Who would’ve guessed Auburn’s biggest spiritual leader once wore the label of a player with bad attitude? Just listen to what Auburn graduate assistant John Gibbons said. “We would pray for Chette at FCA because his attitude was so bad. He was becoming toxic to the team, and sure enough, Coach (Pat) Dye released him from the team.” That was during the early 1980s when he was kicked off the team by Pat Dye. But this proved to be the best thing that ever happened to him. 

The very night he got booted, he gave his life to Christ. The next morning, he walked into the HC’s office a different man. And he got the second chance. That bad boy turned good man did more than fix his own life. It made him Auburn’s chaplain for 26 years. That’s why Hugh Freeze and the Tigers went all in with a helmet tribute to Brother Chette Williams. 

In an X post on August 26, Auburn Football posted photos featuring a sharp blue decal with bold white “BCW”, Brother Chette Williams’ initials, flanked by Auburn’s orange and blue stripes. In the other post, that decal is looking fire alongside the SEC logo. The caption reads, “With this helmet decal, we seek to honor Brother Chette Williams. Our team chaplain for 26 seasons, Brother Chette’s legacy lives on in the countless lives he poured into.🦅” And when that decal hits the football field on Saturday, they’ll be carrying their spiritual leader into the battle. 

Chette Williams had been Auburn’s team chaplain since 1999. But last December, he died in a tragic accident at Lake Martin. Attempting to board a boat near Kowaliga Restaurant, the longtime Tigers faithful fell into the water and drowned at 61. The news shook Auburn and the SEC alike, with former coach and U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville calling him “a remarkable man who led hundreds of young people to the Lord through the years.” And his turnaround story is Auburn legend. 

Chette Williams was part of the 1983 SEC Championship team and the 1984 Sugar Bowl win, but his real highlight reel came later. Licensed as a minister by ’87, ordained in ’88, and installed as Auburn’s chaplain in 1999, he became the guy every Tiger turned to. He pastored churches, wrote books like Hard Fighting Soldier and The Broken Road, and most importantly, guided players when football wasn’t enough.

Former Auburn turned NFL QB Jason Campbell said it best at his funeral. “In this world we live in, a lot of people know us with our helmets on,” he said. “Brother Chette got to know us with our helmets off. He got to know the true us. He cared about us and where we were going in life.” But legacies don’t stop the clock, and decals don’t win football games. With BCW now stitched into Auburn’s identity, the Tigers must prove they can match that spirit on the field starting with their first big hurdle of the season. Which brings us to this week, the first real test of Hugh Freeze’s Tigers.

Are Hugh Freeze and Auburn prepared for Week 1?

Baylor isn’t a cupcake opener, and Hugh Freeze knows it. Dave Aranda’s team has a knack for turning first games into gauntlets, thanks to a defensive philosophy built on discipline and disguise. The Tigers HC didn’t sugarcoat it. “We’re excited. It’s finally here. Our kids are excited, and our fans are,” he said. “I know Baylor will be extremely excited. Coach (Dave) Aranda will have his team ready to compete at a high level. Just watching games from the kickoff in the early week, it’s a stark reminder that mistakes cost you in these games.” Yeah, one sloppy turnover, one blown coverage, and Auburn’s tribute game could start off on the wrong note.

That’s why Hugh Freeze and his staff spent two weeks preparing as if kickoff was on Friday, not Saturday. “Being game one, you have time to plan. So we actually formulated the last two weeks just like it was a Friday game,” Freeze explained. He admitted the week feels “off” with practices shifted, but insisted the Tigers have embraced it. It’s a subtle nod to discipline, something Brother Chette himself would’ve preached. And Auburn will need every ounce of it against Baylor’s blitzes and no-nonsense defense.

And then there’s Jackson Arnold, Auburn’s reset button at QB. That dual-threat ability is the Tigers’ wild card. But against Baylor’s defense, patience and trust in the system will matter more than scrambling if the Tigers want this tribute to turn into a statement.