Cadillac Williams was a little perplexed when reports came out this offseason that Tank Bigsby was thinking of leaving Auburn after two years. But, more importantly, he wanted to know what was going through the star running back’s head.

“I kind of wanted to understand why, the whole why behind it, but with me, it was just about with him, is this something you really want to do?” Williams said. “I think at times these kids have a lot of people putting stuff in their head, a lot of people telling them X, Y, Z, a lot of people pulling at them.”

Luckily for the Tigers, Bigsby is returning and will be a significant focus point for Eric Kiesau’s offense this fall. As a sophomore, the LaGrange, Ga., native rushed for 1,099 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. After entering his fourth season in charge of Auburn running backs, Williams feels that the communication between him and Bigsby is even better following the offseason rumors.

“I mean, honestly, even when everything was going on, we were still in a good place,” Williams said. “We were still communicating. My players know—not only Tank Bigsby, but all my guys in my room know, man, that I’m going to keep it real with them.”

Already the go-to guy for Auburn, Bigsby is taking a more prominent role, especially with his backup, Jarquez Hunter, sitting out spring practice. Now an upperclassman, he’s expected to be a leader for the entire team as well, and what he does in practice is closely watched by his coaches and, most importantly, teammates.

Williams, who has been in the same position as Bigsby as a star college running back trying to achieve his goal of playing in the NFL, is trying to keep the player in the moment at hand.

“My message to him this offseason was, ‘Man, be where your feet are,’” Williams said “‘Lock in, be about your craft, think like a pro. Develop. Watch film. Grow as a person. Listen more. Don’t talk as much. Work your ass off.’”

Despite all the rumors and melodrama that surrounded Bigsby and the Auburn team this offseason, his coach knows that the running back is where he wants to be in the end.

“I think when it all came back down to it, Tank Bigsby loves Auburn,” Williams said. “He loves being here. He has made a name for himself, and I truly think it was something (transferring) that he never really, really wanted to do.”