Auburn football returns key offensive piece after historic 2021 season

With an extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many of Auburn football’s senior players have to make the choice to be finished with their collegiate careers are return to the Plains for one more season.

Several members of the Tigers’ 2021 roster have already announced their return, from sophomore Colby Wooden to junior Derick Hall, but just this morning one of Auburn football’s key offensive pieces announced he would be returning for the 2022 season.

After setting Auburn’s single-season record for receptions and yards by a tight end, senior tight end John Samuel Shenker will be suited up in orange and blue for head coach Bryan Harsin’s second season:

By the end of the 2021 season, including the Birmingham Bowl, Shenker recorded 33 receptions for 413 yards. Throughout his four-year career for Auburn football, he hauled in 48 receptions for 571 yards and two touchdowns. Shenker’s record-breaking season is truly a testament to Harsin’s commitment to utilizing the tight ends.

With all the guys that decided to stay for another year, including Tank Bigsby, it’s clear that the players are buying into Bryan Harsin’s vision of 2022. New recruits are on their way to the Plains, along with newly hired offensive coordinator Austin Davis, and if the future wasn’t looking bright for Auburn football these guys would not have made the decision to play another season as a Tiger.

While Brodarious Hamm, Smoke Monday, Zakoby McClain, and Roger McCreary headed to the 2022 NFL Draft, it’s a huge deal to retain guys like Derick Hall and John Samuel Shenker. Although everyone is still awaiting the decisions of senior center Nick Brahms and senior linebacker Owen Pappoe, among others, it’s a good sign that the players are already hyped up for next season.