Cadillac Williams trying to stay in the moment as he nears Iron Bowl history

Carnell “Cadillac” Williams is going to make history on Saturday — no matter what happens on the field — as the first Black head coach in Iron Bowl history. There have been 58 head coaches between Alabama and Auburn, interims included, and none have been Black.

Williams, the current interim head coach at Auburn, will end that streak on Saturday. But Williams is far more concerned with beating Alabama than any history, at least right now.

“I felt bad because honestly sometimes I get so caught up in the moment where I’m — it didn’t hit me until I seen it this morning,” Williams said on Tuesday. “And I was like, ‘Wow.’ Like, that’s pretty cool. All this is like, man, what a shock, what a blessing it is. And honestly, I’ve kind of been this way my whole life. I’m sure later on, I will reflect on it and truly, truly enjoy it. But man, right now, I’m just in the moment. I’m just doing what I can each and every day.”

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There is an obvious practical advantage to staying in the moment: Every second spent studying, game planning and practicing to win against Alabama is time well spent for Auburn, and vice versa. Winning this game is far more important to Williams right now than breaking a barrier.

Williams pointed out that he’d be doing himself and others a disservice by not making sure he and his team are prepared as possible — as is often the case, when a minority breaks through their work can be overly scrutinized. Williams is well aware of this phenomenon.

But the best way to combat it is to just keep preparing, keep making sure the Auburn team Williams is coaching for at least one more game goes and gives Alabama the best shot it can and try and pull off a quintessential Iron Bowl upset.

“I know the responsibility of having that. Being the first any to do any thing. So, man, I’m honored. I’m blessed. Give credit to the people before me that paved the way for myself to have this opportunity because Lord knows there’s a lot of guys that look just like me that actually can do a doggone good job in this seat,” Williams said. “So I’m honored. But I’m just in the moment and just chopping wood. Trying to win a ball game. That’s it. That’s all I’m focused on right now.”