AUBURN — Former star running back and beloved icon Cadillac Williams is no longer with the Auburn football program. He announced his resignation Thursday evening.

“After taking time to pray and reflect, I have made the decision to resign from my position with Auburn football to pursue other opportunities," Williams said in a statement. "I love Auburn, the players and AU family with all my heart, but this decision is what is best for me, my wife and sons.

"I am extremely grateful for the coaching opportunity given to me first by Coach (Gus) Malzahn and most recently by Coach (Hugh) Freeze. These past five years on the Plains have been nothing short of incredible. Auburn is and always will be a special part of my life. War Eagle!"

Williams spent four seasons as a player at Auburn, rushing for 3,831 yards and 45 touchdowns on 741 attempts from 2001-04. Those numbers rank No. 1, No. 2 and No. 1 in AU's all-time record books, respectively. The only player to ever rush for more yards in an Auburn uniform was Bo Jackson, who tallied 4,303.

The Tigers compiled a 37-14 record with Williams on the roster, including an undefeated season in 2004 in which Auburn was left out of the title game. USC and Oklahoma got invites instead, leaving the Tigers to play Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl. The Trojans and Sooners were also undefeated in the regular season, and the former beat the latter for the championship.

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Williams went on to get drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft, three selections after the Nick Saban-led Miami Dolphins took his teammate and fellow running back, Ronnie Brown. Williams was the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2005, but his career was limited to seven seasons due to various injuries.

It took Williams about three-and-a-half years to break into the coaching ranks after his NFL career came to a close, getting his first opportunity as running backs coach at Division II Henderson State in 2015. He made stops at West Georgia (2016), IMG Academy (2017) and held a role with the Birmingham Iron of the Alliance of American Football in 2018 before Malzahn hired him to coach his former position at his alma mater.

Williams remained on staff on the Plains through two coaching changes, first surviving the move from Malzahn to Bryan Harsin and then from Harsin to Freeze. Harsin was fired in October 2021 with four games remaining on the schedule, and Williams was selected as interim coach.

The Tigers went 2-2 under his tutelage, including an inspiring 13-10 win over Texas A&M that is one of the more iconic Auburn victories in recent memory. Freeze, when putting together his inaugural staff, promoted Williams to associate head coach, an elevation that increased his pay to $900,000 annually.

“We are incredibly appreciative of Carnell and what he’s done for the Auburn football program during his time on the coaching staff," Freeze said. "He led Auburn through a time of transition and is one of the program’s all-time greats. I know this wasn’t easy for him, but I respect his decision and wish him nothing but the best.”

Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on Twitter @rich_silva18.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Cadillac Williams resigns as Auburn football RBs coach