Tag: Cadillac Williams

2025 RB Alvin Henderson: ‘Auburn is doing a good job recruiting me’

Alvin Henderson is one of Auburn’s top targets in the 2025 recruiting cycle.

[autotag]Alvin Henderson[/autotag] is one of the top running backs in the 2025 recruiting cycle and the Elba, Alabama product is a major target for Auburn and [autotag]Cadillac Williams[/autotag].

Henderson has visited Auburn numerous times this season and was back on the Plains for the Iron Bowl. He spoke with On3’s Chad Simmons after the visit and had great things to say about how [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag], Williams and the rest of the staff are recruiting him.

“Since Coach Freeze got there, I have built great relationships,” Henderson said. “They push for me, they have shown me I am the guy they want and they always stay in touch with me. Even after the Alabama game, I heard from Coach Freeze. He is putting a lot of time in and that means a lot.

“The way he and the staff recruits me has made a big impact on me. Coach Freeze wants me in his system and I like how he talks to me about life and football.”

Henderson is the No. 128 overall player and No. 9 running back in the On3 industry ranking. He is also the No. 11 player from Alabama in the 2025 cycle.

While Auburn is pushing hard, they are far from the only school recruiting Henderson, and he is keeping his “options open.”

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Bowl predictions: Is a New Year’s Day bowl on the horizon?

ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura pictures Auburn facing a familiar bowl foe on New Year’s Day in his latest projection.

Auburn’s chance of making a bowl game has increased drastically over the last two weeks, and the experts at ESPN are confident that the Tigers will end the season with a respectable bowl bid.

ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach updated their bowl projections following week 10’s action, and both have given Auburn a favorable bowl outlook.

Bonagura’s prediction is the best one that Auburn has received to date. According to Bonagura’s calculations, the Tigers are poised to meet Wisconsin in the Reliaquest Bowl on New Year’s Day in Tampa, Florida. Heading into week 11, Wisconsin is 5-4 under first-year head coach Luke Fickell.

Auburn has an immense history with the Badgers in bowl games. Auburn and Wisconsin have played three times in bowl season, with the Badgers winning the last two games in 2006 and 2015. Auburn’s lone win over the Badgers came in 2003 when [autotag]Cadillac Williams[/autotag] and [autotag]Ronnie Brown[/autotag] each rushed for two scores in the Tigers’ 28-14 win over Wisconsin in the Music City Bowl.

Schlabach predicts that Auburn will play two days earlier in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl in Nashville against another Big Ten squad in Minnesota. The Tigers and Golden Gophers have met just once on the gridiron, which was the 2020 Outback Bowl. Auburn’s [autotag]Bo Nix[/autotag] threw for 176 yards and [autotag]Noah Igbinoghene[/autotag] had a 96-yard kickoff return, but the Tigers ultimately fell to Minnesota, 31-24. The game would ultimately be the final game for head coach [autotag]Gus Malzahn[/autotag].

Auburn is currently 5-4 and needs just one more win to qualify for a bowl game. The Tigers have three chances to earn at least one more win, starting this Saturday at Arkansas.

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Auburn is surging for elite 2025 RB Alvin Henderson

Alvin Henderson is a major Auburn target and the Tigers are in a good place to land the talented running back.

Whenever Auburn running back coach [autotag]Cadillac Williams[/autotag] identifies a running back that he wants the chances are pretty good that Auburn will land that player.

There’s also a great chance that they will produce when they make it to the Plains. It worked with [autotag]Jaquez Hunter[/autotag] and it’s early but [autotag]Damari Alston[/autotag] and [autotag]Jeremiah Cobb[/autotag] both look like future studs for Auburn.

The player that Williams and Auburn have singled out in the 2025 recruiting cycle is [autotag]Alvin Henderson[/autotag] and they are now surging for him.

Henderson was back on Auburn’s campus for the season opener against UMass, the fourth time he has visited since they hired [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag].

This visit was enough for On3’s Chad Simmons to log a prediction for Henderson to commit to Auburn. That prediction gives them an 88.2% chance of landing him, according to On3’s recruiting prediction machine.

Henderson is the No. 88 overall player and No. 8 running back in the On3 industry ranking. The Elba product is also the No. 9 player from Alabama.

He is coming off of a dominant sophomore season in which he rushed for 2,636 yards and 47 touchdowns in 12 games.

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On3 sets expectations for Hugh Freeze’s debut season on the Plains

Jesse Simonton of On3 says that Freeze’s expectations are the easiest to handicap of any first-year coach.

[autotag]Cadillac Williams[/autotag] created optimism within the Auburn fan base during his time as interim head coach in 2022. Hugh Freeze has found a way to keep that feeling alive since taking over the program last November.

His success in recruiting, as well as winning over the fanbase, has been great. But how will that translate to on-field success?

