Auburn has endured a great deal of change in recent years, with the firing of two head coaches since the end of the 2020 season and staff overhauls along the way. One constant has remained during all the overturn, however — Cadillac Williams.

The Auburn legend has now served under three different head coaches — and on five separate staffs if you include Kevin Steele’s brief interim stint and Williams’ own turn in that role last November — providing a stabling presence within the program. Williams has proven his worth as a running backs coach during his time back on the Plains, and he has also consistently delivered on the recruiting front for his alma mater.

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The latest example came two weeks ago, when Williams helped Auburn secure a commitment from four-star Andalusia standout J’Marion “Phat” Burnette, the 10th-ranked running back in the 2024 class and No. 8 player in Alabama this cycle. Burnette is the fourth blue-chip running back Williams has landed since he joined Auburn’s staff four years ago, joining Tank Bigsby (2020), Damari Alston (2022) and Jeremiah Cobb (2023). The only running back rated below four stars that Williams has brought to Auburn in that span is Jarquez Hunter, a former three-star recruit who has been highly productive in his first two seasons and is set to take on the lead role this fall.

“I think recruiting is about relationships,” Williams said. “Me personally, I don’t have to sell myself. I don’t have to sell Auburn. Auburn has been great for myself, my family, as you all know has done for me. A lot of times, what I like to tell recruits and parents, man, is like, I am a walking testimony of once you buy into Auburn, you come into this environment, what could truly happen. For me, again, it’s just by getting to know people and see if it’s the right fit.”

So far, Williams’ track record has produced its share of right fits, as running back has been a position of little concern for the Tigers amid the constant changes throughout the program and in particular on the offensive side of the ball.

Bigsby was a three-year starter at running back and finished his career as No. 7 on Auburn’s all-time rushing list. Hunter has averaged 6.5 yards per carry over the last two seasons while emerging as one of the biggest positives from the disastrous Bryan Harsin era. Alston was the No. 28 running back in his class and has garnered praise this spring as he eyes a bigger role out of the backfield. Cobb was the ninth-ranked running back in the 2023 class and Auburn’s top offensive signee in its transitional class, while Burnette is set to be one of the early building blocks of Hugh Freeze’s first full recruiting class on the Plains.

Williams has been crucial to landing commitments from each of those running backs, as he has carved out an identity as a strong recruiter at Auburn — regardless of the head coach he’s working under. That’s an incredibly valuable trait in a college football landscape where the name of the game is talent acquisition. As Williams put it Tuesday, recruiting is the lifeblood of a program, and replenishing the talent pool is foundational to a team’s on-field success.

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While Williams has come into his own as a recruiter over the last four years, he said his four-week run as Auburn’s interim coach provided valuable lessons and experience that have improved his ability in that facet of the job.

“It was big for me because those four weeks, just being responsible for staff, the players, even the recruiting department, leading the way,” Williams said. “Now there’s a lot of things I can pull from it, take from within those four weeks of recruiting a variety of guys, and you know, how to go about angles of just showing people our vision here and just, really, it gave me if nothing else, confidence that I can do an even better job.”

It has also helped that Freeze has prioritized recruiting since taking over as head coach, which has only further motivated Williams to get the job done on the trail.

The recent addition of Burnette, who became the fourth 2024 commit for Auburn late last month, won’t be the last for Williams. He said earlier this spring that Auburn hopes to add two running backs this cycle—something the program hasn’t done since 2018, when it added four-star running backs Mark-Antony Richards and D.J. Williams, neither of whom finished their careers on the Plains. (Technically, Auburn added two this cycle, thanks to the transfer portal, with Cobb joined by former USF running back Brian Battie).

“I am excited for this class,” Williams said in February. “It’s a really good class, deep class. The young men that I’m recruiting, having got a chance to get to know them and their families—wow. One thing that I’m big on is just character. We want to bring the right people in here.”

Fortunately for Auburn, Williams has been able to deliver on that again and again. As Freeze described him the day he was introduced as head coach and promoted Williams to associate head coach, the Tigers’ legendary player has developed into an “invaluable” asset for the program.

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.