Auburn football had a strong start to the 2021 season before faltering and fizzing out in November, ending the season 6-6. Several Auburn players entered the transfer portal shortly after the season, including OL Tashawn Manning, WR Elijah Canion, and three-year starting quarterback Bo Nix. However, things got serious when word got around that the Tigers’ star running back Tank Bigsby was considering entering his name into the transfer portal.
The Auburn football community was in a state of unrest for days as reports that Bigsby was leaving or staying flew around the internet. After watching Bigsby on the sidelines during critical moments in several of the Tigers’ later games, many speculated that the RB was frustrated with the playcalling.
However, head coach Bryan Harsin and the coaching staff held meetings with Bigsby early this week and it was announced that the running back had been convinced the remain on the Plains:
Looks like Tank Bigsby is not transferring. pic.twitter.com/nGCJGNRoWt
— Unnecessary Roughness (@UnnecRoughness) December 13, 2021
Harsin spoke with Paul Finebaum earlier this week and confirmed the meeting, explaining that Tank Bigsby is a vital part of the team moving forward, per 247Sports:
"“Tank is a tremendous player, tremendous person,” Harsin said. “And, you know, I think the biggest thing is you know as we move forward and look into playing in this bowl game, and the future and all that, it’s not just Tank, it’s every player on this team. And you’re always having those conversations with guys. And they’re not always negative. It’s not always about leaving. It’s not always about things that people speculate. It’s just about, you know, guys have goals and dreams. And so we talk about, you know, what we have to do to finish the season, what we have to do or what we want to do moving forward. And Tank’s a big part of that, and he knows that, and he cares about Auburn and cares about this program."
Auburn football’s head coach told Finebaum that Bigsby is “a guy you want to have on your football team” and that everyone’s focus is now on playing their best against a strong Houston team in the Birmingham Bowl.