It is difficult to set accurate expectations this early, but On3’s Jesse Simonton has taken a crack at it. Simonton has placed expectations on every first-year coach within the Power Five ahead of the season. When predicting a reasonable first-year record for Freeze, Simonton says that his expectations are the “easiest to handicap of any first-year coach.”

Freeze arrived on the Plains and quickly retooled the roster, as Auburn is likely to start at least 11 transfers (including recently named QB1 Payton Thorne) in Week 1. Recruiting is booming and optimism is high, especially for a program a year removed from the embarrassing Bryan Harsin saga. Auburn’s schedule is always difficult, but anything short of 6-7 wins would be a major letdown in Freeze’s first year.

Simonton says that Mississippi State’s Zach Arnett, the SEC’s other first-year coach, will need a fast start in order to prevent a true head coaching search to commence next offseason.

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Auburn offers 4-star RB committed to Penn State

Auburn has entered the race for Kiandrea Barker, one of the top running backs in the 2025 recruiting class.

Four-star running back [autotag]Kiandrea Barker[/autotag] may be committed to Penn State but [autotag]Cadillac Williams[/autotag] and Auburn is still pursuing the 2025 prospect, extending him an offer to him Saturday.

From Beebe, Arkansas, he has been committed to the Nittany Lions since April 16 but Auburn is one of several schools that have kept up their pursuit of the 5-foot-11, 183-pounder.

He is the No. 239 overall player and No. 23 running back in the 247Sports Composite ranking. He is also the No. 38 player from Texas.

Auburn already has one commitment in the 2025 class in four-star defensive lineman [autotag]Malik Autry[/autotag].

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Two Auburn commits are prime candidates to win Alabama’s Mr. Football in 2023

Auburn has locked in several of Alabama’s top recruits for the 2024 cycle, two of them are up for the state’s top award.

Auburn has found early success by locking in several of the state of Alabama’s top recruits for the 2024 cycle.

In the latest update from 247Sports, three of the state’s top 10 recruits, and nine of the top 25, are committed to Auburn. Two of those prized commits are considered to be candidates for the state of Alabama’s top award heading into the 2023 season.

Ben Thomas of AL.com recently revealed his top 20 candidates to win Mr. Football for the state of Alabama this season, and two of Auburn’s 2024 commits are in consideration for the postseason award.

The first Auburn commit mentioned is four-star running back [autotag]J’Marion Burnette[/autotag]. Burnette is the state’s No. 14 prospect and is poised to have another great season for Andalusia High School.

As a junior, he rushed for 1,473 yards and 17 TDs on 187 carries in just 11 games. He missed Andalusia’s state semifinal and state championship game after suffering a concussion in the quarterfinals. A healthy Burnette should pile up huge rushing statistics again.

Next up is the Tigers’ top commit for the cycle, five-star wide receiver [autotag]Perry Thompson[/autotag]. Thompson flipped his commitment from Alabama to Auburn during Big Cat Weekend in July and looks to finish his high school career in a big way as a two-way player for Clay-Chalkville.

A first-team Class 7A All-State receiver as a junior a year ago, Thompson caught 87 passes for 1,059 yards and 9 TDs for the Region 1 champions. He also had a pair of interceptions on defense and could play more on that side of the ball as a senior.

Although not committed, Auburn target [autotag]Alvin Henderson[/autotag] is also in the mix to win the award. Henderson is a four-star running back for the 2025 class and is the No. 10 player at his position. Last season at Elba, he rushed for over 200 yards per game.

Historically, ten winners of Alabama’s Mr. Football award have signed with Auburn. [autotag]Bo Nix[/autotag] was the last Auburn signee to with the award, doing so in 2019. [autotag]Kerryon Johnson[/autotag], [autotag]Cadillac Williams[/autotag], [autotag]Demarco McNeil[/autotag], and [autotag]Brandon Cox[/autotag] are other notable Auburn players to win the award.

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Auburn receives votes in preseason USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll

This marks the third straight season that Auburn will begin the season in the “receiving votes” category.

The preseason edition of the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll has been released, which means that the giddy feeling of college football season is becoming more prevalent.

Auburn football ended the 2022 season on a sour note, as they fired head coach [autotag]Bryan Harsin[/autotag] eight games into the season. Interim head coach [autotag]Cadillac Williams[/autotag] brought new energy into the team, which resulted in a 2-2 finish.

[autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] has now taken over the program and has revamped the roster to a degree that brings excitement to Auburn fans everywhere. Head coaches from across the nation are taking note of the changes, and have given Auburn some respect in the polls. The Tigers will kick off the 2023 campaign in the “receiving votes” category of the poll.

It will mark the third straight season that Auburn has received votes in the preseason poll. The last time Auburn began the season as a ranked team was prior to the 2020 season when they held the No. 11 spot.

