Around these parts, you’ll often read about all of the things about Auburn football that we can’t wait to see return to pre-pandemic normalcy during the upcoming 2021 season. Obviously, more communal activities like Tiger Walks, mass tree-rolling, and packed post-game celebrations all over downtown Auburn’s Saturday night scene come to mind first.
But not for nothing, the return to All-SEC recognition is one that we’d like to see return as well. Prior to the 2020 season, six Tigers were selected for the Coaches All-SEC teams. Bo Nix was even among the names on that list.
Then 2020 happened, and only two Tigers earned All-SEC honors. One of the aforementioned players (Big Kat Bryant) followed former Auburn football head coach Gus Malzahn to UCF, while the other was the kicker. No slight to Anders Carlson, owner of one of the best legs in the game, either, but kicker shouldn’t be one of the only positions to be recognized for.
Coming into 2021, expectations are tempered. There’s serious shock value to be had amongst the SEC voting committee for an Auburn squad that has plenty of talent but lacks the results to be considered a threat to streak to the top of the conference.
When it comes to receiving All-SEC honors when it is all said and done, these are the five names that come to mind for the 2021 Auburn football season:
Auburn football All-SEC candidate #1: Tank Bigsby, RB
When a player is being talked about in the same sentence as the Heisman trophy–especially when said player is only a sophomore–you need to expect that man to be a contender for being named a top player at the position in the conference.
Tank Bigsby is expected to dominate on a national scale in 2021 after averaging six yards per carry as a freshman last season. With non-conference early season tune-ups back on the schedule and a Week 3 showcase game against one of the Big Ten’s most notable programs (Penn State), Bigsby has the chance to build up considerable Heisman hype before running over the notoriously punishing defenses of the SEC.
Auburn football All-SEC candidate #2: Zakoby McClain, LB
Zakoby McClain is tired of not being recognized as one of the game’s best–particularly after a season in which he ended up with the most tackles out of any defender in a Power 5 conference–and could very well be planning on using 2021 as his platform to force anyone watching to acknowledge that.
He was named the #3 SEC LB by USA Today, but Alabama’s Christian Harris and Arkansas’ Grant Morgan may as well have targets on their backs now, because McClain has the kind of chip on his shoulder that could well have him hyperfocused on stealing the spotlight for himself this season.
Auburn football All-SEC candidate #3: Owen Pappoe, LB
Also present on that list of the top LBs in the SEC was Owen Pappoe, who was eighth in the nation in tackles and also tied the lead for sacks on the Tigers.
Pappoe is a great athlete with NFL buzz despite not being the biggest LB, and he could well develop into being one of the top draft picks in next year’s NFL Draft due to his ability to track down the opposition in both the pass and run game.
With millions of NFL dollars on the line, Pappoe has plenty of motivation to ascend to the top of the SEC LB heirarchy.
Auburn football All-SEC candidate #4: Smoke Monday, S
Smoke Monday is no stranger to All-SEC honors, but he wasn’t named to either the preseason or postseason All-SEC teams in 2020. His former teammate, Christian Tutt, was named to the preseason All-SEC squad, though.
Heading into his senior season, he could put his name into the NFL hat himself should he dominate on a season-long basis.
Monday has four career sacks and four career interceptions including a pair of pick-sixes the past two years, with one of them being an Iron Bowl INT of Mac Jones, but if he could up his counting stats even higher, he’ll have a chance to make noise in the All-SEC conversation in 2021.
Auburn football All-SEC candidate #5: Roger McCreary, CB
Monday’s star secondary teammate–and the other half of what PFF calls the best secondary in college football–Roger McCreary will have an opportunity to thrive with more responsibility following the departures of Marco Domio and Kamal Hadden to the portal.
As Auburn Wire’s Shea Brennaman writes, McCreary made a name for himself last season for containing future NFLer Elijah Moore when the Tigers took down Ole Miss in Oxford.
McCreary is perhaps the Tigers defender held in the highest regard by public opinion (being ranked the #49 player in college football) so All-SEC honors seem well within reason for the senior DB.