Former Auburn Tigers 5-Star Suffers Season-Ending Injury

Though the Auburn Tigers were set to take on a former player of theirs this year in Amaris Williams, the revenge matchup will have to wait for another season. The former Tigers linebacker has reportedly torn his ACL during a Georgia Bulldogs spring practice.

Williams is now expected to miss the entire season, which would have been his first with Georgia.

From @DawgsCentral_, LB Amaris Williams tore his ACL on Tuesday and will be out for the 2026 season.

The talented defender transferred in from Auburn this past cycle. pic.twitter.com/qQyd9bha0u
— Will Thomas (@wthomassports) April 16, 2026

The Clinton, N.C., native was a massive acquisition for Hugh Freeze and the Auburn Tigers back in 2024, and he played two seasons under DJ Durkin with highly limited production. In those two seasons, the five-star prospect accumulated 21 tackles, 14 solo tackles and 2.5 sacks.

Williams announced he would be transferring from Auburn back in December of 2025, just under three weeks after Alex Golesh was named the head coach of the Tigers. He committed to Georgia on Jan. 8, ironically, two years to the day after he enrolled with Auburn in 2024.

Georgia’s depth will now be tested in the upcoming season, but Kirby Smart has put together some of the top defenses in the country during his tenure as head coach. So, they’re likely to be just fine despite the loss of a top piece.

The newly-Williams-less Tigers did not miss a beat when it came to finding a replacement for Williams, as Auburn’s new defensive line boasts a litany of top transfers, including Cody Sigler, Nate Johnson and Walter Mathis, Jr.

Of course, Auburn and Georgia face off every year in the ‘Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry,’ and this year is no exception. However, Williams will almost certainly have to sit this year’s contest out; barring another transfer, he will play his former squad sometime in 2027.

Auburn has continued the trend of picking up top defensive linemen despite the new face at the top, as Alex Golesh has already signed the top Alabama defensive lineman in the 2027 class, Donivan Moore, who is expected to make his Auburn debut in the same season that Williams is expected to take on his former squad.

It is certainly unfortunate that Williams will not get to flash the top skills that Hugh Freeze recruited him for, but at least he should be able to attain a medical redshirt, meaning that he will be able to take on his former squad at least two times in a Georgia uniform.

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