Auburn linebackers coach Travis Williams means a lot of things to a lot of people. For some, he's a former linebacker who anchored the defense from 2002-2005 and played a key role in the Tigers 13-0 season in 2004. For others, he's the artist behind Auburn-themed hip hop songs such as "Tiger Walk" and "Amazing Champion." But to linebacker Deshaun Davis, he's a mentor and a valuable role model.
“For me, personally, he’s meant a lot," Davis said. "He’s been here ever since I first got to Auburn. He’s been a [graduate assistant] and he’s taken me under his wing ever since then. He’s always told me he felt that there was something special about me. He always coaches me hard, he’s always stayed on me. As a freshman, I really didn’t understand. I was kind of like, ‘You know, this guy doesn’t like me,’ because he stayed on me so much. Now, at this point, I’m just like, ‘I see what you mean, coach.’ It really means a lot to have a coach that pushes you on the field because he’s been there. He’s seen it. Off the field, he’s even a better guy.”
Williams, affectionately called "T-Will" by others in the program, is in his first season as linebackers coach, but he's been with head coach Gus Malzahn's staff since 2014. That time spent with the program is paying off in 2016, as Auburn's linebackers played a big part in the Tigers good defensive performance against Clemson. Davis had a strong debut performance as a starter despite inexperience.
“I’ve been playing the game of football since I was four years old," Davis said. "Saturday was actually my first time really getting a significant amount of defensive snaps since my 11th grade year of high school."
Despite going several years without playing meaningful snaps, Williams' coaching helped Davis prepare for the moment and own it.
"[Williams] really drills in getting to the ball with bad intentions," Davis said. "When he played, he was a real physical guy, so he’s just passing the torch to us and showing us what it takes. He’s really just giving us the blueprint. All we have to do is follow it.”
Williams' blueprint is simple: be physical or don't play.
“He was a great linebacker, so in our room, we always preach physicality," Davis said. "If you’re not physical, you’re not going to be on the field. That goes for me or anyone else in the room. Coach T-Will, he doesn’t play about being physical or a lack of effort. If you’re on the field as a linebacker, you’re going to be physical and let people feel that you’re on the field and you’re going to get to the football. You don’t have a choice about that."
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