MOBILE, Ala. -- The new Auburn coaching staff has put an emphasis on the state of Alabama in recruiting, and the trend continued Wednesday when the Tigers landed a commitment from St. Paul’s Episcopal linebacker Tré Williams, ranked No. 74 in the ESPN 150.
"It's been a really great process," he said. "Ever since day one, I was really nervous about my first offer, and when they started building up, Coach [Steve] Mask told me to stay humble. I have and I will always be."
Williams credited his relationship with Auburn assistant coach Dameyune Craig, his recruiting coordinator, as one of the main reasons why he chose the Tigers.
"I've known Coach Craig since my freshman year," Williams said. "He gave me my first offer back at Florida State, and ever since then, we've built that relationship. When he went to Auburn, it made it even better. I already liked Auburn at the time."
Since earning the first offer from Florida State, Williams had accumulated close to 20 scholarship offers, but he admitted it came down to in-state rivals Alabama and Auburn. He also had Florida and Ole Miss in his final group.
At Auburn, the 6-foot-2, 217-pound prospect projects best as an inside linebacker, but Mask, his head coach at St. Paul's, believes Williams can succeed no matter what position he plays.
"He's pretty special," Mask said. "The thing that separates him from anybody I've ever coached, I don't think I've ever seen a kid who loves to play football more than him. He loves to practice football. He loves to talk about football. He loves to play football. He loves the game."
Williams will join high school teammate Josh Casher at Auburn next season. Casher, who committed to the Tigers in March, is the top center prospect in the nation according to ESPN.
With the addition of Williams, Auburn now has five commitments for 2014, four from the state of Alabama. Prattville, Ala., running back Kamryn Pettway was the first to commit to new AU coach Gus Malzahn and his staff.
