Generally speaking, a football team can’t have too many talented running backs — especially in the SEC.

However, in an era of college football that makes it so easy to transfer to other programs, some might say not having enough touches to satisfy a deep running back room could spell trouble.

At Auburn, the Tigers have four ball carriers that have each shown flashes of promise through nearly two weeks of fall camp in junior Jarquez Hunter, sophomore Damari Alston, junior USF transfer Brian Battie and freshman Jeremiah Cobb.

Fortunately for Auburn, the Tigers’ running back room is led by a guy who knows a thing or two about not only being a running back on The Plains, but also being just one piece of a deep, talented roster of ball carriers.

Carnell ‘Cadillac’ Williams rushed for more than 3,800 yards and 45 touchdowns during his career at Auburn, which spanned from 2001-04. Williams recorded back-to-back seasons of 1,000+ rushing yards in 2003 and 2004, cementing himself as one of the best to do it for the Tigers.

But Williams, who returned to Auburn as the team’s running back coach in 2019, wasn’t a one-man show during his playing days at Auburn.

“You are looking at a guy who had the opportunity to play with Tre Smith, Brandon Jacobs, Ronnie Brown,” Williams said Tuesday, echoing what he tells running back prospects on the recruiting trail.

From 2000-04, Brown rushed for more than 2,600 yards and 29 touchdowns, while Smith tacked on more than 900 yards and 13 touchdowns from 2002-06. In 2003, Jacob tallied 446 yards and three scores.

“When Ronnie go out there, Brandon or Tre, they do something good, I’m happy for them, I’m cheering for them,” Williams said. “But also, it lights a fire up under me so each and every day having that mindset of competing with each other each and every day and also pulling for the guy at the same time.”

Now it’s all come full circle as Williams watches Auburn’s current running back room, which he says is the deepest it’s been since his return in 2019.

Hunter is slated to lead the Tigers this fall as the room’s leading returner.

In 2022, Hunter backed up current Jacksonville Jaguar Tank Bigsby, tallying 675 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. In his sophomore season, Hunter was also efficient as a pass catcher, recording 224 receiving yards on 17 receptions, good for a pair of touchdowns.

During the offseason, which wasn’t without drama as he was allegedly the centerpiece of an internal investigation involving a leaked sex tape, Hunter trained with Brad Lester, another former Auburn running back.

Lester told AL.com in July that he and Hunter had been working tirelessly to improve the junior’s lateral movement.

Williams told reporters Tuesday that Hunter’s footwork continues to be a point of emphasis.

“I was just telling those guys how important it is for our footwork, our lateral quickness, our movement, how us to continue to sharpen those things each and every day that we get the opportunity to do those things, because if you start going through the motion, those things can start slacking,” Williams said. “So just his overall fitness, what he wanted to accomplish.”

Then you’ve got Alston, who returns for Year No. 2 at Auburn after primarily being a reserve back in 2022.

In Saturday’s scrimmage at Jordan-Hare Stadium — the first of the fall for the Tigers — Alston was credited with ripping off a long touchdown rush. Alston finished without a scoring rush during his freshman season.

And while Alston’s on-field role is sure to increase this coming fall, from the sounds of it, it pales in comparison to what his leadership role might be in the running back room.

“Damari, the thing he does a really good job of — it’s just head over heels for me — is he has a way of not only leading by example, but he also has that voice,” Williams said, adding that he was never quite the vocal leader during his time at Auburn.

“Damari is the guy that leads by example but can capture guys — the way he talks to them, the way he brings in guys.”

And with the likes of two newcomers in Battie and Cobb, it’s important to have a presence like Alston’s in the room.

Battie comes to The Plains after tallying more than 1,800 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns in his three seasons with the USF Bulls. With him, Battie brings ample experience as a kick returner, for which he was named a consensus All-American in 2021 and earned a first-team All-SEC preseason bid in July.

Cobb helps round out the running back room as the youngest player and is one Williams can surely relate to.

“I can definitely remember coming in, being from this state, being a big-name back, and trying to find my way,” Williams said, drawing comparison to Cobb, who is also from the state of Alabama.

As with any freshman, Cobb has had his ups and downs, but is starting to settle in. On Tuesday, Williams had high praise for Cobb as willing blocker in pass protection.

Rest assured, Cobb has everything you want in a running back, too.

“I mean, his vision, quickness, explosiveness… I’m excited for this guy’s future,” Williams said. “I honestly think he will be one of those household names.”

But again, there’s likely some time to go before Cobb make his way to the front of the running back room.

Right now, there’s a line at the door.

But for Williams, who experienced the same during his college career, it’s how he wants his running back room to look.

“I’ve been down that path with a lot of these guys. I’ve been through, going through, and being in a deep room and fighting for playing time and I love it man,” Williams said. “To play in the backfield where we made each other better. Iron sharpens iron.”