AUBURN | Carnell Williams is known for his energy and positive attitude but first-year assistant coach Brad Bedell is taking it to another level.
Bedell, who was the offensive line coach at Boise State for the last four seasons, is coaching the tight ends at Auburn.
“He is that energy guy,” said Williams. “He loves the game of football, loves to be around these kids. One thing I can definitely appreciate about him, man, is that he loves his players. He loves being at Auburn. It shows, just the way he goes out there with that energy.
“I think a lot of players have adapted toward him and gravitated toward him. He's an outgoing guy. Big personality. This guy's just got it. He just truly understands it. It's a pleasure to work with him.”
Not surprisingly, Bedell takes on the challenge of coaching a new position with a lot of enthusiasm.
“It’s been, awesome, to be honest with you,” said Bedell. “I’m excited because it’s gotten me out of my comfort zone, and when Coach (Bryan) Harsin approached me about this opportunity—really, No. 1, I wanted to be a part of his staff. I’ve been with Coach Harsin for years now, and I believe in the culture and I believe in really what he stands for in building a football program. That’s the No. 1 reason.
“No. 2 is getting into the passing game and getting into some of the things I haven’t been hands on, per se, and just the learning aspect of everything, it’s been awesome, and I couldn’t ask for a better opportunity to come to Auburn and be in this position.”
Bedell said he’s leaned on his coaching contacts along with Harsin to understand the techniques of coaching the tight end position.
“You know, the blocking aspect is that; that’s going to be awesome. But the route concepts—what I really had to study in that regard,” he said. “Coach Harsin started his first coaching job full time as a tight ends coach, so I have a great resource with him.
“Then I’ve called some people that I have good relationships with as tight ends coaches and really bounced things off of them, and this is what I see and what I see on film, this is the way you taught it. Just developing in that position in the role that I am, it’s been great.”
While Auburn’s tight ends haven’t been very productive over the past several seasons, Bedell believes he’s inherited a deep and talented group. He’s working with six scholarship tight ends this spring: John Samuel Shenker, Luke Deal, Tyler Fromm, J.J. Pegues, Brandon Frazier and true freshman Landen King, who enrolled in January.
“It is a deep room,” Bedell said. “John Samuel’s played a lot of football here. Luke Deal’s been superb. Then you got J.J., who’s just a mountain of a man and is extraordinarily athletic for his size. Then we got Fromm, we got Brandon Frazier—you got a lot of things to work with.
“That’s what’s been so fun is them diving into this offense and having an understanding of conceptual learning so they don’t get pigeonholed into certain things, and that’s important for the overall development of the room and with this offense.”
Auburn held its seventh practice of the spring Monday afternoon.
