Auburn football: PFF claims Tank Bigsby as their Heisman sleeper

It’s never too early for Heisman Trophy speculation, especially when Auburn football is in the conversation. With fans claiming that this is Bo Nix’s year and Tank Bigsby dominating in the two quarters he played on Saturday, the Tigers are looking great after week one.

Sophomore running back Tank Bigsby has received a lot of hype heading into the 2021 season, and explosive numbers are expected from him this year. SEC coaches voted Bigsby to first-team All-SEC in August, and also won SEC Freshman of the Year last season.

After putting up the second-most rushing yards for a freshman in Auburn football history last season (834) and the second-most rushing yards among freshmen in all of college football, it’s clear why PFF named Bigsby as their Heisman sleeper:

Of course, the haters are quick to point out that Auburn football’s week one opponent was Akron. But the Tigers didn’t struggle one bit versus the Zips, and plenty of teams struggled with their supposedly easy season-openers.

PFF reports that Bigsby was the highest-graded Power 5 running back in college football after week one, with a score of 91.6. But is it too early to be declaring Bigsby a potential Heisman candidate?

Maybe not. Bigsby is going to continue to record staggering stats, but this season the Tigers have plenty of depth to ensure he gets a few breaks. No one is questioning the abilities of Shaun Shivers, who matched Bigsby’s pair of touchdowns on Saturday, and true freshman Jarquez Hunter proved that he is up to the challenge after posting 100+ yards in the first game of his career.

So far, the Harsin era is proving successful for the 2021 Tigers.