Four-star edge Ashley Williams commits to Auburn

On3 imageby:Keith Niebuhr08/03/22

On3Keith

Four-star 2023 edge Ashley Williams of Zachary (La.) gave his commitment to Nebraska on July 10, but soon after doing so reached out to Auburn to keep the line of communication open.

Now, he has flipped to the Tigers.

Williams publicly committed to Bryan Harsin and Co. just four days after attending Auburn’s Big Cat Weekend. Edge coach Roc Bellantoni, linebackers coach Christian Robinson, Director of Football and Player Relations Trovon Reed and defensive analyst Ben Black were heavily involved in this recruitment, as were others.

Williams is extremely high on the Auburn coaching staff

“What I like most about Auburn is the love from the coaches and the head coach,” Williams told Auburn live.

This is another significant commitment for Auburn. The Tigers have a major need at the edge position this recruiting cycle and now have two of them on board. Williams joins 4-star recruit Wilky Denaud of Florida as edges on the commit list. Denaud verbaled to Auburn last Wednesday.

The Tigers could take up to two more edges.

Williams is listed at 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds. He is the No. 374 overall recruit in the 2023 On3 Consensus, a complete and equally-weighted, industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He also ranks as the No. 40 edge in the class and No. 20 recruit in Louisiana.

On3 ranks Williams higher than the industry average; it has him No. 274 overall in the country.

Williams is 2023 verbal No. 6 for the Tigers.

“I like him a lot,” On3 recruiting analyst Gerry Hamilton said.

Multiple factors led Williams to Auburn

Williams’ Big Cat visit pushed Auburn over the top.

“I had a great time. A great time with Coach (Roc Bellantoni) and Coach (Trovon) Reed and coach (Ben) Black,” Williams said Saturday. “I really had a good experience today. Auburn is like one of the only schools still talking to me after my commitment so that means a lot. So Auburn is still in my heart. Me and Coach Roc, we have a good relationship and he really talks about how he wants me and how I fit their defensive scheme at Auburn.”

While relationships with the Auburn coaching staff were key in the Tigers landing Williams’ commitment, the opportunity for early playing time also was a factor.

“That’s a big part, too,” he said.

The Tigers now can afford to be patient for awhile at the edge position with two players now committed there. They remain in contention with a number of highly ranked prospects, including 5-star edge Qua Russaw of Montgomery (Ala.) Carver. He officially visited the Tigers in June.

About Williams’ NIL valuation

Williams has an On3 NIL valuation of $8,700.

The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets the standard market NILvalue for high school and college-level athletes. 

The On3 NIL Valuation is a proprietary algorithm. It does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals athletes have completed to date. Nor does it set an athlete’s NIL evaluation for their entire time in college. It is their worth for roughly nine to 12 months, signifying an athlete’s value at a specific moment in time.

The On3 NIL Valuation is comprised of many dynamic data points that focus on three primary categories:

+Performance: How an athlete performs on the field and/or court 
+Influence: How notable of a social media influencer someone is
+Exposure: How much publicity the athlete receives via the school they attend, the position they play

COMPLETE AUBURN COMMITMENT LIST

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