'I love Auburn': Tre' Williams blends affection for AU with focus on upset bid for South Alabama

AUBURN — Former Auburn star linebacker Tre’ Williams, now South Alabama’s outside linebackers and special teams coach, returns to Jordan-Hare on Saturday with his players aiming to upset the 24th-ranked Tigers.

South Alabama is coming off a near-upset of Tulane and motivation will be high, as the two programs meet for the first time.

“The guys around the building are talking about me going back to my alma mater. They reminded me of my Auburn helmet in my office and are trying to get me to take it down. The first thing on my mind is go in and compete, and win. No matter who we play, I’m looking for us to be successful,” Williams told AuburnSports this week.

But for Williams, the moment carries more nuance.

“In the back of my mind though, Auburn is home. It will be cool to go back and be in Jordan-Hare again and just kind of reminisce on the blood, sweat and tears myself and my teammates poured on that field. It’ll be different for my players to see the place their coach played,” Williams said.

“But, it’ll be a business trip. I’ll look around pregame and think back some and I’ll have a moment, but during the game, it’s all business.”

At Auburn, the former five-star became a team captain and earned second-team All-SEC honors. He finished his career with 188 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks. From 2014–17, Williams poured his heart into the program—and his love for Auburn still runs deep.

“You can ask anybody, I love Auburn. Nobody can get that twisted. I will never go against Auburn. I will always root for Auburn. It’s going to feel a little weird this weekend, but I’m always wishing them the best and hope they win,” Williams said.

Following the conclusion of playing career, Williams worked with the recruiting personnel at Auburn for one season. He then moved on to coaching linebackers at Thompson High School, then became a graduate assistant with former Auburn player and coach Travis Williams at UCF. Williams’ next stop was at Arkansas-Monticello coaching linebackers for one season before joining the South Alabama staff, where he’s entering his third season.

The Jaguars are coming off back-to-back bowl wins, and for Williams, advancing his coaching career in his hometown makes the opportunity even more special.

“It’s a blessing,” Williams said. “God orchestrates everything. The fact he put me in a place where he knew I’d be comfortable and willing to do anything it takes. Coming back to Mobile was amazing. I have my mom here, my son was born here, so it’s just been special.”

Williams draws on his SEC playing experience and the lessons from his mentor to get the most out of his players at South Alabama.

“I was blessed to play the game, so the style doesn’t change. We’re going to be physical, play fast, play violent, all that stuff. That doesn’t change,” Williams said.

“Playing under T-Will, that’s what he brought. He was like we’re going to run through people, we’re going to play fast. So, that’s what we do. That’s my philosophy.”

Williams says he stays in daily contact with “Travis ‘T-Will’” Williams and former teammate Deshaun Davis, now Jacksonville State’s linebackers coach. He and Davis grew up together in Mobile before becoming teammates at Auburn. Williams playing at St. Paul’s, while Davis played at Vigor. He also speaks often with former Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn, who recruited him, and still keeps in touch with Tim Horton, Auburn’s former running backs coach and now at Air Force.

Williams also played at Auburn when current defensive backs coach Wesley McGriff was making his first stop on the Plains in 2016. McGriff is another connection Williams maintains.

From a distance, Williams has watched Auburn endure its share of struggles over the past four seasons. While he’s encouraged to see the Tigers beginning to show signs of turning the corner under Hugh Freeze, he admits it might have been preferable to catch a team still searching for confidence rather than one starting to find its footing.

“It’s college football and things change. They needed time to readjust, but they are playing good football now, unfortunately,” Williams joked. “They are playing good ball.”