Vontrell King-Williams was shocked when he learned in February that Jeremy Garrett, under whom he'd spent the last year coaching, was leaving Auburn for a job with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Garrett and King-Williams were inseparable. They were collaborators. They were friends. They were brothers.

"I know a lot of people were upset, but I … actually shed a couple tears," King-Williams said Wednesday. "That was my guy. He was a pivotal part of me coming here. I thought the world of him."

Both men moved up. Garrett now coaches in the NFL and King-Williams, after thorough conversations with both head coach Hugh Freeze and new defensive coordinator DJ Durkin, was promoted from defensive analyst into Garrett's former gig as the Tigers' defensive line coach.

Every time King-Williams takes the field, he takes a moment to appreciate his road to Auburn — and everything Garrett taught him both here and at Liberty University.

"He taught me a lot about teaching," King-Williams said. "He taught me a lot about patience and development. Personally and professionally, I love that guy with everything in my body. I definitely do miss him."

You'd never know it from his demeanor on the practice field. King-Williams, himself a former defensive lineman at both Illinois and Texas-San Antonio, is a big man with a booming voice that will intimidate anyone within earshot. Yet a closer listen to the words and the ideas Williams-King projects tells a much different story.

He's a teacher. He's a father figure. And he isn't here to berate players for the sake of raw amplitude. He's simply trying to coax improvement in the most meaningful manner possible.

That rarely requires anger or even negativity.

"I’ve been coached by a lot of people. (I'm) a mixture of what I like from some of my coaches and what I didn’t like," King-Williams said. "I know I’d run through a wall for guys who believed in me and gave me positive feedback and kept it real for me. I’m encouraging, but at the same time sometimes it’s tough love. When I get on you, I’m going to love you up even harder (later on.)"

MORE FROM KING-WILLIAMS' INTERVIEW ...

What do you think about new coordinator DJ Durkin?

"Durkin is awesome. Getting the opportunity to interview with him and he gave me immediate feedback. He was another pivotal piece for me getting this job. Our staff camaraderie has been great — specifically on the defensive side. He coaches the coaches. He tells us exactly how he wants things done. He makes sure we’re on the same page."

What is different about Durkin's defense and maybe how you teach it?

"I thought our scheme last year was solid. I thin our scheme this year is really, really good. It allows our guys to play with freedom. I’m going to be the same guy. I’m going to be in there yelling and screaming. I’m also going to encourage; that’s just who I am. The techniques won’t change. We built it all together last year."

What specifically is different in terms of scheme?

"Last year, when you look at some of the things we did, it was a lot of gap cancellation. This year, we’re two-gapping. Out of a four-down front, if you’re a three tech you’re responsible now for the B (gap) and the A (gap). We’re not holding onto double teams. We want to press the double teams down the line of scrimmage and then take off when the second guy leaves. We’re giving our guys some freedom and not just holding on to double teams."

Do you have to re-program your guys to do that?

"We’re playing a gap and a half. If I’m a B gap defender, you’re aligning in the B gap but I can still play the A gap as well. Those are the principles me and Jay G taught last season, but now it’s in the scheme."

How are your new transfer guys — Trill Carter and Gage Keys — coming along?

"I absolutely love Gage and I absolutely love Trill. They have done some things that will put them in some good situations. Those transfers — we feed on those two transfers for sure. It’s early in spring; you have a small sample size. Those two have been consistent every single day. The best part is that they’re coachable. You coach them up on something and they’re going to work on it and they’re going to get it fixed. We definitely hit on those two."

How about Jayson Jones? Does he have some untapped potential?

"He is the guy in my room that has the most SEC experience, most SEC snaps. I tell Jayson all the time: I’m going to push you as hard as I can. He’s a guy who can change a game. If he actually goes hard all the time and he plays with violence all the time, he can change a game. We’ve seen it. We’re still working on that. I’m encouraged by Jayson. He’s my guy. I worked with him a lot last year. He’s been awesome. I’m going to continue to push him. Some days, he ain’t gonna like me but it’s for him and for this team."

How do you view yourself as a recruiter?

"When I was getting recruited, I started recruiting other guys. That’s really when it started. I was adopted by a guy named Jemal King* — he told me that I was going to be a football coach. I’ve learned a bunch of still along the way. I’ve been around some great recruiters. Played for Frank Wilson (now at LSU), been around Coach Freeze, Jeremy Garrett is the one the guys who used the relational piece. That’s really how I describe my recurring style — i’m going to be who I am and we’ll try to build that relationship."

VIDEO OF HIS FULL INTERVIEW ...

*King-Williams' mother died when he was a high school freshman. After a difficult attempt to transition into a new life with his father in Florida, King-Williams returned to his hometown of Chicago and was taken in by his cousin, Jemal King. He later was adopted by King and his wife, Camille.