Tank Bigsby discusses decision to stay at Auburn
Last season, it was apparent that Auburn Football was going through an identity crisis.
Everything that Gus Malzahn had built in eight years at the helm was crashing down at the hands of new head coach Bryan Harsin, and most of those involved within the program were not buying in to the change.
There were a handful of coaching changes, as well as a mass exodus of players to the transfer portal. One of those that were rumored to be leaving the program was running back Tank Bigsby.
Bigsby was the heart and soul of the Auburn offense, rushing for 1,099 yards and 10 touchdowns for the Tigers during the 2021 season. Auburn had already suffered a key blow with the departure of quarterback Bo Nix, but losing Bigsby would leave Auburn in a state of disrepair.
Luckily for Auburn, Bigsby pulled his name out of the transfer portal in December, electing to stay loyal to Harsin, and everything he stands for.
“It’s a different program, and you have to be a different man to be in this program,” Bigsby said during SEC Media Days on Thursday. “A lot of people don’t like us, and a lot of people speak bad about us, but at the end of the day we have to come to play, and we have to be ready to play. That’s why I came to Auburn, and that’s why I’m still at Auburn. I feel like we’re doing to do what we have to do this year and handle our business.”
Time will tell, but it appears that Bigsby made the right choice to remain at Auburn. He has recently been added to the watchlists of the Maxwell Award, as well as the Doak Walker award. and is poised to become a top prospect in the 2023 NFL Draft pending another successful season.
Bigsby addressed other topics during his availability with the media on Thursday, here is a recap of Bigsby’s day at SEC Media Days:
On what is so special about the bond that he has with people in the LaGrange/Auburn area:
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
When my mother got married, we moved to LaGrange [Georgia], and I was able to build relationships with teammates and friends and a couple of those guys who came to Auburn with me. It was great to have experience with them in high school and in college.
On Head Coach Bryan Harsin:
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
We are playing hard for coach, but we’re playing hard for each other, for the team. The situation that went on brought us closer. It brought us closer as a team and as a family. We go out and play for each other and lay it all on the line and do everything we have to do to get a win.
On running backs that he models his game after:
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
I look at a lot of guys. I look at Alvin Kamara, Nick Chubb. I look at a lot of guys like Dalvin Cook. I look at him a lot. I like his running style, catching out the back field, the way they use him. I like how they do that. I really don’t speak with guys, but I look at them and watch their film a lot.
