Auburn football fans may have to brace for the end of the 2021 season to get even more difficult to stomach.
After the Tigers’ third straight loss in November this past Saturday night, AU is in shambles, and there could be departures in the offseason that follow what could be a losing season depending on what happens in the Iron Bowl and their bowl game.
One of the hottest rumors is that head coach Bryan Harsin–whose first year in charge has come undone since the team beat Ole Miss to become bowl eligible and move to 6-2–could be looking to make a move back to his home region to coach in the Pac-12.
The Harsin-to-Washington rumors are red-hot, and it’s worth noting that the last head coaching job in the south he had (Arkansas State) ended up being a one-year stint preceding a seven-year stay with his alma mater, Boise State.
Still, neither Harsin nor Auburn seem willing to give up so soon, especially considering the long-term damage it could do to the program.
Besides the Harsin/UW chatter, the big rumor on the Plains is the possible departure of Tank Bigsby. Bigsby is not having the season many foresaw in 2021 after a breakout freshman season that saw him win SEC Freshman of the Year and make the SEC Second Team, and some Tiger fans were even commenting on his social media posts that Auburn didn’t deserve him.
If those numbskulls’ pleading actually does force Bigsby to reassess his situation, these 5 schools are potential landing spots:
Tank Bigsby trades in his Auburn football orange and blue for Alabama crimson
One of the biggest nightmare scenarios that exists across all sports is the Alabama Crimson Tide swooping in and stealing away one of Auburn’s best players.
The last sport it needs to happen in is football, but the Tide do represent a serious threat to stealing Bigsby away if he does decide that the Plains aren’t the best place for him to win.
Remember, Nick Saban was the first head coach to offer Bigsby, and that came after his first official collegiate visit to Tuscaloosa. While it’d be sacrilege for Tank to take Saban up on that offer now, we have to hope that he doesn’t value the Tide being his first visit and offer.
Georgia brings Bigsby back home across state lines
The LaGrange native Bigsby was never officially offered by Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs, with then-Auburn football head coach Gus Malzahn securing his services by the time that could have happen.
But now, the Bulldogs could end up being the go-to school considering their dominance over the rest of the NCAA in 2021.
If Tank wants to return home–or roughly two and a half hours away but still within state lines–the Dawgs could come calling if Zamir White and James Cook both take their talents to the NFL.
South Carolina finally gets their man
The Gamecocks have a capable backfield platoon, with Zaquandre White and Kevin Harris collectively approaching 1,000 yards rushing on the season.
That said, neither represent the kind of punch-it-in back that caps off long drives with a score, with White’s three touchdowns on the year to go along with…well none from Harris.
Bigsby would be a major step up for their backfield, and was already heavily recruited by South Carolina in 2018 and 2019. Not only that, but Gamecocks fans did some recruiting of their own after their Saturday triumph over Auburn.
Or maybe Clemson steals him instead
Clemson’s running backs were apparently jealous at the start of the season when someone else in the backfield was doing well, as freshman RB Will Shipley pointed out:
"“I think there was a lot of jealousy and just a bad mixup in our room earlier in the season,” he said Monday. “The happiness we have for one another (now) is great. It’s great to know that someone can prosper and someone else is happy for them, rather than wish on his downfall in the background.”"
Simply put, Bigsby is better than all of them, so the current non-salty attitude towards peer success would have to stick for Tank to thrive in northwestern South Carolina without issue.
Given Dabo Swinney’s prior interest in Bigsby–which included two visits and an offer–the comeback Clemson Tigers, winners of four straight, could be an attractive landing spot this offseason.
The Josh Heupel effect attracts top talent to Rocky Top
Now bowl eligible for just the second time in the last five seasons, Tennessee has a head coach in Josh Heupel that has changed the tone on Rocky Top and is making the Volunteers a viable program for top recruits again.
Bigsby’s ties to the Vols are faint, but Tennessee has shown significant progress in 2021, making them a dark horse for the possible transfer.