Although the Auburn football community spent days in limbo wondering whether or not three-year starting quarterback Bo Nix would return to the Plains, Nix wasn’t the only player considering entry to the transfer portal following the end of the regular season. Star running back Tank Bigsby was rumored to be entering the transfer portal, too, after just two seasons at Auburn.
The RB was shown extremely unhappy on the sidelines during games at the end of the season, and it seemed like over and over again Bigsby was forced to sit on the sidelines in critical situations. When practices began for the Birmingham Bowl, the RB was not present.
However, after meetings with head coach Bryan Harsin and the rest of the staff, it was confirmed that Bigsby would be making his return, emphasized by a highlight reel the RB posted to his Instagram in lieu of an official announcement.
According to On3 Sports, Coach Harsin’s vision was a huge part of Bigsby’s decision to return, and he believes that all the hard work will pay off come 2022:
"“The work ethic, it’s a different work here now under Coach Harsin,” Bigsby said. “It’s work, hard work. That’s what they believe in and that’s how we get better. That’s all we do. Work our tails off, and that’s the only thing that’s different. The Auburn culture is still the same, we have the best fan base, everything is the same, it’s just the work part is different.”"
With a new recruiting class on its way in and new offensive coordinator Austin Davis’ impending arrival on the Plains, Tank Bigsby and the rest of the players are still buying into Harsin’s vision of an Auburn football culture built off of work, hard work.