was one of the greatest running backs in Auburn history, running like he was 230 pounds while weighing under 200. He had a toughness as a running back, but had a knack to rip off huge runs at any time. The “Go Crazy Cadillac!” call by Rod Bramblett is still awesome to this day. Then, of course rushing for back to back 1,000 yards seasons in 2003 and 2004. He led the SEC in rushing touchdowns both of those years, too.

CAREER STATS:
42 games
741 rushes
3,831 yards
45 touchdowns
45 catches
342 receiving yards
1 receiving touchdown
5,084 all-purpose yards

No. 2 – Larry Casher (1997-2000)

I’ll be honest, I know next to nothing about Casher. After some research, I think it is fair to say that he had a strong Auburn career. In 1999, he was second in the SEC in interceptions and in interceptions yards. He played in 45 games, starting with Brother Oliver in the late 90’s and finished his career in the year 2000.

CAREER STATS:
45 games
11 interceptions
no other stats available

No. 3 – Daniel Thomas (2016-2019)

It’s hard not to love Daniel Thomas. Barely a three-star recruit out of Montgomery (Ala.) Lee, Thomas was an 11th-hour signing day add. What a great eval that was. Thomas had an awesome career at Auburn and still plays in the pros. His two interception game as a freshman against Alabama stands out. The way he would bee-line into the backfield or at a screen to blow up plays. Thomas was an excellent safety, especially in run support.

CAREER STATS:
51 games
199 tackles
10 tackles for loss
8 pass breakups
5 interceptions
3 forced fumbles
3 fumble recoveries
1 defensive touchdown

No. 4 – Ryan Smith (2010-2013)

From the small town of Cordova, Ala. Smith was a signing day addition to Auburn that only the recruiting junkies had heard of. Smith played with an edge–he looked like he was mad all the time. I loved it. Smith had a huge goal line stop against Mississippi State to win a nail-biter. I was there in that end zone. Smith almost was on the receiving end of Adam Griffith’s field goal at the end of the 2013 Iron Bowl. Smith had a big year with three interceptions in 2013. He was another one of those over-achievers that Auburn seems to do so well with.

CAREER STATS:
44 games
121 tackles
6 tackles for loss
3 pass breakups
3 interceptions
1 forced fumble
1 fumble recovery

No. 5 – Jonathan Wilhite (2005-2007)

Wilhite had a solid career at Auburn before playing in the pros for a few years. He led the team in pass breakups in 2005 and had an interception against Kentucky that year. He won’t be looked at as one of the best corners since 2000, but he was pretty good and made some big plays during his time.

CAREER STATS:
33 games
102 tackles
7 pass breakups
3 tackles for loss
3 interceptions

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