A look at the full USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports:

Rank Team Record Points Change
1 Georgia 0-0 1,643 (61) –
2 Michigan 0-0 1,510 –
3 Alabama 0-0 1,489 (4) –
4 Ohio State 0-0 1,485(1) –
5 LSU 0-0 1,294 –
6 USC 0-0 1,228 –
7 Penn State 0-0 1,181 –
8 Florida State 0-0 1,145 –
9 Clemson 0-0 1,078 –
10 Tennessee 0-0 9991 –
11 Washington 0-0 941 –
12 Texas 0-0 848 –
13 Notre Dame 0-0 841 –
14 Utah 0-0 839 –
15 Oregon 0-0 820 –
16 TCU 0-0 655 –
17 Kansas State 0-0 440 –
18 Oregon State 0-0 365 –
19 Oklahoma 0-0 320 –
20 UNC 0-0 315 –
21 Wisconsin 0-0 309 –
22 Miss 0-0 303 –
23 Tulane 0-0 225 –
24 Texas Tech 0-0 200 –
25 Texas A&M 0-0 196 –

Others Receiving Votes

Iowa 169; South Carolina 89; Florida 63; Texas-San Antonio 59; Pittsburgh 52; UCLA 42; Kentucky 34; Baylor 28; Troy 25; Arkansas 20; NC State 19; Fresno State 19; Boise State 18; Auburn 18; Minnesota 16; Miami 16; Mississippi State 13; Oklahoma State 12; Missouri 11; Maryland 10; Southern Methodist 8; South Alabama 8; Illinois 7; Wake Forest 6; Air Force 6; Toledo 5; Washington State 4; Houston 3; Duke 2; Brigham Young 2; Arizona 2; Memphis 1; Kansas 1; James Madison 1.

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

Auburn tight end Luke Deal says fans would be upset with Hugh Freeze if Williams wasn’t retained on staff. He’s not wrong.

[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.”

Williams is a vital part of the Auburn program. From the players to the fans, his impact does not go unnoticed.
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Auburn among top group for elite running back Nate Frazier

Auburn is looking to add a second running back to its 2024 recruiting class.

Auburn has already landed one top running back in [autotag]J’Marrion Burnette[/autotag] but the Tigers are not done, with running backs coach [autotag]Cadillac Williams[/autotag] looking to add two running backs in the 2024 cycle. On Tuesday they got some good news as they made the top group for one of the best in the country.

[autotag]Nate Frazier[/autotag], a four-star prospect, included the Tigers in his top eight schools. They are battling Alabama, Georgia, Texas A&M, Oregon, Nebraska, Miami and Tennessee for the Santa Anna, California, product.

While the Tigers made the cut, they have some work ahead of them to land the 5-foot-11, 208-pounder, as he has yet to visit the Plains. He has already officially visited Oregon and Alabama and taken several trips to Georgia.

He is the No. 51 overall player and No. 4 running back in the 247Sports Composite ranking. He is also the No. 4 player from California.

Auburn currently has 10 commits in the 2024 recruiting cycle and Frazier would become the highest-ranked one if they can reel him in.

The Tigers have not landed multiple running backs in one class since 2019 when they added [autotag]Mark-Anthony Richards[/autotag] and [autotag]D.J. Williams[/autotag].

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Phil Steele expects Auburn to be an improved program in 2023

The college football expert feels that Hugh Freeze has stepped into a good situation at Auburn.

The 2022 football season was shaping up to be one of the most disappointing at Auburn in recent memory. However, interim head coach [autotag]Cadillac Williams[/autotag] led the Tigers to a 2-2 final record, which put Auburn within one game of bowl eligibility despite the low points.

[autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] has taken over the program and has brought momentum into the program by bringing in talented high school talent, as well as useful products from the transfer portal to fill positional needs. Based on fresh faces alone, how many wins will that translate to? One college football expert weighs in.

Phil Steele, the publisher of the annual Phil Steele College Football Preview magazine, was a guest on the Josh and Swain Show on 99.1 The Sports Animal in Knoxville on Monday. Steele discussed many topics, including his take on the Auburn Tigers ahead of the 2023 season.

Steele says that he is impressed with the talent that Freeze has brought in, but is not ready to say that Auburn will be an SEC West contender right away.

“He’s got 17 starters returning and he’s brought in some good transfers as well. So I think the talent’s there at Auburn, but I don’t think the talent’s there for them to get back to being an SEC West contender this year. I think they can get back to a bowl game and definitely improve upon the 5-7 record last year. Probably get to like 7, perhaps 8 as a top end for them. A better season at Auburn, but not quite up to the fact of playing with your Alabamas and LSUs and, as I mentioned, Texas A&M.”

Auburn won just two games against SEC foes last season and will face a schedule this season that is favorable for bowl eligibility. The Tigers will face the usual suspects such as Alabama, LSU, and Georgia, but will also have several games against “swing opponents” like Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, and Ole Miss.

This season’s Power Five nonconference opponent is Cal, which is a more favorable draw from the home-and-home series with Penn State over the last two seasons, which gives Auburn a great shot to finish 4-0 against the nonconference schedule.

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