4-star CB Devin Williams commits to Auburn: 'It was a different feeling'

About a week ago, Buford (Ga.) four-star cornerback Devin Williams was lining up spring visits to Auburn, Notre Dame and Texas A&M. He even had dates locked in for trips to the Plains, South Bend and College Station. Then he started having that feeling. That feeling didn’t go away. So he canceled those visits and followed his heart.

“I committed to Auburn,” Williams told On3. “It was a different feeling. I was planning some visits in the spring, I thought I would take official visits, but over the last four or five days, it just hit me. The more I thought about it, I knew Auburn was where I wanted to be. I knew it was time to commit and I knew Auburn the school.”

That feeling was not knew to Williams. The 5-foot-9.5, 160-pound defensive back was offered by Hugh Freeze and the Auburn Tigers in January of last year. The recruitment started there and it has been consistent for the last 13 months.

“Auburn showed a lot of love. They have been the leader in my mind for a while. The coaches have been consistent, they have always recruited me hard and the four or five times I have visited, it has just felt right. I kept going back because of that feeling. My commitment date moved up, but Auburn has always been high on my list.

“Since the new staff came in, they have reached out, they have checked on me, they ask about school and they have just made sure I am good. That meant a lot. Auburn showed me they wanted me and every time I was there, it felt like home.”

Williams is the 9th commitment for Auburn this cycle.

Williams is excited about the future at Auburn under Freeze

Freeze was a big part of Williams’ recruitment. He was heavily involved and the new commit is a believer in the Auburn head coach.

“Coach Freeze is a great coach and he is really changing things at Auburn,” Williams said. “His plan is to build a culture and he is doing that. He didn’t do a lot in the Transfer Portal, he is building Auburn back organically.

“Coach Freeze signed a great recruiting class in 2024, things are going well in 2025 and he is bringing Auburn back. He almost beat Georgia and Alabama this past season, so you see the type of coach that he is. Now he is getting the players, changing the culture and Auburn is going back to the old days.”

Coach Crime and Williams have a strong relationship

The way schools recruited Williams was important to him. He is about that bond and the No. 115 overall prospect and No. 14 cornerback in the 2025 On3 Industry Ranking had no better connection than the one he has with Wesley McGriff, Coach Crime.

“How I related to a coach played a very crucial role in recruiting for me,” Williams said. “I am a relationship guy, so that has always been important to me. Honesty was big for me too.

“Coach McGriff has always been one of my favorite coaches. We have a great relationship and I love being around him. He is a great coach, a great person and he knows how to coach and have fun. He is a coach I trust and believe in. Coach Crime is my guy and we had that relationship.”

Williams gave Coach Crime the news of his commitment first. Williams told him a few days ago. Then Freeze received the news a day later.

“They were screaming, they were excited and they were excited to have me.”