Auburn fans’ expectations might be a little down heading into the first season of the Bryan Harsin era in 2021. I mean, when was the last time that the majority would pick eight wins to be a successful season?
There are reasons for optimism for the Tigers, though, and one of them has been pointed out by the good people at 247Sports. As you would expect, it involves running back Tank Bigsby.
Bryan Harsin is the perfect choice for tailback Tank Bigsby, whose new coach likes to run the football and be stubborn in his approach to a workhorse mentality. Harsin routinely produced 1,000-yard rushers at Boise State and knows Auburn has a player it can build the offense around in 2021. Quarterback Bo Nix is playing under his third play-caller in three seasons, so he’s going to need some help in the run game and Bigsby is one of the SEC’s best. With enough carries, Bigbsy is a player who could rush for 1,200 or more yards.
Yes, Bigsby returns for his sophomore season after rushing for 834 yards on just 138 attempts last season and expects to be even better. A large amount of the Auburn offense, especially early on, will rely on his legs to keep opposing defenses honest and not just stack the box and make Nix beat them.