Auburn football recruiting: Tre' Williams commits to Tigers

The decision where Rivals 100 inside linebacker Tre' Williams would play college football was supposed to be at the Under Armour All-American game in January. On Wednesday afternoon at St. Paul's Episcopal High School, the Mobile native announced his commitment to Auburn.

The 6'2, 220-pound Williams is ranked as the No. 35 overall player and the No. 2 inside linebacker in the nation by Rivals. His commitment to Auburn stems largely from his relationship with co-offensive coordinator Dameyune Craig.

"I've known coach Craig since my first year, he gave me my first offer back at Florida State," said Williams at his commitment ceremony, referring to Craig’s coaching days at FSU. "Ever since then, we've built a relationship and when we went to Auburn it made it better."

In his junior season, Williams led his team to the Class 5A state semifinals and recorded 123 tackles. He is now the fifth commitment in Auburn’s 2014 class that includes his St. Paul’s teammate Joshua Casher.

Williams said his decision came down to the Tigers and their arch rivals.

"At the time, it was a battle between Auburn and Alabama. Me and Coach Craig talked literally every week. We talked more than football, we talked about personal life and family. Of course, Alabama is a great school they have that tradition. Coach (Nick) Saban is a great coach and I talked to Coach (Kirby) Smart, but I still think Auburn is the best for me."

The decision to make his announcement early was centered on Williams being able to enjoy his senior season.

"My mother and I had a long talk, and we were listing the good and bad things about recruiting. Going away from home was a bad thing, and enjoying my senior year was a concern," Williams told AuburnSports.com. "I don't want to think about my senior year being stressed out. I want to get it out of the way so I can enjoy the season and help my team win a state championship."

On Monday, Williams released his four finalists that included Auburn, Alabama, Florida and Ole Miss. He visited both Auburn and Alabama in the spring and still plans to visit Florida and Ole Miss during the summer.

"Florida, I mostly talk to Coach (Will) Muschamp. I'm supposed to go down this summer and see the campus. When we talk, we don't only talk about football. He's recruiting me as a person, not just because I'm good at football. He and my high school coach are really good friends and so he's told me some things about him. They put players in the NFL like Matt Elam, they produce talent," said Williams.

The newly committed Williams will compete in the Rivals Five-Star Challenge in June and will also attend Auburn’s Big Cat Weekend on May 25.