There’s a lot of speculation going on right now concerning the depth chart for the 2021 Auburn football team, particularly on the offense, which continued to be a problem in the Gus Malzahn era. However, the Tigers have firmly moved into the Bryan Harsin era, and as former Auburn wide receiver Anthony Schwartz described, this is “definitely a different offense.”
While the depth chart may remain uncertain in some positions, Auburn football should be in a very good place with two powerhouse runningbacks returning to the roster. Tank Bigsby, the standout freshman, and Shaun Shivers, one of 2020’s senior team captains, are set to be major contributors to the Auburn offense in 2021.
However, not everyone seems to be in agreement about the ferocity of big man Shaun Shivers. In one Auburn Wire article predicting Auburn’s 2021 offensive depth chart, Shivers was snubbed big time:
"Bigsby showed why he is one of the top returning running backs in the nation while Shivers remains scared of contact. The entire Auburn season might depend on the legs of Bigsby."
If you’re an Auburn fan reading those words and you think they’re absolutely ridiculous, you wouldn’t be the only one. Shaun Shivers, his mom, and Anthony Schwartz all took offense to the article, clowning the author for making such claims about the huge impact player. Schwartz brought the article to the Auburn community’s attention, and right away Shivers’ mom chimed in:
Wait I just seen some article saying that @V8Blazing was scared of contact... what games are they watching🤣🤣🤣
— Anthony Schwartz (@TheRealF1ash) April 24, 2021
I saw the same article & was confused on if there were 2 Shaun Shivers because the one I birthed is a HEAD BUSSA on site! This guy must need to find a new profession! Reporting ain’t it
— J Mac (@RealPrettiSkin) April 24, 2021
The veteran running back has recorded 933 rushing yards and seven touchdowns in his career to date, and last season alone racked up 276 yards despite missing several games due to injury. The author of the article clearly missed or forgot about last year’s Iron Bowl, because this run by Shaun Shivers absolutely screams “afraid of contact!”
Shaun Shivers is in for the AUBURN TOUCHDOWN and he takes Xavier McKinney's helmet off as well 🔥#IronBowl pic.twitter.com/uEFb5w23Di
— NCAAF Nation (@NCAAFNation247) December 1, 2019
Shaun Shivers’ response to the snub? It only made him mad, and his mom’s advice was to get madder and work harder. With fall camp not too far off, Shivers will have the chance to prove what he has already proven to the Auburn football community for the past four seasons–that he is a winner.