{"id":143003,"date":"2022-11-29T15:19:03","date_gmt":"2022-11-29T15:19:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/cadillac-williams-to-remain-at-auburn-receive-promotion-on-hugh-freezes-staff\/"},"modified":"2022-11-29T15:19:03","modified_gmt":"2022-11-29T15:19:03","slug":"cadillac-williams-to-remain-at-auburn-receive-promotion-on-hugh-freezes-staff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/cadillac-williams-to-remain-at-auburn-receive-promotion-on-hugh-freezes-staff\/","title":{"rendered":"Cadillac Williams to remain at Auburn, receive promotion on Hugh Freeze’s staff"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Cadillac Williams helped guide Auburn through the final month of a difficult season. Now he’ll remain part of the program’s future.<\/p>\n

The plan is for Williams to be retained by Hugh Freeze and add the title of associate head coach as the new Auburn coach works to assemble his first coaching staff on the Plains, a source with direct knowledge of the situation told AL.com. It is unclear when an official announcement will come from Auburn, but Williams posted a tweet late Monday night<\/a> that featured a photo of he and Freeze meeting and included the words \u201clet’s get to work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Auburn football:<\/b> Alabama HS coaches hope to build relationship with Hugh Freeze, Auburn<\/p>\n

Goodman: Auburn signals win at all costs with hiring of Hugh Freeze<\/p>\n

Who is Hugh Freeze? A timeline on new Auburn coach’s complicated coaching career<\/p>\n

The retention of Williams is the first piece of the puzzle for Freeze’s inaugural staff, as well as one that figured to be a slam dunk for the new Tigers coach after what Williams accomplished over the last four weeks.<\/p>\n

After Auburn fired Bryan Harsin on Oct. 31 amid a 3-5 start to the season and a four-game losing streak, Williams was elevated from running backs coach to interim head coach of his alma mater. The 40-year-old former All-America running back breathed new life into a listless program, guiding Auburn to a 2-2 finish to the season.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’m so humbled and honored for the way they responded through all of this,\u201d Williams said Saturday. \u201cI mean, through this process, they’ve made me a better person, better husband, father, friend \u2014 it’s just powerful what you can do whenever you get people believing, serving, not making it about each other. It’s powerful. So, that’s the thing I am most happy for when I had this opportunity, that is what I told players, staff\u2014was I don’t know how many games we were going to win, and honestly, quite frankly, it was harsh to say it didn’t really matter, but it didn’t.<\/p>\n

\u201cI seen kids that was broken. I seen kids that needed help. An opportunity to get to serve them and see how, wow, they have opened their hearts, how they done did a (180), how they’re back believing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Auburn dropped its first game under Williams, falling in overtime on the road at Mississippi State after a short week of preparation during which the remaining coaching staff \u2014 complete with a reconfigured offensive staff\u2014scrambled to keep the team on course. Auburn erased a 21-point first-half deficit against Mississippi State, rallying to twice claim the lead late in the fourth quarter before falling short in overtime.<\/p>\n

The following week, in Williams’ first home game as interim coach, the Tigers snapped their five-game losing streak with a 13-10 win against a reeling Texas A&M team. Jordan-Hare Stadium was sold out for Williams’ home debut, as fans turned out in droves to support one of the program’s all-time greats as he tried to salvage a lost season and spark optimism on the Plains.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/b>Cadillac Williams’ postgame Iron Bowl speech<\/b><\/p>\n

Auburn followed up that emotionally charged victory with a blowout of Western Kentucky in its final game at Jordan-Hare Stadium this season, sending the seniors off with a 41-17 that brought the team within one win of bowl eligibility. To get that, Auburn needed an unlikely upset of rival Alabama on the road in the Iron Bowl. The Tigers jumped out to an early 7-0 lead in Tuscaloosa, but the Tide’s offense proved overwhelming. Auburn lost, 49-27, but showed fight until the final moments \u2014 a telling display of the resolve Williams instilled in the program over his four weeks as interim coach.<\/p>\n

While Williams went just 2-2 in the interim role, he proved to be the antidote the program needed to help it recover from the scars of the Harsin era, as his tenure turned into one of the feel-good stories in college football this season .<\/p>\n

He became the first Black head coach in program history and was the first Black man to serve as head coach on either side of the Iron Bowl rivalry. That history was not lost on him, either, and he shared that with his team on the eve of the game.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/b>‘It means everything’: A tearful Cadillac Williams reflects on time as Auburn’s interim coach<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cI grew up always wanting to play in this game,\u201d Williams said Saturday night. \u201cDreamed about it, visualized about it, spoke it into existence. I was doing some research. This is Google, so if Google is wrong then talk to Google. Auburn and Alabama have been playing since 1893\u2026 To be the first African-American to be the head coach in this game, it almost broke me down last night. I didn’t really think much about it, to be honest with you, but it was definitely special. We don’t dream about being a head coach, to be honest with you. For people before and after me that are striving to do these things, a lot of things in life if you can see it then you can strive for it and start believing it.<\/p>\n

\u201cPretty cool. pretty cool. I’m very thankful and honored for that. Can’t nobody take that away from me, no matter what goes on. Nobody.\u201d<\/p>\n

Williams’ run as interim coach will long be remembered around Auburn, and now he will have a chance to help Freeze usher the program into a new era. Williams will now have been on staff for each of Auburn’s last three head coaches. Gus Malzahn hired him prior to the 2019 season as Auburn’s running backs coach, and Harsin retained him as part of his staff when he took over after the 2020 season. He earned $350,000 this season after his contract was extended through Jan. 31, 2023.<\/p>\n

AL.com<\/i> will update this post.<\/i><\/p>\n

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter <\/i>@Tomas_Verde.<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n