Just how big of an impact has Cadillac Williams had on Auburn culture?

[autotag]Cadillac Williams[/autotag] is a special individual.

There is a reason why [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] was so desperate to keep Williams on staff when he took over the Auburn football program in December of last year.

Auburn tight end [autotag]Luke Deal[/autotag] is one of many who have sung Williams’ praises since he helped revive the program in the second half of last season.

Deal made statements about the impact of Williams at SEC Media Days in Nashville and an On3 article written by Nick Kosko included some of them.

“You guys saw,” Deal said. “He was used to having the spotlight on him as a player, and whenever you saw he had the spotlight on him as a coach, you saw that positive energy. You saw that just positive light, that positive outlook on everything in life. That was something that energized us. It motivated us. That’s something that he brings every single day.”

The Tigers were in a rough spot when Williams stepped up as interim head coach, but the energy immediately improved.

Despite not having Williams as a position coach, Deal stressed how the impact of Williams reaches everyone.

“We’ve got a really good running back room, really, really good running back room,” Deal said. “Not only a good group of players, but a good group of guys. That trickles down from his leadership for sure and how he looks at every day as an opportunity.”

Deal also emphasized how upset people would have been if Freeze elected not to retain Williams on his staff.

“Oh, yeah. People are going to be pretty upset if you get rid of Cadillac Williams,” Deal said. “I know I would be. Coach Lac, he’s an incredible man, incredible ambassador for the school, has been for a long time. People with orange and blue in their blood, they want to see him around forever. That was definitely important for our success.”