Should Cadillac Williams take over the reins of the Auburn football program?

The Hugh Freeze era is still in its first season, but there is still speculation that Auburn made the wrong decision. Is the right answer still on staff for Auburn?

Author:
Daniel Locke
Publish date:
Oct 27, 2023 3:45 PM EDT

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Auburn Tigers

2022 was a rough year for the Auburn Tigers.

When they parted ways with former head coach Bryan Harsin on Halloween, Auburn was on a four-game losing streak, recruiting was in bad shape and the energy surrounding the program was in the toilet.

Then Auburn named running backs coach Carnell "Cadillac" Williams, an Auburn legend at the position himself, as interim head coach. The energy surrounding the program shifted instantly.

Williams' first game in the position resulted in an overtime loss to the Mississippi State Bulldogs. The next week, however, is when things changed.

Auburn took on the Texas A&M Aggies at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Both teams were 3-6 at the time, but the energy in the stadium suggested otherwise.

Auburn came out on top for the first time in almost two months and Williams became even more cemented as a legend on the Plains.

A few weeks later Auburn hired Hugh Freeze and Williams was promoted to associate head coach.

The reaction to Freeze has been mixed. It is hard to argue with the results he has gotten on the recruiting trail, but a 3-4 record is not.

Joe Goodman, a columnist for AL.com, suggested that Auburn give control of the program back to Williams.

"I say all this because I’ve witnessed the magnetic power of sports at every level, and in just about every way, and in all that time I’ve never seen anything like the way Cadillac transformed the energy surrounding Auburn football when he took over the program as interim coach on Oct. 31, 2022," Goodman said.

Goodman suggested that Auburn not hire Freeze, but have Williams serve as the head coach for the rest of the season while Freeze focuses on rebuilding the roster.

"Is it too much to ask, just for the next couple months, to give the keys of Auburn football back to Cadillac?

Auburn swaps out the quarterbacks just about every quarter. Why not the head coach, too?"