Auburn 'definitely' finalist for 4-star CB

Auburn made quite the impression on Devin Williams during his time on the Plains.

The No. 109 player in the country decided to take a trip to Auburn Saturday, arriving in the morning and departing in the afternoon. Overall, the visit went well and made Auburn more enticing to the four-star defensive back.

"They’re definitely gonna be one of my finalists," Williams said. "I don’t think I can leave them out, I don’t think that’s possible."

Williams' main recruiter at Auburn since the Tigers started showing interest has been Wesley "Crime" McGriff, who serves as the cornerbacks' coach for Auburn. McGriff appeared to be heading to Texas A&M at one point several weeks ago, before it was announced he was staying at Auburn.

That had a big impact with Williams.

"I think it’s very important because I love Coach Crime," Williams said. "I have a good relationship with Coach Crime, so him leaving would have been big in my decision. Knowing he’s staying and still with the Tigers, it’s a great feeling."

While on campus, Williams got to spend time with both McGriff and co-defensive coordinator Charles Kelly, who's entering his first season with Auburn's coaching staff. Williams holds both in high regards.

"Coach Crime is a very down to Earth guy," Williams said. "He knows what he’s talking about, he has a history with getting guys to the NFL. He went through a little presentation of all the people he’s produced and put into the NFL. They’re super stars now. He has a great history of producing guys."

Kelly may be the new guy on the block, but Williams is already familiar with what he's accomplished as a coach.

"Coach Kelly also has a rich coaching background, coaching at Alabama and Colorado, and now he’s at Auburn," Williams said. "Auburn’s a great program with a bunch of good coaches, so it was great spending time with them."

Not only did he get one-on-one time with both secondary coaches, but his trip included time spent with head coach Hugh Freeze.

"He was telling me about the culture of the program, how he doesn’t like to grab guys out the portal," Williams said. "He likes to do it how it’s always been done through high school recruiting. He was big on that, culture and to not give up when it’s hard and jump in the portal after the first year."

Under Freeze, the Tigers have shown progress in their recruiting classes since he was hired in November 2022. Auburn finished with the No. 15 class in 2023, the No. 8 class in 2024 and currently sit at No. 5 for the 2025 class.

"It’s definitely good to hear and see," Williams said. "He can prove he’s not just telling me something, telling me any old thing, he’s actually proving his actions. Actually proving his actions and not just telling me anything, it stands out a lot about him."

Auburn is among one of the programs showing Williams the most love right now. Others include Georgia Tech and Alabama, both of which will host Williams before the dead period. Oklahoma and Notre Dame are also beginning to push harder for the 5-foot-11 Georgia native.

As of now, he's hoping to have a decision sometime this spring, but nothing is for certain. Will Auburn get an official visit from him?

"Yeah, it’s right down the road," Williams said. "Loving the coaches and loving what they’re about, so they’re definitely on the official list."